Verification process is very sketchy... Is this for real or a phishing scam?

[impactwriter]

I received an email this week stating that I must have my identity verified (after working on Upwork for 5 years). When I looked into this process I was appalled! They want a copy of my driver's license and permission to access my computer camera and microphone. When I attempted to provide the drivers license (against my better judgement) the next prompt made me very, very suspicious (see attachment). It reads: "Verify the liveness"...Clicking on this link will take you to our help center where you can verify your liveness and continue. OK--liveness is not even a WORD in the English language!! 

At this point I stopped the verification process because I honestly feel I am being scammed by some creep in a foreign country! My identity can easily be verified through the NORMAL methods--I have a website (same photo) and a LinkedIn profile (same photo) and all they need to see is a utility bill to see your name and address. So what is this about anyway???

[yitwail]

I've verified identity 3 times, so can confirm that requesting driver's license image and access to computer camera and mike is normal. However, I do not recall ever seeing this liveness prompt. Hopefully, a moderator will come by and indicate if that's an official Upwork term. FYI, it is an English language word, according to this site: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liveness 

[prestonhunter]

The intended word is "likeness."

Perhaps this is a new prompt which was spelled incorrectly and nobody corrected it yet.

[yitwail]

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Preston H wrote:

The intended word is "likeness."

Perhaps this is a new prompt which was spelled incorrectly and nobody corrected it yet.

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You're probably right, but it could be interpreted as verifying that the photo id corresponds to a live person.

[prestonhunter]

re: "You're probably right, but it could be interpreted as verifying that the photo id corresponds to a live person."

That would mean that Upwork is prejudiced against the undead.

[AveryO]

Hi Eileen, 

I'm sorry to learn that you do not feel comfortable going through this process. It looks like you are being requested to complete a verification for the Identity Verified Badge.  I would like to clarify that on Section 1.6 Identity and Location Verification of the Upwork User Agreement, which you have agreed to when you registered for an Upwork account, it says that - 

"When you register for an Account and from time to time thereafter, your Account will be subject to verification, including, but not limited to, validation against third-party databases or the verification of one or more official government or legal documents that confirm your identity, your location, and your ability to act on behalf of your business on Upwork... When requested, you must timely provide us with complete information about yourself and your business, which includes, but is not limited to, providing official government or legal documents."

We do this because it is a critical part of maintaining a trusted online global workplace and keeping Upwork safe and fraud-free. We appreciate your feedback about the wording, and appreciate that you shared your sentiments about this process, however, at this point, the only way to complete the verification process is by uploading an official government-issued ID and meeting with us for a short video call. 

Once verified, you will have a blue-checkmark on your profile which signifies that you have verified your account. You may read more about it here. 

[prestonhunter]

Avery:

Thank you for the information.

But this doesn't address the spelling error that was causing the original poster to be so concerned.