"I will share more details in chat."

83202ba8 · ‎05-21-2021

I find the number of one liner description followed with "I will share more details in chat." has greatly increased recently. IMHO, it's thinly veiled academic fraud requests. Regardless, I flag them as incomplete because, frankly, I think we deserve better than that, even they are legit jobs.

In general, I'm curious to hear about people's perception of the amount of request for academic fraud on the platform.

prestonhunter · ‎05-21-2021

If a client's job posting explains what they want a freelancer to do, but they left out some particular detail that YOU think is necessary... You can't report them. Not every job posting is going to be crafted to your preferences.

But a job posting that simply says "I will share more details in chat"?

That's inappropriate and can rightly be reported.

I don't know what the client is up to, but that's not an acceptable job posting. Can use the "Flag as inappropriate" link button to report it.

83202ba8 · ‎05-21-2021

What if the job said: "I need a text written in English. I will share more details in chat." ?

I know the line becomes blurry at some point and I don't know to what extent we're expected to play TOS police but it's a pattern that I'm observing that, I think, devalues Upwork for everyone.

tlbp · ‎05-21-2021

Thierry S wrote:
What if the job said: "I need a text written in English. I will share more details in chat." ?

I know the line becomes blurry at some point and I don't know to what extent we're expected to play TOS police but it's a pattern that I'm observing that, I think, devalues Upwork for everyone.

It could be academic fraud, it could also be any number of other TOS violations that the client is attempting to hide. Once they get you into chat, they may invite you to take the conversation off Upwork (which is a TOS violation). Then, they can explain how they'll send you a check to cash, or that they want you to write fake reviews, or plan to pay you $1 per 100,000 words or some other ridiculousness.

Like any good con, many of these vague listings are meant to gather proposals from the most gullible and desperate freelancers. Their willingness to take the first step of sending a proposal is a test of their suceptibility. The scammers know exactly how far they can go before getting the job post removed and they are happy to walk that fine line.
Policiing scammers is a never-ending game of Whack-a-Mole. If a "client" is removed for a scam post, they simply create a new client account and start over.

The TOS, help articles and other resources are supposed to guide freelancers toward avoiding these scams. But, hopeful, desperate people sometimes rush in and pay the price.

tlsanders · ‎05-21-2021

Academic fraud is a serious problem, here and in a variety of other contexts where freelancers are hired. Upwork seems to me to be taking it less seriously the last year or two, down from not taking it seriously enough to appearing to tacitly sanction it. All the money spends the same, I guess.

On a side note, though, I can't imagine anything sillier than an adult professional making declarations like "we deserve better" about the quality of a job posting. An incomplete or inadequate job post lets you know the client isn't someone you want to work with. You don't really "deserve" anything at all from a complete stranger who doesn't know you exist and doesn't have the power to impact your life in any way.

83202ba8 · ‎05-21-2021

I pay money to Upwork. So do you. If you disagree about the value you and I ought to receive, that's your prerogative but I can without the condescension.

I am signaling what I perceive to be a growing issue which Upwork ought to address lest in turns into another Chegg. What happens now will impact me, you and everyone in the future. If Upwork wants to get value out of me, it ought to hear me out. I couldn't possibly care less about a specific individual. I care about the mutual benefits we all receive when the platform works as intended.

moonraker · ‎05-21-2021

Academic fraud is a problem that needs to be addressed.

But 'more details in chat' is not something worth reporting. We can only guess at what their intentions are.

prestonhunter · ‎05-21-2021

You can't report a job posting if it includes the phrase: "more details in chat."

But if a job posting consists ONLY of the phrase: "more details in chat", then that job posting can be reported.

researchediting · ‎05-21-2021

Jamie F wrote:
Academic fraud is a problem that needs to be addressed.

But 'more details in chat' is not something worth reporting. We can only guess at what their intentions are.

It's an informed guess, Jamie, most particularly when the vaguest of descriptions specifies "details upon hire." If I had to guess, from personal observation, I would say a conservative minimum of 9 times out of 10 it's a school assignment. It's a common dodge for reposting when Upwork has tut-tutted in the direction of a client who is an academic fraudster.

tlbp · ‎05-21-2021

Thierry S wrote:
I pay money to Upwork. So do you. If you disagree about the value you and I ought to receive, that's your prerogative but I can without the condescension.

I am signaling what I perceive to be a growing issue which Upwork ought to address lest in turns into another Chegg. What happens now will impact me, you and everyone in the future. If Upwork wants to get value out of me, it ought to hear me out. I couldn't possibly care less about a specific individual. I care about the mutual benefits we all receive when the platform works as intended.

Pretty sure that ship sailed a long time ago.