Latest Scam going on on Upwork.

[02d3f24c]

This is very easy. Upwork advocates that clients should verify their profile before posting a job description. However, this is not compulsory. As a freelancer, when you see a job ad from an unverified client, you have to be suspicious. This does not necessarily mean that it is a scam.

The latest scam going on us via telegram. Some clients will attach huge pieces to a work that should not cost that does much in reality. This is often a trap for new freelancers. I almost fell into that trap once. After attaching these ridiculous prices, you will be asked to send them a message off-Upwork. This is done either through telegram or other platforms.

When you see this, it is 100% a scam. Also, some will require you to pay some amount of fee before you start. That is wrong. No employer should require a fee from you before you start working.

Another the latest scam is "Work but no pay". An unverified client posts a job and you apply for it. You get picked for the job and make your submission but they will not pay you for the job. Making sure that your client is verified is important.

Another scam that can happen from the ends of both verified and unverified clients is the 'Send Samples' scam. Some clients will ask you to send more than 5 samples of various works. You keep sending these samples ignorantly. Some clients use this to plagiarise a freelancer's work. Once they get what they need from your work, you stop seeing their messages. 

The last scam I will talk about is the 'no-pay' scam. After doing a proper job for a client, they might tell you that you've done a bad job. Yet, they will go ahead to use your work discreetly. And they refuse to pay you. In cases like this, Upwork has given freelancers the chance to open a dispute which I so much love.

So, as freelancers, especially new freelancers, there is a need to be extra careful when applying for jobs. Anytime I get wind of another scam/trick scammers are trying to use on this app, I'll bring it to your notice. Thanks for reading.

[martina_plaschka]

https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/List-of-red-flags-for-scams/m-p/1017044#M158742

[sofia2008]

Most these scams can be avoided by following some simple rules from the Terms of Services.

-Never communicate outside Upwork before a contract is in place on Upwork.

-Never start working before a contract is in place on Upwork.

-Never pay money to a client.

-Never accept payment outside Upwork.

[feed_my_eyes]

None of these scams are new, and there are already hundreds of posts warning about them. People will keep getting scammed because they don't bother to learn anything about how to use Upwork, so they're unlikely to read what you've written, either, unfortunately.