If employer says CONTACT ME DIRECTLY AT so and so, is this a scam?

[laurencismyname]

Im still "new" although it's been a couple years since Ive been here, I have no experience with actually being hired, which is quite unbelievable, but my question is:

When a potential employer says "hello, thanks for your submission, PLEASE contact us directly at "HERE" instead.... is this a scam, because they dont want to continue ON UpWork?

I think so, but asking the moderators, OR those who know about this,,, thanks!!!

Lauren

For the internal mods, here is the URL link to my own message inbox, where the "employer" said to reach him via another site: 

https://www.upwork.com/messages/rooms/room_72d4331eabed44b35c1b62512ef9cdb7

[laurencismyname]

here was my response to the man:

Hello Ryan, Im not sure about doing this, Im not on telegram, and Upwork suggests working with their platform for safety, and secured payment reasons.... So, Id be glad to communicate here, thanks!

[sofia2008 · Accepted solution]

Hi Lauren,  GOOD JOB!

I however don't think he will contact you back, which is a good thing in this case. Make sure you Flag the job as inapropriate.

Note that it is not a «suggestion» from Upwork to remain on their platform, but an «obligation» as per the Terms of Service users (freelancers and clients) agree to when creating an account on Upwork.

To avoid  any problems with your account, the following is a good head-start :

• Do not communicate outside of Upwork by email/text/Whatsapp/Telegram/Skype or other third-party means before being hired on Upwork
• Apply to jobs only through Upwork
• Only work if you are officially hired on Upwork
• Do not accept payment outside of Upwork (PayPal, etc…)
• Do not send any money to clients
• Do not provide/offer free samples of work
• Do not create duplicate account

Keep in mind most scams can be avoided by not communicating outside of Upwork, either from job post or invitation to interview.

[laurencismyname]

Thank you - aahhh too bad - I will go flag it, but could you also see the memo inside my messages, since you work for Upwork? I hope so, so you can also warn them , so perhaps hearing from you they will not do this again - - Ok, thanks again.

[sofia2008]

Lauren, I am a freelancer on Upwork like you. Maybe the «Ace contributor» below my name is creating some confusion, it just means that I write a bit more on the forum. Everyone on this forum is either a client or a freelancer on Upwork sharing tips or questions. If you see someone's name with the green Upwork logo, they are at another level.

[martina_plaschka]

Everyone with a green upwork logo is an upwork employee.

[cassajoy]

It's important to flag these suspicious postings, and you can also report a message by the little gearbox that shows up when hovering over the message. Both will send the report to Upwork and they will take action. No amount of warning or direct contact from someone who works for Upwork will stop the scammers; they will just create a new 'client' account and post more.

[e8bb12dc]

Hi. I can no longer find the job at Upwork because the ones who offered the job asked me to communicate thru Telegram. Onced they reached me there, they already removed the job at Upwork. Looking at their offers of payment may be alluring,but it is too good to be true. So, before I even sign the contract I redirected them to continue it on Upwork and the person got pissed and refuse. Can you tract these accounts?

[02fba6ef]

Hi Sophia, I am also new here waiting to land my first contract. I notice a lot of offers ask people who apply to send in their work samples, which is a requirement to get hired, so how can you do this if it is not per Upwork policy?

[martina_plaschka]

No upwork policy forbids you to send samples. 

[laurencismyname]

Submitted to 7 jobs today, so far, most are asking about direct contact or replied with direct contact info - IS there a place we can post these, so everyone can use as a REFERENCE LIST? 

Also, has anyone had a real job here yet? 

Here is yet another person asking for direct contact:

**edited for Community Guidelines**

[cassajoy]

It's a good idea to have a reference list but alot of these jobs are reposted - and not as many newbies look into resources and the community forums before submitting proposals. The best bet is to flag them as you see them.

Seven is a high number for them all/most to be scammers. That is unfortunate. You can flag the post and report the message as well. I suppose some things that stand out with the link you shared is that they have duplicate job postings, payment unverified, and these were the only jobs they posted so they don't have a history on Upwork. While payment unverified does not automatically mean they are a scammer, it may help to filter your search to only payment verified clients. Also, creating searches relating to exactly what you are looking for may help weed out the fake posts.

I am fairly new and yes, I have had real clients hire me. A couple of them are long-term which was probably just lucky on my part.

[sofia2008]

Hi Lauren,

you can take a look at the Help Article below to see how to report suspicious activities. It covers all activities, but you can look at the «Job Postings» section in this particular case. 

Report Suspicious User Activity – Upwork Customer Service & Support | Upwork Help

[pgiambalvo]

You can't post a list because that woul violate community guidelines, but it would be helpful if you could.

[75f414c7]

Good afternoon. I too received a request to conduct an interview via Skype. My radar was not sensitive today and I went forward with that part and then they sent me email info and asked for my name and address. When they asked me to sign the acceptance letter and who my bank is, my radar went into overdrive. That's when I finally recalled this section. Obivously I fell hard my first time out but I did decline their offer and submited a flag for the post. Is there any other action I should take?

Will I ever be confident enough to accept offers? I've usually gotten work from known people. 

[cassajoy]

While I don't think Upwork will take action to newbies, communicating outside Upwork is a violation of their terms. So, any preson who asks to do that you can decline right away. You can report the actual message as well as flag the job posting. That's pretty much all the action I know about that we, as freelancers, can take.

I just replied above to Lauren with some personal tips I would give to newbies considering the high amount of fake posts.

[gilbert-phyllis]

---

Kathy B wrote:

Good afternoon. I too received a request to conduct an interview via Skype. My radar was not sensitive today and I went forward with that part and then they sent me email info and asked for my name and address. When they asked me to sign the acceptance letter and who my bank is, my radar went into overdrive. That's when I finally recalled this section. Obivously I fell hard my first time out but I did decline their offer and submited a flag for the post. Is there any other action I should take?

Will I ever be confident enough to accept offers? I've usually gotten work from known people. 

---

Kathy, the most important thing you can do to avoid scams is comply with UW's rule that forbids communicating with prospective clients by any channel other than UW messaging. Stay on the platform and you'll automatically steer clear of most scams. No Skype, no Google Hangouts, no Telegram...not until you have a contract in force. Then you can use any channel you and your client choose.

Clients are often not aware of this rule but any client who pushes back after you tell them it's a requirement is either a scammer or someone who's comfortable violating UW's ToS and you don't want anything to do with them, anyway. 

Also, as a newbie be extremely wary of any unsolicited invitations. Legitimate clients don't seek out newcomers with no track record. Scammers do, relying on your inexperience and eagerness to land a contract. There are no shortcuts to getting started here, you have to work the lists -- search job posts to find ones that are an excellent fit with your skill set and knock them out of the park so you get excellent feedback from the clients and build a solid job history.

good luck!

[laurencismyname]

Hi Phyllis, I just read thru some comments here and wondered why clients aren't told about the"no-communication outside Upwork", because that is such a big item to overlook or not be repeatedly told about! I would hope Upwork would have that hightlighted on every page of client's sign up, but maybe, as you say, many don't read the rules, or are "unaware" (?) a shame....

[gilbert-phyllis]

I don't really know what clients are told when setting up an account. (I have a client profile on my FL account but I set it up several years ago and can't remember.) UW makes it a point to ensure the client experience is as frictionless as possible and we all have a vested interest in keeping it that way. According to several clients I've worked with over the years, the UI is already clunky enough. If there were annoying popups or other hurdles (such as forcing them to verify their payment method prior to even posting a job), they'd just go elsewhere.

IME it's not unusual for a client to be unaware of the pre-contract communication policy. Nearly always, they are happy to comply once inform them. Over a couple of years I've a had a couple push back and then disappear. Likely not scammers because I'm not bothered by them much, but clearly people comfortable with breaking rules and likely to expect me to do so as well, so no loss.

A fact of FLing life is it's up to each FL to be sure they know what they're doing and be sure their contract terms are what they should be, and sadly, that sometimes involves more handholding and spoon-feeding of clients than I'd like. But it goes with the territory.

[sofia2008]

Scammers don't care about the rule, they don't care if freelancers are not following the rules, in fact, they target new freelancers because they might be less familiar with the rules they have to follow. That is why freelancers have to learn about the rules, and stick to them. They certainly won't have any support from scammers.

[75f414c7]

Cassidy, thank you for your reply. I did follow those tips when I signed onto Upwork but did not recall this little bit of high importance. I did avoid unverified payment posts but I submitted a proposal today as they had been marked "Plus", which means they subscribed. As my radar glared redder I realized they could have just opened a subscription for a nominal fee because the chance to scam me and others for much more was a cost they were willing to pay. I did appreciate in this advice/tips section the mention that not all employers are aware of the "no off Upwork" policy but, as a freelancer who signed on and agreed with Upwork's policy, I was in the wrong without a doubt. If I get to stay on the platform I will be more careful. I'm disappointed in how happily I trod down the trail, giving my name and phone number. I thought I was smarter than that. 

[pgiambalvo]

Like Lauren said, I would hope Upwork would have that hightlighted on every page of client's sign up.