The Mysterious Clients

[7f73cc64]

One of the most frustrating things when looking for work on this site is filtering through ambiguous job posts.

• No name
• Payment unverified
• Member since (enter today's date)
• Copy & pasted job postings

I am attaching one example of this, but it is a frequent occurrence that I believe can be prevented by making client profiles viewable to freelancers. While freelancers can see who the client is once they are interviewed, in my experience, I have found that many of the clients have no discernable identity.

One may say, "Just ignore the postings you are unsure about." Okay, fine. That's a no-brainer.

Still, I think—as a mere suggestion—client profiles could be displayed in the job search feature in the same way that freelancer profiles are displayed in the talent search. Someone has to have mentioned this idea before, and maybe it was shot down. 

What do you think?

[jeremiah-brown]

Probably secret code for a meth lab

[7f73cc64]

😆Now, let's not assume the worst, brother.

[jeremiah-brown]

Fencing stolen paintings it is. 😂

[7f73cc64]

That's more like it! 💀

[jeremiah-brown]

I do agree with you though.  Freelancers should be able to review a client's profile in the same way that they can review ours.  

[496cacec]

Great 

[a77045c6]

"client profiles could be displayed in the job search feature in the same way that freelancer profiles are displayed in the talent search.:

<<Good idea, if Upwork could make it happen. 😎>>

With my experiences,

• Payment unverified = work outside Upwork (clients will request to contact on Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype, etc.)

• $0 spent = new client from another area, not a business company, so not every client understands how to write a post, how to release a milestone, etc.

[7f73cc64]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing your experience, Apinia.
I also appreciate you for backing me up on this matter. 🙏😉

[jeremiah-brown]

But unverified payment and/or $0 spent should not be the sole basis of a decision.  I have performed work for great clients in both of those categories. 

This is why I'd like to see a client profile before submitting a proposal.  For the same reasons the client likes to see a freelancer profile - to see if they have any skin in the game.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Apinia R wrote:

• $0 spent = new client from another area, not a business company, so not every client understands how to write a post, how to release a milestone, etc.

---

All clients were new at some point, and I've done dozens of great projects with clients whose payment methods were unverified at the time that they joined. But if you don't know how to figure out whether something is a scam or not, then yes, it would be best to ensure that a client has a history of at least a few months, with multiple good feedback reviews, before you send a proposal.

[PradeepH]

Hi Alexander,

Thank you for sharing your suggestions. I understand how important it is to know your client's information. We do have a small section displaying the client details on the right side of each job post. We are unable to display further information for security purposes and to avoid spam messages from freelancers trying to solicit work outside of Upwork.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[7f73cc64]

I appreciate your response, Pradeep. I was already aware of the client details, which is one of the reasons I created this post in the first place.

 This is not enough information, in my opinion.

"For security purposes." 

• Should Upwork conceal freelancers' identities for security purposes, too?

"To avoid spam messages from freelancers trying to solicit work outside of Upwork."

•  This seems like a legit reason to conceal client information. Although I never suggested that clients should have an invitation/solicit button. The only way a freelancer would be able to contact a client is through an active job posting or via direct message after a client invites a freelancer to an interview.

If you meant freelancers would use a client's name to somehow find the client's email address/website to solicit work, then I can see an issue. However, with more brain power, I believe we could come up with a solution that may benefit clients, freelancers, and Upwork Inc.

[deborah-ponzio]

Dear Pradeep, I understand the privacy concerns, however, in my view clients should not be allowed to provide fake data such as being based in a country and adding a city that is not in that country (I have just come across a job post by someone based in UAE in the town of Mercogliano which is in Italy), fake locations, fake company names (maybe impersonating other companies and other individuals?). This opens the door for freelancers to become engaged in projects for which, in any capacity, we may become legally liable in front of our local authorities in case of crimes and frauds. Vetting clients is a key and necessary thing to do for any freelancer. There can't be any room for "mistery".

[feed_my_eyes]

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Alexander C wrote:

Still, I think—as a mere suggestion—client profiles could be displayed in the job search feature in the same way that freelancer profiles are displayed in the talent search. Someone has to have mentioned this idea before, and maybe it was shot down. 

What do you think?

---

Yes, people have suggested this before, and it was "shot down" for a good reason. If freelancers can see the client's name, they'll Google them, contact them directly and harrass them for jobs, in order to avoid spending connects and/or paying Upwork's service charge. (There are already freelancers who do this, whenever some naive client includes their company name or any way to figure out how to reach them.) There's also nothing to stop a scammer from using a real person's name and photo, so that's not going to help you.

If you don't want to see job posts from new clients without a verified payment method, all you need to do is use the advanced search function and filter them out.

[7f73cc64]

I see. This must be what Pradeep H. meant by "soliciting clients outside of Upwork."

Well, it seemed like a good idea. But you are right; those pestilent scammers will always find a way to infest and infect.

Thanks for the clarification!