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dmfoltz
Community Member

Is a Skype interview normal?

I'm new to Upwork and still getting my bearings. 

I've submitted some proposals and twice had a response asking me to sign up for a Skype interview. I'm not opposed to interviewing, but it did give me pause. I suppose I was anticipating communication being done through Upwork's platform. The clients are Upwork Plus, but payment unverified. 

Does this sound fishy? Or am I being too cautious? 

23 REPLIES 23
wescowley
Community Member

Under the new rules, all communication before you have a contract with a client has to be done through Upwork messenger. So, no, you should not do your interview over Skype.

Thank you! 

NikolaS
Moderator
Moderator

Hi Danielle,

 

As the Wes already said, please let them 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.

 

Thank you, 

~ Nikola
Upwork

There is no "flag as inappropriate" button available within the messaging platform, and the flag button appears to not work on the job listing page at least in Chrome. The report won't submit and the tell us more text box will not activate. Also being contacted for a skype interview with details listed on an attached pdf.

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Hi Mitch,

 

Thank you for reaching out and reporting this. We take every report of suspicious or inappropriate activity seriously, and every report goes directly to our Trust and Safety team for investigation. 

 

I actually tried and wasn't able to replicate the issue you're describing. I can see the option to flag suspicious activities throughout the platform by following the instructions given in this help article. Could you please share try clearing using a different browser or the incognito mode of the current one? You may also clear your cache and cookies. Let us know if the issue persists with a screenshot of what you can see from your end and we'll look further into that for you.

 

I took the liberty of sharing your report with our Trust & Safety team for further review. Rest assured that they'll look closer into this and take action accordingly if necessary. You may want to check this help article and this thread for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork. 

 

~ Arjay
Upwork
ca3107ff
Community Member

I've already received two requests like this. It's disappointing that so far I've only received scam invites.

Hi D C,

 

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about the scam invites. While our teams are working hard to rid our workplace of all inappropriate jobs, we sometimes need to rely on your assistance to report anything suspicious. Please check out the tips in this post to make sure you stay safe and protected while working on Upwork. Also, check this help article for more information on how to use the flag option to report any inappropriate content.

 

Thank you

Pradeep

Upwork

Hi Pradeep,

I had reported many scam jobs that I think were inappropriate. But we didn't know what had been done after that. There is need of anotification to the informer from Upwork that they had noted it or taking some action on this.

Thank you
Saima 


D C wrote:

I've already received two requests like this. It's disappointing that so far I've only received scam invites.


Welcome to Upwork! You have joined a global platform where thousands, if not tens of thousands, of freelancers are competing for work in just about every category. Until you establish a track record here, assume any unsolicited invitations you receive are from scammers. They prey on newbies, esp those based in the US, counting on you to be unfamiliar with the rules and eager to land a project. 

 

4af4ef97
Community Member

I can relate to this. It seems like every posting is a scam. Every one I've applied for has requested off site interview. I think I'll try another site.

Hi Don,

 

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about your experience and how you feel about the same. We are working hard to monitor our marketplace and remove these inappropriate jobs as soon as possible. We encourage you to use the “Flag as Inappropriate” option to report these jobs so that our team can review and take action on them. You can learn more about user reporting here. Check out the tips in this post to make sure you stay safe and protected while working on Upwork. 

 

Thank you

Pradeep

Upwork

What would be cool is if Upwork would refund all connects wasted on these scams instead of just one. That way, we wouldn't feel like we're getting scammed twice instead of just once. 

Hi Nikki,

 

We understand your concern about these scam jobs and their impact on your Connects. Rest assured that we return Connects when we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service. Also, all suspicious activities flagged by users throughout the platform are being thoroughly reviewed. You can find more information about the process here.

 

~ Arjay
Upwork
4478c4b1
Community Member

This is disappointing because every reply I've gotten has requested to interview on skype as well. 

corinda
Community Member

Same for me as well. It's so frustrating.

ryangatchel
Community Member

Same, I had two people want to contact me. One I did actualy interview on Skype, but I reporting both. 

Hi Ryan, 

 

It's good that you reported these clients already. It would 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:

You may also want to read up on the "Safety First!" section of the freelancer resources we have compiled, these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, this Community article, and these articles for more information about working safely through Upwork. 


~ Avery
Upwork
9860116e
Community Member

Hi Avery, this just happened to me! Please help! I cannot find on Upwork where to file a complaint?? I need to get my money back on tokens, I am so upset! Please help!

Hi Brinkley,

 

I checked the job post you were referring to and it appears that it's already been taken down because it was in violation of Upwork TOS.


Please check out this course for more tips on staying safe on Upwork and please use the flag option found on each job post or message anytime you’d like to report a violation.

 

- Pradeep

Upwork
nationalguardra
Community Member

Hi Danielle!

 

No, that is not normal. Upwork has been pretty good about having communication applications within the platform. I would recommend to steer clear of any invitations off the platform.

55b274ca
Community Member

Don't apply when the posted job is not 101% verified, it's a scam and you will just lose your fuel (connects). And be careful also who verified in payment cause probably they are just keep spamming the newsfeed. You should check also the feedback on how much they spent on the project. Cheers!

 

 

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