hello

[8ee5c317]

I am new on upwork, how i am going to know if the client is real or a scammer?any tips

[kmaclyman]

I usually look for ridiculously high client budgets for a job that wouldn't cost that much, for example, retyping document from PDF and they are paying you $1000. Another is that usually payment is not verified. Another big red flag is that there are multiple of the same type of job post throughout the job feed. Another thing I've noticed is that the description is really vague. You can't really tell what it is you're going to be doing or needing. If it seems legit and they interview you, if they ask you to video off site like on a separate chat it's likely a scam. I also had one who tried to have me sign a contract via email instead of through Upwork which was another red flag. If you encounter that just immediately report them. You usually get those connects back when it's a scam.

[ArjayM]

Hi Syeda,

Thank you for reaching out and raising this. Welcome to Upwork! Our teams are working to address the situation around scam and spam jobs, including higher than usual volumes of scam posts, constantly changing methods of scam accounts, and gaps in user education around Upwork TOS and safety.

Regarding being safe, you may want to check this help article and this thread for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if you find anything suspicious has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here. Best of luck!

[069cc2a0]

Yes, it is very simple. If they ask for any free work, or any samples relating to their project for free it will be a scam.

Alway do a job for a set fee in milestones where the client pays Upwork the money to hold upfront in Escrow.

Also suggest a video call before you start their job. Not always but most times, scammers usually run for the hills.