On occasion, you’ll see someone coming to the Community to ask, “Is this legit?” as they reference a questionable job post or request from another user.
With over 17 million users on Upwork, we recognize the need to remain vigilant about suspicious activity. And though we’ll continue doing our best to prevent or address that activity asap, we also count on you to continue being diligent in protecting your information and access. Educating yourself and trusting your instincts are key to safety.
To that end, here are some tips and best practices that can help you identify and avoid potential scams:
- Circumvention: This occurs when a client or freelancer asks or agrees to pay or be paid outside of Upwork. It is not only against the Terms of Service, but it’s also an easy way to fall victim to a scam since you will not be protected by Upwork’s programs, like Hourly Payment Protection. Read more about circumvention and staying safe online.
Payment methods: There are a number of approved choices for making payments and withdrawing funds on Upwork that clients and freelancers can select from when making or receiving payments. Only approved payment options should be used or received for payment. Additionally, talent should not send payment in any currency to clients off the platform for any reason, even in exchange for payment on the platform. Be cautious of requests to buy, sell, or transfer currencies of any kind (regular or crypto). Being asked to buy, sell, trade, or transfer any form of currency, even for a fee on Upwork, is prohibited and should be reported. For example, purchasing or transferring Bitcoin or other forms of cryptocurrency on behalf of a client is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service and a common scam.
- Phishing: This is when a client is trying to steal your password and information by directing you to a fake login page. Always double check that links or HTML files clients send you are for valid websites. Make sure the URL is correct, and never give out your personal information.
- Free Work: This happens when you’re asked to submit work before a milestone has been funded, or you’re requested to do the job as a “sample.” If a client requests a sample project it should be paid. Avoid this by never starting work before the official contract start date and the first milestone is funded. This is different from asking for samples of your past work or other questions intended to vet your skills before engaging you.
- Payment for materials or to “submit an application”: Never pay anything for a client to consider your proposal/application or to work for a client, even if they claim that the money will be reimbursed. Although Freelancers should generally pay their own expenses and have the tools they need to do the work, be very cautious if a client ever asks you to pay for something up front or to pay them directly for anything needed for the project.
- Check-cashing fraud: This happens when someone asks you to process PayPal payments, or request favors to cash or deposit checks and money orders in order to send the money somewhere else. These checks or money orders are likely fraudulent and your bank can hold you liable for the funds, even if you have already sent the money on to the “client”.
- Shipping scam: We’ve seen scams in which a client has requested to have goods shipped to you, which you would then repackage and mail elsewhere. These items can be stolen or purchased with a stolen card and unwitting freelancers can be acting as the middleman.
- Click bait: Be skeptical if you’re asked to click on external links or sign-up for websites, as you may be falling for a click-bait scam, where a website makes money off of the click-thru traffic. Google the website before clicking to see if there are relevant reviews or red flags.
- Personal info: Clients do not need access to your personal information, driver's license, passport, social security number, tax forms, etc. Do not share this information.
- Other flags: Jobs which advertise benefits, medical insurance and training programs are often red flags of a scam client. Be extra cautious with those types of posts.
We take security seriously at Upwork. You can find more information about Trust and Safety on Upwork in this Help article. If you think you’re the victim of a possible scam, immediately contact Customer Support – or use one of the “Flag as inappropriate” links throughout the site and in Messages.
In the end, trust your instincts and feel free to continue asking here in our Community. We’re here to help and we’ll continue doing whatever we can to make sure the good users of Upwork stay safe.
See more of our Stay Safe series:
Community Manager
Hi Margaret,
I understand where your frustration is coming from, and appreciate your participation in this thread. I would like to note that we do have teams and systems that help identify red flags if a user or a job post is fraudulent. However, I would like to clarify that there are cases where we are unable to foresee a violation based on a client's job post itself or their initial communications with the freelancer. We usually receive flags when the interview stage has already commenced, where the client explicitly communicates this (ToS violation) with a freelancer. In cases like these, the teams involved take action immediately against the client's job post and account based on the report.
I highly recommend that you read up on the "Safety First!" section of the freelancer resources we have compiled, and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs for more information about working safely through Upwork. When you come across any client or job that raises a red flag, you can go to the job post and click on the "Flag as inappropriate" button so that it goes to the team's queue for their further review.
~ Avery
Hi Hanan,
The most recent invite you received does look like the common Google Hangout scam Lena described in her post. The team will review the job and take actions as needed.
Rene, the link to this thread is included in the list of resources for new users pinned at the top of the New to Upwork forum currently.
Community Manager
Hi Simone,
While the job sounds suspicious, please flag the job post so our team could review it and check if its in line with Upwork ToS. Note that based on the job post details you mentioned, this job is not related to the scam you noted at the beginning of your post.
Hi Shweta,
Thanks for flagging this job. I'll also follow up with the team and they will review and take actions as soon as possible.
Hi Ava,
Please, see my reply to your post on this thread. While it's not against the ToS to communicate with clients outside of Upwork, you may be wary of clients who try to move the conversation to Google Hangouts right away. Also, all the payments need to go through Upwork, so if a client offers to pay off of the platform for any reasons, please flag them.
Thank you.
Community Manager
Hi Noro,
Clients have the option to respond to your proposal, in which case you'd receive a notification and a new message room will be created to accommodate your conversation. While you're free to share your direct contact details in a proposal, we strongly advise freelancer to communicate with prospective clients through Messages for at least the initial stages of the interview process.
Please review the freelancer resources we compiled here in order to use the platform and work successfully on Upwork.
Community Manager
We're sorry that you had a bad experience, Dennell. If you haven't already, please report your client by flagging his job post as inapproriate so that actions can be taken against his account.
~ Avery
