They ask me to pay by PayPal

[445aa7b2]

Hello, I've submitted a proposal and the person in charge of it has contacted me. They've asked for my phone number to send me the information of their job, and after agreeing on one of their projects now they're asking me to send them money on PayPal as a way to make sure I'll take the job seriously. They say they'll return it to me once the job is finished. This shouldn't be done, right? I mean, all the payment should be through the Freelancer platform and not outside it? Thank you! 

[wlyonsatl · Accepted solution]

The cient is violating Upwork's rules against:

1) payment outside Upwork's system

2) pre-contract communications outside Upwork's system

And THEM asking YOU to pay them money? That is strike three!

Report them to Upwork and move on to find a real client on Upwork.

[edesignmk]

He is trying to scam you and steal your money. Flag the job.

[sofia2008]

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Alicia I wrote:

Hello, I've submitted a proposal and the person in charge of it has contacted me. They've asked for my phone number to send me the information of their job, and after agreeing on one of their projects

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Hi, I don't know how you got further details on their project (by providing your personal contact info or not) but as a Freelancer, you also have to comply to the Terms of Service. To make sure you are off to a better start on Upwork and remain safe, I would suggest you take one day to browse the website to see how it works.

[445aa7b2]

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Done, thank you! I wasn't really sure how to report it. 

[gilbert-phyllis]

Don't do anything else until you've read this.

https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/List-of-red-flags-for-scams/m-p/1017044/highlight/true...

[ericaandrews]

Please take the time to read and UNDERSTAND the Upwork Terms of Service before submitting proposals to anymore jobs.  It states very clearly in the Upwork terms of service that you aren't supposed to share any personal contact information, such as emails, phone numbers, social media account aliases, etc - BEFORE a contract has been issued to you and you have accepted.  (The only exception is ENTERPRISE CLIENTS -  legitimate, cream-of-the-crop Upwork clients who can communicate however they want, and they will have 'Enterprise Client' clearly listed on their job post.)  If you don't see 'Enterprise Client', that client has no business asking you to discuss the job outside of Upwork.  If you are asking  if payment is "supposed" to happen only on the platform, I'd recommend you read the 'Getting started' sections and spend time doing the Upwork Readiness Test so that you understand the rules of the platform.  I would not recommend you respond to anymore job posts or interact with any potential clients until you understand what Upwork does and does not allow you to do, otherwise, you could get your own account suspended or banned for not following the rules. 

[445aa7b2]

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I know now, I've been reading and learning about it. Thank you all for your advice.