Off platform

sameeraraj24 · ‎03-05-2019

Hello,

I have a potential client who is requesting my email in order to send me a company’s offer letter. I am new to Upwork as a freelancer and just wanted to inquire if this is suspicious activity as I have understood that communication should be maintained on the Upwork network.

Is this the case? Should I interpret this as suspicious activity and withdraw my proposal?

Thank you

prestonhunter · ‎03-05-2019

Upwork has no rule against sharing your email address or other contact information with potential clients after they contact you.

You have not provided enough information to us to tell you definitively if this is suspicious or not.

A company sending an "offer letter" to a newbie, entry-level freelancer with no work history?

Is this a scammer trying to steal money from you? Probably.

But we can't be certain.

My advice would be to provide the client with a throw-away email address and report back to us what happens next. You can report back here each step that you take with this potential client, and we can make sure you don't get into any trouble.

martina_plaschka · ‎03-06-2019

Sameera R wrote:
Hello,

I have a potential client who is requesting my email in order to send me a company’s offer letter. I am new to Upwork as a freelancer and just wanted to inquire if this is suspicious activity as I have understood that communication should be maintained on the Upwork network.

Is this the case? Should I interpret this as suspicious activity and withdraw my proposal?

Thank you

If the client wants to hire you, he can send you an offer within upworks system, which you accept, and then have a contract.

Whatever an offer letter is supposed to be in this client's mind, it is completely meaningless in the upwork world, and most likely some kind of intention to circumvent, which is not allowed.

You don't need to withdraw your proposal, it does not matter any which way. If you come to the conclusion that this is a fraudulent client (99% likelihood), don't forget to flag the job posting as fraudulent to get him taken down.