Scammers again?

[bethduddy]

I tried Upwork a year ago for three months and got nothing but scam/spam responses to my proposals, which I confirmed were inappropriate on this forum. I'm back to try again. Today I received two responses I believe are phishing scams. The first asks for my contact information. I replied that I would share that once we sign a contract, but until then, I will only communicate through Upwork. Was that correct? I got no reply after that. Second one asked me to "interview" with someone (first and last name given) through an IM platform called Telegram (I'm not familiar). Am I right that this, too, is a phishing attempt of some sort? I'm headed back to the ToS page for a refresher, but don't want to miss these if they are genuine opportunities. Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom. 

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "I tried Upwork a year ago for three months and got nothing but scam/spam responses to my proposals,"

For 3 reasons:

- You are a NEW freelancer on Upwork

- You are located in the United States (which is the only practical place for scammers to ply the "fake check" scam)

- You are in an entry level job niche or a "scammer-targeted job niche"

A bit of good news:
If you persevere, scammers stop pestering you.

I am never pestered by scammers, and the same goes for most of the experienced freelancers who are regular Forum participants.

re: "Today I received two responses I believe are phishing scams. The first asks for my contact information"

Real clients don't need to ask for your contact information.

re: "I replied that I would share that once we sign a contract, but until then, I will only communicate through Upwork. Was that correct?"

Yes.

re "I got no reply after that."

That is because once you make it clear that you are going to follow Upwork rules, scammers know they won't be able to get money from you.

re:"Second one asked me to "interview" with someone (first and last name given) through an IM platform called Telegram (I'm not familiar)."

Yeah, that is standard language from the main scam script currently being used.

re: "Am I right that this, too, is a phishing attempt of some sort?"

Whether or not we call this "phishing" or not, it doesn't really matter. The key thing to understand is that this is not a real client. This is a scammer trying to steal money from your bank account.

Another bit of good news:
We love to talk about this stuff.

And it is free to talk to us.

Feel free to come here to the Forum and describe to us what is happening. We will quickly provide you with advice.

[bethduddy]

Thanks for this prompt reply. Glad my instincts and beginner understanding of Upwork were right. Not sure how I'm ever going to remove the "New to Upwork" target on my back, but I'll keep trying. 

[martina_plaschka]

You got it right. The good thing is, once you tell them you won't communicate outside of upwork before hire, they go silent, so you don't waste your time. When you have a reasonable work history, they leave you alone. 

[BojanS]

Hi Beth,

It's definitely a great call to keep an eye out for fraudsters out there who may try to take advantage of professionals like you.

I've escalated this report to the correct team for their review. Please check this help article for crucial information that will help you have a safe and successful journey on Upwork and use the Report Suspicious User Activity feature whenever you see a violation of the Upwork Terms of Service.