Upfront payment from client

[27c48635]

Hi,

I got a new project in upwork which needs a subscription to client website ($500) to be paid by me . I am little  concerned but the client is ready to do the payment upfront . What's the best and safe way to do this ? 

[elisa_b]

The best and safest way to do this is - not to do this. Never ever pay anything out of your pocket. Tell the client to pay directly the subscription and see what happens.

[396489e3]

 I was assigned to do a project after completing the task they said to get my payment and I message ...

[NikolaS]

Hi Anju and Abhaya, 

Thank you for reaching out to us. Please know that a real client will never ask you to give them money to start working, cash a check for them, work for free, or provide your personal information. I encourage you to Report suspicious behavior. 

Additionally, you may want to check this help article and this thread to help you stay safe on Upwork. 

[27c48635]

Thanks Nikola,

They are not asking to give money, but inorder to test their website I need access which needs subscription. This is the message:

"The contract would cover any expense incurred while testing on the platform using upwork hourly time contract, that is where you log extra hours for compensation of any amount spent or you can receive the subscription expense amount via a paycheck from the company upfront." 

Please let me know if this workable as he said

[elisa_b]

The client should arrange your subscription beforehand and pay for it out of their pocket. Period. You are not supposed to pay anything during your work and then ask the client a refund. Regarding the upfront payments, do you know that clients can file a chargeback and reverse them? Are you willing to risk that?

How much money has this client spent so far on Upwork? Would you be able to identify a scammer if you met one?

[27c48635]

Not really, thats why I am asking help here 🙂 It looks like they spent total 200$ .Anyhow I will inform him that I cant pay for subscription and can proceed only if he manages to do it. Thanks Elisa. 

[elisa_b · Accepted solution]

Please follow the links provided above by Nikola - learning how to protect yourself from scammers and how to use the platform properly is extremely important. Maybe the client is a scammer, maybe not, but payments and time tracking are not supposed to work that way. Stay safe.

[ArjayM]

Hi Anju,

Arjay here stepping in for Nikola. As he and other members mentioned in this thread, a real client will never ask you to give them money to start working, cash a check for them, work for free, or provide your personal information. That said, I took a closer look at the job post and escalated this to the appropriate team for further review. They will surely look into this and take action accordingly.

[27c48635]

Thanks Arjay , that would be helpful