I had to Red Flag my first client! Not a great start.

[ananda-bates]

Has anyone run into this? 
I bid on a job, was contacted through Upwork message, asked for my Skype account to contuct an interview. Again, this was my first time on Upwork, and that raised a flag but I read that it's not uncommon so I went through with the interview. 
I was asked a few basic questions (Nothing I consider great interview questions) no opportunity to ask my own questions.

I was then told to check back in 15 minutes for their decision. 

They offered me the gig and asked for my personal info: Home address, Email, Phone and said they would write up the deal and mail it to me. Meanwhile, I was checking posts about scams to watch out for and found nothing meeting these specific details so...

I reminded the interviewer (Who had bad grammer and very much felt like an AI bot) that all of this personal info was on Upwork and that it was my understanding that any contract discussions should be done using the Upwork platform, and I asked if they agreed. They said yes, so I asked what the next steps would be, if I should reach back out to the person who originally contacted me on Upwork messages. No reply

I reached out to the original person anyway, and about a half hour later saw they had blocked me. 

SO THIS WAS DEFINATELY A SCAM

I flagged the job and want to share the title and the persons name to avoid anyone else falling for this. But I'm not sure what the protocol is. So I'm leaving it at that. 

Also, as part of my research - I looked up both names on LinkedIn and under the company they were supposedly hiring for. No one by those names seemed associated with the company. 

Is this common?

[ananda-bates]

About the client

Payment method verified

• United States3:38 pm
• 1 job posted 0% hire rate, 1 open job
• Member since Feb 22, 2023

[ArjayM]

Hi Ananda,

We truly appreciate you reaching out and I'm sorry to learn about this disappointing experience you had. I would like to let you 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. Also, a real client will never ask you to give them money to start working, cash a check for them, work for free, or provide your personal information. 

I've also shared your report with the appropriate team for further review. They will surely look into this and take action accordingly if necessary. Please continue letting 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.

Additionally, you may want to check this help article and this thread for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork.