Edited FAKE CLIENT -SCAM asking for Security Fee

[renerose1428]

Dear All,

I am new to upwork and wanted to earn extra.

I have a full time work but have free time and I am good with any job that appointed to me.

At first I tried to apply to any job that I think I can manage to finish within the alloted time,

I came across with client and ask me to send message to telegram, as new here I try and with all the excitement I send a message. I even try to impress him with my credentials...

then finally he send me a pdf file and asking me to choose a project.

I was surprise that there is security fee. He is telling that it is company policy etc.. 

(see attached picture below for reference).

I have no idea as its really convincing and given with all the documents and agreement he is asking to sign.

But I am good in research and development, hehehehe one of my strength as I am keen into details.

I search and search until I found articles that its all a SCAM!

Do not be deceived. Be extra careful. It is tough times.

We need to be smarter.

I create this to give hint and warning to new comers, as I tried to search here in the discussion but cannot find any.

Thanks and Cheers to all.

If you have same experience please comment so we can create awarenes..

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[martina_plaschka · Accepted solution]

Hilarious! Choose your scam amount!

You need to read the ToS now and learn that you are not allowed to communicate outside of upwork before hire. 

[renerose1428]

Hi Martina,

Yes, you can choose how much money they can scam from you.

People are trying to earn extra in a proper way, but the scammers do not have a heart, even for us whose  making an extra effort to earn in a decent way :'(

[4e34077f]

I just had the same experience and decided to check the upwork community, thanks for putting this down here, it has really saved me from falling into their trap....I was asked to contact them on telegram which I did, and they sent a number of task to me to choose the one I would wish to complete with different security charges..thanks 

[martina_plaschka]

I was asked to contact them on telegram which I did,

Read more in the forum and be aware that this is a ToS violation. Nobody can scam you if you adhere to ALL the stipulations. 

[0c828f8f]

This has saved me big time

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Rene,

Thank you for flagging this, I will share it with our team so that our team can take proper actions. 
To learn more about how you can protect yourself, check out the safety first section here. You can also always use our flagging option to report suspicious activities or clients. 

To learn more about how to improve your profile and your proposals you can check out our resources here. 

I would also like to note that communicating outside of Upwork before an official contract is formed is not allowed and it is in violation of our TOS as well. If you have any additional questions, feel free to follow up here. 

[renerose1428]

Thank you! 

Yes, i definitely learn the lesson.

hope I can get my client soon.

All the best!

[5f9b66af]

I don't why but the clients always asked us to communicate through different other media like telegram,whatsapp. I am really curious if we can find any work here. I got the reply many times but everytime they ask for security fee and the contract ends there. Someone  help me find job. 

[martina_plaschka]

https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460

You need to improve your profile.

[PradeepH]

Hi Rojina,

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about your experience with the clients and how you feel about the same. Please check out this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs and please use the flag option found on each job post or message anytime you’d like to report a violation. 

Thank you

Pradeep

[32b58958]

Had same experience but searched the community and found out they're scammers.

Never knew I shouldn't communicate with clients outside upwork platform before hire.

I guess they seek for newbies to scam.

[codyte]

Hello,

I had the same conversation with the same "client".

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Thanks to your posting I found out from one simple search on google that this is a scam. Always make a research before sending money to anyone... And do not communicate outside of the app.

Also their level of English was a big red flag!

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Codrin,

Thank you for reporting this. Our team will investigate the client further and will take proper actions. 

[sofia2008]

---

Codrin T wrote:

Always make a research before sending money to anyone... And do not communicate outside of the app.

---

No research needed before sending money : it is a violation of Terms of Service to send money to clients or pay for (buy) thing on their behalf (for them).

People should be here to earn money, not pay money.

No real client will ever ask you to pay for a security fee, ID, insurance, equipment, cash a check, buy PUBG, crypto, etc.

You will never get reimbursed/paid. Keep your money in your pockets.

[efcc1ed9]

OMG same thing happened to me! Good thing I read this one and was able to reject the offer in time! 

[026a9fe0]

The same thing just happened to me. I strongly suggest that this situation be explained in a separate article by Upwork.

They wrote from Upwork on a profile and demanded to move forward with their "secretaries" on the Telegram channel, and their secrets sent a fake document using the logo of the company "e***c" and demanded money they made up called "security fee". When I stated that I wanted to progress through Upwork, they disappeared from the issue.

I marked it as a red flag, I kindly request that Upwork take action as soon as possible. 

[sofia2008]

 «I strongly suggest that this situation be explained in a separate article by Upwork.»

The explanation is simple : It is a violation of Upwork's Terms of Service (ToS) to communicate outside of Upwork.

Mentionning you wanted to «progress through Upwork» only saved you from a scam, but your first communication should have been on Upwork.

[k_kep]

I was asked to pay security fee through Telegram. Is this a joke?

[pgiambalvo]

Total scam.

[1shamim]

yes my friend i am also recive same  like pdf file from client.

[04a2d66c]

Hi, same here I just recently submitted a proposal for a job posting located in New Zealand, specifically for Data Entry. And the client is actually asking for a big security fee before the project starts. I am not comfortable with it and find it not a real company.

[AveryO]

Hi Rea, 

As a gentle reminder, please note that users cannot offer and accept payments outside of Upwork, and clients are not allowed to ask for a security fee or payment to be able to work with them. These are violations of the Upwork Terms of Service. It would also be best to visit these articles for more information on how you can keep in line with Upwork's Terms of Service when engaging on the website:

• The new starter's guide to being safe and successful on Upwork
• Circumvention, and why it's against the rules

In the meantime, it would be best if you read up on the "Safety First!" section of the freelancer resources we have compiled, these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, and these articles for more information about working safely through Upwork. 

In the future, feel free to report suspicious activity by following the steps here.

[6a6bd7d7]

I have encountered this 3-4 times now.