I received an invitation to Interview for Academic Writer. How do I know it is not a fraud?

[38ee56a6]

Hi Community!

I received an invitation to Interview for Academic Writer and Editor.

For that interview, I am required to submit a proposal that does not state how many connects I need for this proposal.

I did not receive this invitation in my Upwork messages on my account, but I received it as a notification on my Upwork account.
How do I know it is not a fraud?

Best  regards,

Dejan Stojkovski

[PradeepH]

Hi Dejan,

Thank you for your message. Submitting proposals to job invitation do not require Connects. Hence, you do not see the required Connects to apply for an invited job. You can check and apply to invited jobs from the Proposal page. Feel free to message us if you need further assistance.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[renata101]

Hi Dejan,
It looks like you're new to Upwork. You will need to be a bit careful because scammers often target new freelancers.

This article is a good thing to read before you start accepting jobs:
https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

If the job post contains contact information for WhatsApp or Telegram, these types of postings are often scams. 

Be sure that the client has sent you an offer and that you have accepted it before you start any job.

[38ee56a6]

Thank you Renata for the explanation.

I only received an invitation for an interview. Is that okay?

Best  regards,

Dejan

[renata101]

Hi Dejan,

It doesn't hurt to respond to an invitation, but it's unusual to get one after you've just signed up. So you can respond to it to see what the request is about, but if the client responds in an unusual way, you might want to say no. Or you can post here to see what people think of it.

If the client asks you to interview via Skype, Telegram or Whatsapp, that's usually a bad sign the job is a scam. If the clients offer to send you a check for office supplies, it's a scam. 

And it's important to only start work once you have a contract. When the client sends you an official offer and you accept it, then the contract has started.

[38ee56a6]

Hi Renata,

I still have no answer about the interview or when we might do it.
Yesterday I asked her again when we can do an interview, but I still don't have an answer. I only have a message from them asking me to write an essay in 24 hours, which was the initial message I received along with the interview invitation, but after that nothing, I have no message from them.

What should I do in this case?

[martina_plaschka]

Wait until you are hired. 

Until then, do absolutely nothing. Don't do any work. 

In general, be very careful never to accept a job that might violate upwork ToS, which writing papers, homework or dissertations for other people would be. 

[renata101 · Accepted solution]

Hi Dejan,

Martina is giving you good advice. Sometimes shady clients try to trick you into doing free work before you have a contract.

Also, if I got the sense that I was talking to a wall (i.e., getting the same messages over and over again that didn't directly address any of my questions), I would move on.

[38ee56a6]

I forgot to mention that I accepted the interview invitation.

[martina_plaschka]

Clients invite freelancers all the time, they might never get back to them. Forget about it until they contact you again.