🐈
» Forums » New to Upwork » Re: Has anyone been scammed on this website?
Page options
littlebit2
Community Member

Has anyone been scammed on this website?

I was sent a counterfeit check that I deposited into my bank and I deposited the money into another bank account for the people that scammed me. I don't blame Upwork. I just want to know if there are anymore scams out there that I should look out for.

45 REPLIES 45
purplepony
Community Member

@ Margie R.:  There's "tons!"  If you search for "scams" in this Community, you'll gain a wealth of information regarding many of them.

Margie:

Probably thousands of people have been scammed here with exactly the same check scam that you described.

 

I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm glad you have a positive attitude about it and don't blame Upwork.

 

I don't point this out to be critical of you personally, because I know you're a good person and a good freelancer. But unfortunately, here's the truth: Every person who was scammed with the check scam was personally violating Upwork's most important rule: "No money is exchanged except through Upwork."

 

When you use Upwork as a freelancer, you only get paid through Upwork. That's the main rule. So the people who were scammed... I'm not saying they deserved it. But they did all break Upwork's main rule by accepting a check.

re: "I just want to know if there are anymore scams out there that I should look out for."

 

Yes. There are other scams. But you already experienced the main one.

 

From here on out, it is easier and easier to identify scams. If you read the ToS, you'll know enough to be very safe.

 

The main things are:

- Don't accept any payments except from Upwork.

- Don't do any work unless you have an official Upwork contract (listed on your My Jobs page)

- Don't do any hourly work for a client unless they are "payment verified"

- Don't do any fixed-price contract work unless the milestone you are working on is fully funded.

- Don't do a big fixed-price contract with somebody you don't know and trust; start small, with a contract for $100 or less, or less than 2 hours of work.

 

If you follow these tips, it is pretty rare to get scammed.

        I am also a newbie and have had a job offered to me.  You say that Upwork should pay us, well Upwork states on their website that you can either contact the client through Upwork or talk to the client direct.  I took this to mean we (meaning freelancers) are supposed to take care of the assignments, personally.  

 

        Something else Upwork tells its freelancers is to create a Hangouts account with the customer.  This can also confuse the freelancer into thinking that they are to deal with the client personally.  I thought that the client would pay Upwork their share of the agreed upon payment, then pay us within the agreed upon time schedule.

 

       The client then gave me the instructions to await a check in the mail and deposit it to my bank account, the  money would be available in 24 hours, then I was supposed to pay the software vendor for the software and other tools I would need.  This sounded suspicious so I told the inteviewer that they were a fraud.  The name of the company (FYI) is called **Edited for Community Guidelines**.  I disconnected my  discussion with the company's spokesperson.  But the next day she was back online telling me she was sorry our communication had been abruptly cut off.  I am going to wait for the check then send it to whatever agency who will help me put these companies out of business.

 

I really suggest though, that Upwork thoroughly screen their clients, so that the newbies (or anyone else) cannot be scammed.   Attached is the entire conversation between me and Upwork's client business.  Any suggestions on how someone can safely contract their skills and/or services out? 

 

P.S.  By the way my State ID is a bogus number.  I did this until I was for sure the company was legitimate. :0

Hi Pamela,

 

We'll have the job you are referring to reviewed as soon as possible. Please, note that offering and accepting payments outside of the platform is a violation of ToS and is a common sign of scam. Upwork Team takes these kind of violations seriously and takes actions accordingly.

~ Valeria
Upwork

Thank you, Pam, for your review!  Your review helps me to make a decision before attending a Google Hangout interview with a potential client. One of my greatest skills is to read between the lines of one's email. As a newbie on Upwork, I am being extra cautious about working with clients. I noticed there were 50 proposals and only 20 were interview. Second, the position has been posted for quite some time which does not line up with the number of interviews. Last, the payment method was not verified. I will begin selecting clients that are payment verified however I believed Upwork should mandate all companies to verify payment method. This does not exempt us from being cautious about violating the TOS for they exist to protect us.

 

Again, thank you, Pam, for being transparent!

 

Most of my clients are first-time posters with unverified payments.  When I accept the job, I let them know that I cannot begin to work until their payment method is verified.  It has never once been a problem.  If they don't verify, don't work.

Thank you lots for the help and advice! 🙂

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Hi Margie,

 

I'm sorry to hear you were a victim of a scam. I see that Preston has already shared good advice for avoiding such situations in the future. I'd also like to direct you to this post where Lena compiled most common warning flags. If you come across such jobs, please flag them so the team could take actions.

~ Valeria
Upwork
versailles
Community Member

People come here, don't spend a minute reading the help section so they understand how this site works before using it, or worse they willfully accept this kind of offers to circumvent Upwork.

 

And they end up scammed.

 

I am moderately sorry for them. Very moderately.

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

Upwork gets accused so often of greed. But some freelancers (if one can call them that) are so blinded by their own neediness and the dayglo dollar signs, that all commonsense is thrown to the winds.

 

Anyone who has spent any time at all on the internet  must surely be aware of this type of scam? It is certainly not exclusive to Upwork.   

        I, for a fact know that there are scams out there, and I was not trying to circumvent Upwork.  The reason I joined Upwork was, I believed they were a company that was set up to provide legitimate offers to their freelancers. Companies such as Kelly Girl (an employment agency) that I used many years ago provided their workers with viable assignments from legitimate companies.  You could depend on the fact that this is what Kelly Girl was set up for.  At the same time this is what I assumed Upwork was about.  You, meaning Upwork employees and gurus do not take responsibility for any problems a new freelancer might have.  And what I mean by this is instead of you trying to help the newbie with his of her problem, you tend to criticize and berate them because of their trust in your assignments. Your website is not transparent, nor is it user friendly (providing ways to get in touch with them, etc.).  

     I will continue to use this site, but your website needs to be a little more informational than what it is.

 

 

Upwork does not set up offers or "assign" anything to us. Upwork is not a temp agency. I don't know why anyone would assume Upwork was like Kelly Girl.

Upwork gives experienced freelancers a way to connect with clients looking for specific services. There are millions of clients and freelancers using this site. It is not possible for Upwork to hold our hands and babysit everyone.

It is your responsibility to read up on how the site works, but more importantly, what it means to be a freelancer running your own business.

By the way, us "gurus" are not Upwork employees, we are freelancers who work on this site - do not expect us to take responsibility for you. Upwork employees are recognized by the little green logo next to their names.

moonvalley
Community Member

I am an employer only. I have been scammed three times where the person hired is not the person performing the work. One example: We conducted a phone interview with a gentleman with fluent English. After work commenced, the person performing the work was not the same individual and his English not legible.


Peter R wrote:

I am an employer only. I have been scammed three times where the person hired is not the person performing the work. One example: We conducted a phone interview with a gentleman with fluent English. After work commenced, the person performing the work was not the same individual and his English not legible.


I'm sorry to hear about this experience, Peter. You have every right to be frustrated and your public and private feedback of the freelancer should reflect your experience.  

 

Know there are legitimate, honest freelancers on the platform who would be happy to work for a legitimate, honest client.  

 

Good luck!

srodriguez22
Community Member

I believe that I am currently dealing with the same person. I’m caught a bit underhanded because I deposited the check and then they started asking me to buy the software with my own funds while the check clears. I actually only accepted as I’m running out of funds because of quarantine and don’t have a job. I thought I could get a job and work directly with a company. Also, what did you do after depositing the check? I haven’t given them any of my personal information regarding bank accounts. The person who posted the ad deleted. I honestly thought upwork wasn’t more trustworthy but it is also my fault.

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I declined the client offer before I proceeded with them. They used
GoogleHangout under a different name. We are only accept payment through
Upwork not directly from the company.
--
Regards,

Monique McCray, Owner I Consultant
The Mastermind Agenda, LLC

*"Transforming Visions into Reality is Our Agenda"*

Hi Stephanie, and Monique,

 

We have automatic and manual systems in place to detect postings that violate Upwork TOS and also check every job flagged as inappropriate by our users. Upwork has over 17 million registered users and thousands of projects are posted daily on our platform. As such, despite the many tools we have in place to detect issues, they do still occur from time to time. We remove such posts as soon as we become aware of them and will continue to use our best efforts to keep our marketplace safe.

 

I checked both of the job posts and it seems that they were taken down as they were in violation of Upwork ToS and action has been taken on the client's account. 

 

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.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork

I believe someone is trying to scam me. I replied to an admistrative assistant job. Was then asked to interview through Skype only via text. When I went to check the posting my proposal was declined but they emailed a check and documets. The HR person is starting to get very pushy about depositing and signing documents. 

I checked the company site and there aren't any jobs listed for admin assistant. The check is from a medical clinic and not the company itself. 

It all looks very professional and real but the hours and pay seem to good to be true.

Hi Nikki,

 

I'm sorry to hear you encountered this kind of activity. I can confirm the job post you are referring to was already removed and the client's account addressed for violating Upwork TOS. You can check out this help article to read more about Staying Safe on Upwork. 

 

~Andrea
Upwork

I'm pretty sure the same is happening with me write now. I submitted a proposal for a customer service position. The "interview" was a questionnaire which has happened before, so I was a little skeptical about it, but not entirely since the first time it happened, it ended up being a real job. Anyway, I was offered the position via text message, and was instructed to contact my supervisor via Skype messaging. I went to look at my initial proposal, and the job posting has now been deleted, and the initial message the guy sent me has been deleted as well.

When I completed their interview questionnaire, they claimed to be Sandridge Energy, Inc.

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Para, just remember that until you have a contract in hand, you MUST communicate with the potential client through the Upwork platform. Skype is an obvious red flag, as is text messaging.

re: "When I completed their interview questionnaire, they claimed to be..."

 

Yes, well... I can assure you that the name of the company they said they were from is just a name they copied off of the Internet. That's what the scammers do. They always use the name of a company and sometimes the names of real employees... names that they just found on the Internet.

 

A major part of their scam is that they want the newbie freelancers - who don't know better - to do a Google search on those names. Then the newbie is impressed that a big, established company is contacting them. And that helps gain the trust of the newbie, who stops thinking things through properly.

Hi Para, 

 

Please know that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork’s Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if a TOS violation has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.

 

You can check out this help article to read more about Staying Safe on Upwork. 

 

~ Nikola
Upwork

I believe that the main reason - or at least one of the main reasons - that Upwork changed its policy on June 26, 2020 was that there were SO MANY freelancers getting scammed by scammers... and Upwork saw that MOST of the time those scams involved off-site communications. So this policy change was implemented to help prevent freelancers from having their money and/or time stolen by scammers.

 

(Plus, Upwork wanted to do something that helps minimize freelancers scamming Upwork by making arrangements to get paid by clients off-platform... something that is a serious TOS violation.)

117dd5ec
Community Member

YES-  Upwork is full of scams.  They tell you they guarantee your funds within 180 days of payment but it's a lie.  It's a complete misrepresentation.

 

I just lost $5K USD with upwork by hiring a website developer company who did not deliver. When I asked to get a refund, they refused.  

 

Don't trust Upwork or their so called professional freelancers.


Mi H wrote:

YES-  Upwork is full of scams.  They tell you they guarantee your funds within 180 days of payment but it's a lie.  It's a complete misrepresentation.

 

I just lost $5K USD with upwork by hiring a website developer company who did not deliver. When I asked to get a refund, they refused.  

 

Don't trust Upwork or their so called professional freelancers.


Please point to where in the TOS Upwork guarantees anything. They don't. You can raise a dispute and then arbitration. If it's hourly, you are supposed to be checking the work diary weekly and checking in regularly. If you don't use Upwork as intended then, yes, you're going to have problems, but that's not a misrepresentation on their part. They never "guarantee" work product or funds. 

4ca3995c
Community Member

I had the same experience. 

Once my offer was accepted I had to talk via telegram with a man that he asked to do a Project for his company, he told me I would be paied 2200$.

When the project was done I sent it to the company and was approves for payment. Then the problems started, the started asking me to pay an initial fee of 100$ so that my payment could be done. I didn't receive the payment and then they asked for 300$ which I didn't pay, I just paied 30$ instead. They kept saying that after that I would get my but of course, it didn't happen, so they asked for a 50$ more twice and then for more payments of 20$. I denied to pay anymore and they started saying me that I was beeing mean.

Is there a way I can report that or get my money back?

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Mar,

 

I'm sorry to hear you were affected by a scam. If you paid funds outside of Upwork, we would not be able to help you recover them, but could you please send me a Private Message (click on my name and then select "Send Message" on my profile) with information about the client so I can locate them in the system?

 


Cheers,
Mike

re: "Is there a way I can report that or get my money back?"

 

Yes, you can report the scammers.

By reporting the scammers, you are helping Upwork. You are helping other freelancers. This does NOT help you. But it makes the platform better for everybody.

 

Can you get the money back?
No.
Don't even try to get the money back.

dfb870bd
Community Member

Yes.  I came here for job. Not to get scanned by well known company **Edited for Community Guidelines** and received message from **Edited for Community Guidelines** that they want to interview.  After that this person kept me on Telegram app and never talked only chat.  He said that something wrong with my emails that I provided for receiving offer letter. He never sent me official offer letter. And kept emphasizing that he sent the check from **Edited for Community Guidelines** and make deposit and told me to do only mobile deposit and never go to the bank to deposit. He said that check is for me to make purchases of some device for work. The money never came because the bank put hold on the check. Meaning that bank said the$1500 check has only $200 absurdly in the account. So this person is curious and threaten that he needs his money that his company sent. There was no money. So folks it is a scam. Please beware of these people. If the company is mid size, then they should provide to offer letter from their OFFICIAL EMAIL. and then they should never send you the money and all you to purchase any device because it's their responsibility to provide you with everything because you need to work, not play around in HR game. Please don't provide your address and especially your SSN. Uphold please fix this issue, and create verification for users not by only paid account verified but if they are recurring customers and hiring managers to you. And for new or one time job providers, please check all their Id's and social before they are on your platform to request jobs. Otherwise you'll start losing more customers who wants to simply work and not deal with scanners. They'll go elsewhere. 

re: "Otherwise you'll start losing more customers who wants to simply work and not deal with scanners. They'll go elsewhere."

 

Freelancers aren't Upwork customers.

 

Clients are customers.

 

Freelancers are Upwork's partners in earning money from clients.

You absolutely did not get scammed by a "well known company". The scammer was obviously not really from this company. Scammers aren't going to give you their real names, and they don't really work for any company - they're scammers. Get it?

 


Ali J wrote:

If the company is mid size, then they should provide to offer letter from their OFFICIAL EMAIL.  


WRONG. That is NOT how things work. You are not allowed to exchange email addresses or any other contact information before you're hired ON UPWORK. You are not allowed to accept money off of Upwork. It makes no difference if a scammer sends you an "official offer letter", because it's completely worthless. Any idiot can insert a logo onto a contract that they found on the Internet and send it to you.

 

Stop sending proposals and read about how to use Upwork, or you could end up with your account being banned for breaking the rules.

1cffdf09
Community Member

Yes. I'm out $3400 and of course, there's no one to talk to on Upwork and no reprisals coming that I can see to the individuals who scammed me. I could not be more soul-crushed. I thought I was smarter than that. 🙂  My greatest mistake was believing that since I vetted the company, I could feel safe. I so wanted this contract, and when the company said that they wanted to set me up with equipment, and sent me checks to deposit to then Zelle their vendor, I dove right in.

Sickened. Just sickened. I know I'll survive it, but how long will it take to make it back? Yikes. I'll be writing about it so other freelancers can learn from my naivete. 

1e01a080
Community Member

Wow, after reading, this happens all the danm time. It's hard not to be upset at Upwork when they allow these scammers in. I understand that scammers are the issue, but after reading some of these comments dating back to 2016, and it's the same fraudulent check scam, you would think Upwork would do a better job scanning people by now. It would be best if you weren't allowed to post a job unless you can verify your identity and company or something. I came here to look for work and make money, not get scammed out of $2000, during the holidays, and "Upwork reply is oh am sorry that happened" how about you guys tighten up security and start making people that post jobs verify their whole identity? yea blame the newbie, it's not greed just hunger for an opportunity. 

re: "Wow, after reading, this happens all the danm time."

 

It doesn't happen to me.

 

re: "It's hard not to be upset at Upwork when they allow these scammers in."

 

I'm nit upset. I feel sympathy for people who have had bad experiences while using Upwork. But it's not Upwork's fault. And it's no my fault. My overall feeling toward Upwork can not be "upset" when the site lets me make as much money as I want to make, limited only by my own time and energy.

 

re: "I understand that scammers are the issue"

 

Scammers are PART of the problem. Marks are the OTHER part of the problem. None of these scammers would be here if it wasn't for the marks who participate in the scams. You may call them "victims," but the truth is: These Upwork users who are marks enable the scammers by violating Upwork rules and by failing to use Best Practices. I blame the marks as much as I blame the scammers.

 

re: "yea blame the newbie"

 

Yes. I do.

 

That does not mean that the newbie who got scammed is a bad person.

The newbie who got scammed is a good person of infinite worth. I feel compassion toward him. I will do what I can to help him. But, yes, he bares half the blame.

 

Re: "it doesn't happen to me."

 

I understand this doesn't happen to you because you are not a newbie. You have been a member since 2014. I just became a member not even two weeks ago. But I suggest a better onboarding process from Upwork, a video for newcomers who sign up to make you aware of all the types of scam people may encounter. Also, what's wrong with verifying the legitimacy of the people allowed to post jobs? 

 

RE "You may call them "victims," but the truth is: These Upwork users who are marks enable the scammers."

 

I thought I had just gotten hired by a company, and I even asked myself if this couldn't be a scam, but I thought, "nope," maybe Upwork would be verifying these people. I was not trying to cut corners, nor did I believe I was doing anything wrong. I might have overlooked some rules, but it was not intentional.  Do you expect a "Mark" to know they are being scammed? Do you think I would've continued if I knew I was being scammed? I guess I am a scam enabler because, as a member of not even two weeks, I thought I was replying to a job.

 

RE: "Yes. I do."

 

I appreciate your compassion and am not sure what you can do to help me as I am $2000 short, but I wasn't asking for your opinion on you whom YOU think is to blame here. The truth is I do partly blame myself regardless for falling for this scam. However, when you have young kids and many bills in desperate times, you may overlook some red flags in the thought of just scoring an opportunity with a company. While money was being taken for me, I celebrated a new job. 

It is ok for me to be frustrated at Upwork; I have that right. However, I am not starting a petition to boycott Upwork; all I am suggesting is that they can also do a better job at:

1. Verifying the identity of their users to be able to track the scammers (Instead of allowing them to delete their original messages, vanish with the wind and go prey for another VICTIM.)

2. Provide more information about the current scams on the website, especially to those who are just registering with Upwork. 

From reading some posts, it looks like this happened to many people,  some as far as 2016, and not much is being done about it. Maybe I should become a scammer since they are clearly invited on here, but luckily I was raised better.


There's a ton of information available about how to use Upwork; the problem is that new freelancers just jump in and start bidding without wanting to learn anything. Upwork isn't going to verify clients for you, so you'll need to use your common sense and take responsibility for vetting clients yourself. Go through the learning paths before you send any more bids: https://community.upwork.com/t5/Working-On-Upwork-101/Finding-Work/ta-p/1084729

 

734775b8
Community Member

YES! Someone deleted my entire website becuase i refused to pay them ($100!) outside of UpWork. 

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths