Scammers never cease to amaze

[heymarii]

Wow. I came to the site based on positive reviews and recommendations from blogs. I put time into setting up a profile and bidding on proposals....all of this took up my time and mental capacity. I was excited to get my first offer - and not being familiar with the system - opened a zip file that had a link (possible malware). 

It's just disappointing when people have skills and time to offer others who need help - just to find that you're going to be scammed. I guess it's my fault not realizing that no place is safe.

It's just disheartening to know my first client was a scammer. Any best practices or advice on how to look out for those kinds of postings? 

[yitwail]

Marii, it's too bad your first would be client was bogus, but it happens to everyone sooner or later. I've been here for years, and a few weeks back, I had to skype to find out that a German client was actually a Chinese freelancer who wanted to borrow or buy my account.

I think your profile looks good, though you could fill it out with a few tests and/or portfolio items. Doing so might also make you eligible for a Rising Talent badge, which will give you a competitive edge. With your educational background, I'm a bit surprised you're not looking for any sort of development work, but that's just kibitzing. You can try vetting clients by mainly applying to jobs posted by clients with a decent hiring history, but that might restrict your choices too much. Anyway, good luck, and don't let one experience discourage you from writing individualized proposals.

[heymarii]

John, Thank you for your uplifting words, tips and advice! It does make me feel better that a seasoned upworker, such as yourself, can't really know it's happening...until it is. 

I didn't know about the Rising Star badge and I will start working on that right away. Kibitzing...I love that term!! You have a keen eye...I work at a software development company all day during the week. I wanted to use this opportunity to help others grow their business in a way that would be enjoyable for me -- so I wanted to try something in a slightly different niche 🙂

[AveryO]

Hi Marii, 

I'm sorry to learn about your initial experience on Upwork. It gets better as you learn the ropes, and become more familiar with the platform. You can learn so much from our Community just by reading through the threads, and/or, asking questions, and the members of the Community (both clients, and freelancers) will be happy to help.

Since you are new to Upwork, I would recommend that you read up on these freelancer resources and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, for help getting started, and for more information about working safely through Upwork. Hopefully, this helps you in identifying red flags in job postings, and client interviews. 

[martina_plaschka]

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Marii T wrote:

Wow. I came to the site based on positive reviews and recommendations from blogs. I put time into setting up a profile and bidding on proposals....all of this took up my time and mental capacity. I was excited to get my first offer - and not being familiar with the system - opened a zip file that had a link (possible malware). 

It's just disappointing when people have skills and time to offer others who need help - just to find that you're going to be scammed. I guess it's my fault not realizing that no place is safe.

It's just disheartening to know my first client was a scammer. Any best practices or advice on how to look out for those kinds of postings? 

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You are, unfortunately, a prime target: you are in the US, and new. Invariably they will want you to cash checks and steal your money. 

Once you are established, have a serious looking profile (you do mostly) and a longish work history, you are safe from these scams, at least. But always stay vigilant.

Take more tests, add a portfolio, apply only to jobs from clients that have: a long hiring history, get good feedback from freelancers, more importantly, give good feedback to freelancers, and you'll be fine!