This is my first fixed price contract on upwork.

[acad5047]

Hi,

I was invited to submit a proposal to this listing and eventually hired. The client told me he would have to send me funds to deposit into accounts whose sites I was "testing". I didn't realize all money must go through upwork. I'm concerned on what to do next, please help.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I was invited to submit a proposal to this listing and eventually hired. The client told me he would have to send me funds to deposit into accounts whose sites I was "testing". I didn't realize all money must go through upwork. I'm concerned on what to do next, please help."

Hmm...

It is good that you are asking about this.

There are two major concerns:

a) It is a violation of Upwork ToS for freelancers to exchange funds OUTSIDE of the Upwork system. For example, if the client wants you to buy a stock photo to use on a website, the client may NOT send you a check, or send you a payment directly through PayPal or Venmo or something along those lines. That would be a very serious ToS violation.

b) There is a strong possibility that the money is fake, and that this isn't a real client, but is actually a scammer who is stealing your money.

What is the next step?

First, let's be clear about what is happening.

Tell us:
How is this client sending you money?

How are you depositing money into other accounts?

Does this job involve cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin?

It might NOT be a violation of Upwork ToS.

As a programmer, I work on various financial systems that deal with real money. This includes setting up websites with payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe. Sometimes I need to "transfer funds" by making changes in the database. I never receive any money, but in a sense, one could say that I am putting money into various people's accounts. This is NOT a violation of Upwork ToS.

Tell us more about what you are doing, and will be able to tell you if the job is:

a) a violation of Upwork ToS

b) a scam

c) both

d) neither

[acad5047]

Their payment was verified and they had many reviews and thousands of dollars spent so I trusted them. I reported the messages in the chat to Upwork. 

[prestonhunter]

re: "Their payment was verified and they had many reviews and thousands of dollars spent so I trusted them. I reported the messages in the chat to Upwork."

Okay, if you are already working directly with Upwork Customer Support, you don't necessarily need help form anyone here in the Forum.

Based on what you have told us, I am not able to say whether or not this job violates Upwork ToS in any way, or is a scam.

[martina_plaschka]

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Natalie M wrote:

Their payment was verified and they had many reviews and thousands of dollars spent so I trusted them. I reported the messages in the chat to Upwork. 

---

That doesn't mean they can't still try and scam you. You need to use your common sense, and you need to know the terms of service. This kind of thing can get you suspended real fast. 

[acad5047]

Where is the delete button?

[acad5047]

Yes, they said it would be a "transfer of funds" funds were sent directly to me via paypal and Wire for me to deposit. However, they also want access to those accounts and the email that is linked. This would require the last 4 of  my SSN to login to some of these accounts are heavily secured and under my name.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "Yes, they said it would be a 'transfer of funds' funds were sent directly to me via PayPal and Wire for me to deposit."

THAT would be a violation of Upwork ToS.

It simply isn't allowed.

I help people clients up computer systems that utilize PayPal transfers and wire transfers. But that money doesn't come to me directly.

re: "However, they also want access to those accounts and the email that is linked. This would require the last 4 of my SSN to login to some of these accounts are heavily secured and under my name."

Yeah... that doesn't sound good at all.

I would not do that.

Real jobs don't require any of what you are describing.

No legitimate client who hires me wants MY PERSONAL PayPal or banking accounts entangled with their company accounts in any way.

[BojanS]

Hi Natalie,

It looks like you’re communicating with our team regarding this case on your existing ticket. Please allow time for our team to respond and update the ticket. If you have any additional questions please post them on that ticket for further assistance.

Thank you for your patience!

[acad5047]

Please delete this then

[a_lipsey]

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Natalie M wrote:
Please delete this then

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Natalie, an Upwork moderator (employee) already responded to you on this thread, plus you have a support ticket open. They already know. Asking to delete won't change anything.