Can a freelancer request payment outside Upwork?

[754eed78]

I have a freelancer that's requesting payment via ZELLE, which I've never heard of. She started a contract with me I believe on Monday. As always I make sure to not allow freelancers to add time manually for my protection. She has said she worked all this week outside of Upwork and has provided me some quality documents although it was a fraction of the total scope of the contract. She's completely hysterical at this point alleging that I've removed access to accounts since I wasn't able to respond to her over the weekend and that it was my intention to never pay her. I can't get a straight answer out of her as to why she chose to complete the work outside of Upwork when I didn't have the "allow manual time" checkbox checked on the contract. Anyways I don't really know what to do now. She's ended the contract. Says she doesn't trust me and doesn't want to work with me. I've attached some files of her behavior. Any help would be appreciated.

**Edited for community guidelines**

[prestonhunter]

re: "Can a freelancer request payment outside Upwork?"

For a freelancer to do so is a serious violation of Upwork TOS. A freelancer caught doing this would likely be immediately suspended or terminated.

A client caught partipating in this would probably be removed from the platform.

Most freelancers who offer to do this are not trying to "save money" by avoiding Upwork fees. Most freelancers who suggest off-platform payment are full-on scammers who simply want to get untraceable/unrecoverable money from clients and then do no work at all.

What should you do now?

You said this freelancer doesn't want to work with you any more.

Doesn't that narrow your choices down to two?

a) Stop work on the project

[or]

b) Continue work, assigning remaining tasks to other people on your team and/or new freelancers that you hire

[prestonhunter]

By the way... I don't know if the freelancer is a scammer or incompetent. But it does not matter. You owe her NOTHING outside of the time she logged properly.

[BojanS]

Hi Travis,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I've escalated your report to our executive escalations team. They will reach out to you directly to look into this and advise you accordingly. 

Thank you for your patience!