**SCAM ALERT** *edited*

[ed33dc76]

Community,

Please be aware that this posting is a scam attempting to have you mobile deposit a fraudulent check and they pay for the equipment. I was very close to going through with this until I realized it was too good to be true and did some research. 

The project keeps getting posted and I am flagging them all as inappropriate but be careful and avoid this project listing. The company **edited for Community Guidelines** is a legit organization in Florida and the the offer letter even had the correct HR Director listed. The check info was accurate however after I deposit it I know it will come back as fraud and I would be out the $5500

Thanks!

[AveryO]

Hi Ryan, 

Thank you for sharing your experience here. As a gentle reminder, freelancers and clients are not allowed to offer and accept payments outside the Upwork website. Whether it's for purchasing equipment for the project, or bonus payments, these should all be paid through Upwork. 

I will look into this and I will report it to the team for their review and action. In the meantime, it would be best if you read up on the "Safety First!" section of the freelancer resources we have compiled, these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, and this article for more information about working safely through Upwork. 

In the future, please don't hesitate to report suspicious activity by following the steps here.

[1aaf9ca0]

The biggest scam out here is upwork itself

[martina_plaschka]

Not only that. At the minimum your bank would fire you for trying to deposit a fake check, they might call the police and the feds might swoop in for money laundering. 

Edit: Ryan, what are you doing? Who told you that a bunch of 1$ jobs give you credibility? Don't listen to that. Refund, make them go away. Not only do they ruin your profile, they are clearly feedback building which can get you suspended real fast. 

[roberty1y]

The client in question.seems to be the king of dollar jobs. He's got exactly 100 more of them posted, some of them asking for 45 freelancers each.

[martina_plaschka]

What's going on there? 

Just to start another conspiracy theory: it must be a freelancer trying to ruin as many freelancer profiles as he can. Willing to pay money for it. 

[roberty1y]

Weird goings on there...he's spent over $60,000 and hired nearly 13,000 freelancers. 

[pgiambalvo]

Very strange indeed.

[renata101]

Hi Ryan,

This is a really well-known scam on this board. Wes, one of the other freelancers, put together this post on red flags for scams:
https://community.upwork.com/t5/Community-Blog/Top-Red-Flags-for-Scams-From-Community-Member-Wes-C/b...

It would also be a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the Terms of Service because you're less likely to have problems if you know what's in it. Receiving payments outside of Upwork is a violation of the Terms of Service. This is what you're signing on for when you sign up to Upwork:

https://www.upwork.com/legal