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311ec852
Community Member

Very Odd Incident - Should I Be Concerned?

Hello,

I'm not sure what to think of this event, and so I'm hoping to get input on it. I responded to a job listing about a week ago asking for Wordpress development & remote support. I put my proposal in, and heard back today. The user kindly expressed that they were interested in speaking to me, but needed a cell phone number for an interview. I gave them my number, and then responded a text asking if they could speak now. I responded, "Of course", and received no call.

I returned to Upwork, and the user's message is removed from my inbox. I went to my proposals, and the job listing has been removed from Upwork it says. I called the number that texted me, and it's apparently a Google Voice number.

 

Is this potentially some elaborate scam? Do I have something to worry about by giving them my cell phone number?

 

Thanks.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
9b660019
Community Member

Yes, it probably was the beginning of a scam.

 

In the future, keep in mind that the Upwork messaging system supports voice and video calls should you or the client prefer talking over typed messages.

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4 REPLIES 4
lysis10
Community Member


Brian S wrote:

Hello,

I'm not sure what to think of this event, and so I'm hoping to get input on it. I responded to a job listing about a week ago asking for Wordpress development & remote support. I put my proposal in, and heard back today. The user kindly expressed that they were interested in speaking to me, but needed a cell phone number for an interview. I gave them my number, and then responded a text asking if they could speak now. I responded, "Of course", and received no call.

I returned to Upwork, and the user's message is removed from my inbox. I went to my proposals, and the job listing has been removed from Upwork it says. I called the number that texted me, and it's apparently a Google Voice number.

 

Is this potentially some elaborate scam? Do I have something to worry about by giving them my cell phone number?

 

Thanks.


You're gonna get a lot of phishing texts and spam.

9b660019
Community Member

Yes, it probably was the beginning of a scam.

 

In the future, keep in mind that the Upwork messaging system supports voice and video calls should you or the client prefer talking over typed messages.

I have received an email indicating that the job listing was removed for violation of TOS, and the user themselves sent me a text asking me to get paid outside of Upwork. I advised them that I am not willing to break Upwork’s policy, and blocked the number. I’ve also reported them to Upwork’s customer service, so hopefully they are not able to continue in violating the TOS.

Thank you everyone!

Hi Brian,

 

If you see a job or invitation that looks suspicious, or inappropriate, you can flag it using the flagging option found on every job post or Upwork profile. This sends a notification directly to Upwork, allowing us to investigate and take the appropriate measures. You can read more on this help article and also, please check out Tips to avoid questionable jobs. If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know. We're here to help.

~ Joanne
Upwork
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