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1b4b63d0
Community Member

Too many scammers!

Hello

 

During last week I got invitations to send proposals and I also placed bids on jobs I was interested in. Five of them contacted me asking to reach them via Telegram.

I decided I wanted to be sure whether they were really scammers. I thought that perhaps they found Telegram easier to use, not everybody is good at technology.

All of them used the platform to have access to freelancers. They offered to pay outside UpWork, some wanted me to sign a contract (they refused to sign the contract the platform offers), others asked for money (one of them said this was to be sure I will do the job; the other, to earn a company ID).

i know these situations are common in all platforms, not only in this one. But I lose the connects/points I spent while placing my bid. I think once the client's account is closed(suspended, we should get the connects back. It is not the platforms' fault, but it is not freelancers'.

I just wanted to share my experiences (and disappointment) with you.

Thanks for reading ❤️

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

Martha, if you search the forum for threads about this issue, you will find tons of discussion, some of which should be helpful. Some of the main points....

- When you are brand-new to the platform without an established track record, assume any unsolicited invitations from "clients" are scams. They prey on newcomers and rely on your eagerness to land a contract and unfamiliarity with the rules.

- As soon as you realize a job is a scam (sometimes there are clues in teh job post, sometimes you can't know until they invite you off the platform) flag it so UW can address it. They are not as prompt or thorough as they could be in dealing with flagged jobs but whenever they take one down for ToS violation, you get your connects refunded.

- If you communicate with a prospective client off the platform, regardless of whether they are a scammer, you are violating the ToS and risk permanent suspension. 

 

Also, read this

View solution in original post

4 REPLIES 4
pgiambalvo
Community Member

Upwork is very aware of all the scam posts and invites but will not do more to stop them, instead depend on freelancers to report them themselves. You will thus continue to be inundated with them.

I reported all of them. Thanks Peter!

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

Martha, if you search the forum for threads about this issue, you will find tons of discussion, some of which should be helpful. Some of the main points....

- When you are brand-new to the platform without an established track record, assume any unsolicited invitations from "clients" are scams. They prey on newcomers and rely on your eagerness to land a contract and unfamiliarity with the rules.

- As soon as you realize a job is a scam (sometimes there are clues in teh job post, sometimes you can't know until they invite you off the platform) flag it so UW can address it. They are not as prompt or thorough as they could be in dealing with flagged jobs but whenever they take one down for ToS violation, you get your connects refunded.

- If you communicate with a prospective client off the platform, regardless of whether they are a scammer, you are violating the ToS and risk permanent suspension. 

 

Also, read this

Thanks Phyllis. The article you linked is full of information. I recognize some of the points it mentions.

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