Verification or Fraud

anissaforeal · ‎07-22-2021

I was sent an offer letter from a large company for a longterm, permanent gig and as part of the hiring process, I was asked to use ID.me to do a selfie verification.

This is an app that does a scan of your face for recognition.

I immediately received an alert from the California EDD (unemployment) asking if I logged in using ID.me, which of course I denied.

Now I am concerned this offer is not genuine, and the whole thing is a scam to commit unemployment fraud. Has anyone had this experience?

gilbert-phyllis · ‎07-22-2021

Yes, it's a scam. UW is not a jobs board, it's a freelance platform. Clients come here looking for contractors, not permanent employees and the odds of getting an offer like that are virtually zero. No client interviewing you on UW needs to verify your identity in any way -- UW already does that. They do not, however, verify clients' identities so anybody can claim to represent any large, reputable company.

In any case, it's a violation of UW's ToS to share any contact information with a prospective client or to use any other means of communication other than UW before you have a contract in place. Comply with that policy and you'll avoid this kind of scam.

a_lipsey · ‎07-22-2021

I would also be concerned because you basically just lied to EDD. You did log in with ID.me. And it seems like you are collecting unemployment? I don't know if the job was a scam or simply circumventing, which is still violating TOS, but you might have some explaining to do to EDD.

anissaforeal · ‎07-22-2021

Incorrect.
I did not lie to EDD, not sure where you got that from.
FYI I am not collecting unemployment.
It is merely a login verification, nothing to do with benefits.

a_lipsey · ‎07-22-2021

Anissa F wrote:
Incorrect.
I did not lie to EDD, not sure where you got that from.
FYI I am not collecting unemployment.
It is merely a login verification, nothing to do with benefits.

I thought you meant you logged in with the app, but said that you didn't. I see what you are saying. Yes, I would be concerned. You may want to follow up with EDD all the same, if someone is trying to access your account.

gilbert-phyllis · ‎07-22-2021

Amanda L wrote:
Anissa F wrote:
Incorrect.
I did not lie to EDD, not sure where you got that from.
FYI I am not collecting unemployment.
It is merely a login verification, nothing to do with benefits.
I thought you meant you logged in with the app, but said that you didn't. I see what you are saying. Yes, I would be concerned. You may want to follow up with EDD all the same, if someone is trying to access your account.

OP is not in California.

anissaforeal · ‎07-22-2021

Correct, I'm not in California any more. That's all I will say, don't want to empower scammers with more info. Thanks for your input everyone.

tlbp · ‎07-22-2021

Scammers frequently target new freelancers because those new to the platform are often the least familiar with how platform-based freelancing works. They promise jobs to people who are new and, of course, that seems promising.

They also use the names of legitimate companies or fake names that sound legitimate. They intentionally present themselves as a large and impressive to engender trust. Then, they get your data.

Depending on how much information they have about you, you may want to put a hold on your credit (not allowing any new credit cards to be issued) or take other steps. (I don't know must about the steps to take to protect yourself after being scammed.)

There are several other common scams, people want to send you a check, have you buy crytpo for them, etc. The scammers will either use a sob story or the promise of riches/a good job to suck you in. 😞

anissaforeal · ‎07-23-2021

Thanks Tonya, really appreciate your kind and considerate reply. I'm not super new to freelancing, just super disorganized lol! I had a stack of gigs, half of them outside of UW and I got them mixed up and let my guard down. Lessons learned:-)

The main reason I wanted to share what happened is to warn anyone else, I believe there were about 40 interviews on this gig, so it wasn't very targeted. I think the original post said 1-3 months. Finally got notification last night UW removed the gig.

There are lots of write ups in the media about scams using ID.me to collect EDD benefits in several States. Here's one I'll share for anyone interested:

https://www.abc10.com/article/money/idme-social-media-scam/103-056c00da-aff0-471d-8b13-b45a5f643b66

Happy safe freelancing!

a_lipsey · ‎07-23-2021

Anissa F wrote:
Thanks Tonya, really appreciate your kind and considerate reply. I'm not super new to freelancing, just super disorganized lol! I had a stack of gigs, half of them outside of UW and I got them mixed up and let my guard down. Lessons learned:-)

The main reason I wanted to share what happened is to warn anyone else, I believe there were about 40 interviews on this gig, so it wasn't very targeted. I think the original post said 1-3 months. Finally got notification last night UW removed the gig.

There are lots of write ups in the media about scams using ID.me to collect EDD benefits in several States. Here's one I'll share for anyone interested:
https://www.abc10.com/article/money/idme-social-media-scam/103-056c00da-aff0-471d-8b13-b45a5f643b66

Happy safe freelancing!

It's always good to be very careful about giving out any personal information. Thanks for sharing specifically about this scam with ID.me. I'm sure many of us hadn't heard of this one specifically.

b45cd83a · ‎03-05-2024

"There's a company that approached me, saying,

'We want me open and to verify 5 Upwork accounts, then then ill get payment immediately.

i quickly realized it was a scam.

Interestingly, this company initially contacted me through the Fiverr website,