Scammers on Upwork

[Valeria K]

Hi Jordan,

Do not accept any payments from Upwork clients outside of the platform and do not deposit the check. It's a violation of Upwork ToS and a sign of a scam.

Check out this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs.

[Mary Daniela T]

Hey! Same thing happened to me. Now I’m getting messages with threats. And I haven’t responded to any of their messages

[Avery O]

Hi Mary Daniela, 

It's good to know that you haven't responded to any of their messages. I would suggest that you block off their email address from your email. I would also suggest that you read up on the links that Nina has provided on her post to help you work safely on Upwork. 

[Amanda P]

Don't do it! It will bounce and in turn deduct from your account to cover it. I repeat, don't do it

[Moniphal S]

I went through the same thing too. I got an invitation to the interview at Google hangout with an email address and the verification code. As this was the first response I got from the client on UpWork, I immediately accepted the invitation and I had an interview for around 2 h, he sounds like real, with proper interview questions (15 questions in total), and then I got the offer and can start working the next day, and that the payment will be by direct deposit or by cheque and it's strange that whenever I asked any questions, he told to wait until the end of the interview.

I found it suspicious and looked around UpWork and found this post and realized I'd really been scammed :-(.

[Valeria K]

Moniphal, are you referring to the interview you had just a few hours ago? The job has already been closed because it was in violation of Upwork ToS and you'll notice that your proposal has been archived. Please, don't communicate with this client any further.

Check out this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs.

[Moniphal S]

Thank you, Valeria, for your prompt reply and closed the scam job post. The tips in a provided link are helpful, thank you. I will try to more diligent and careful next time I get an invitation from a client.

Have a nice day,

Moniphal

[Martha Carolina S]

Hello Valeria, 

I received an offer for the Google Hangouts and I acccepted, I didnt know about this kind of Scam. I chat with the person for more than 30 min and give him perosnal info. I wonder if they were able to search more personal info in my email or access my computer. I am not sure what to do now. The job posting was deleted after the Scam, I sent the screen capture of the offer to the support crew in Upwork. Please guide me trough this. Thank you. 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[Avery O]

Hi Martha Carolina, 

Thanks for sharing your experience here. I can see that the Customer Support Team has replied to your ticket and has given valuable information on how you can spot red flags in a job post, and in an interview. 

Just the same, I'm also sharing here the freelancer resources we compiled and tips for avoiding questionable jobs, for more information about working safely through Upwork.

[Avery O]

Hi Johnnaliza, 

I would like to confirm the information that Jennifer has shared. Please know that it is against the Upwork Terms of Service to request freelancers to pay for a work visa to start working on their project. 

Please read up on the link that John has shared, and visit the Safety First! section of the freelancer resources we have compiled for more information on how you can work safely on Upwork.