What to do when I receive pdf invite

[bethduddy]

I just received my first "bite" from a possible client on Upwork. They sent a link to a pdf invitation which asks me to "add up" the director to my Skype contacts (a protonmail.com address) then contact that director to set up a Skype interview. The language is odd and I don't know if this is a scam.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

Probably a scam.

Does not matter if it is a scam or not.

You are not allowed to do that.

All communications must take place on the Upwork platform until you have been officially hired.

You are not allowed to add somebody to Skype prior to be hired. You aren't allowed to do a Skype interview prior to being hired. You could be kicked off Upwork or otherwise sanctioned if you broke this rule.

[bethduddy]

Thank you! I did feel scammy. I'm still learning how the platform works. Is there a page/s on the site where I can read about the flow of things? Because I have no experience yet, I don't know what a legitimate offer is supposed to look like. 

[prestonhunter]

Help section and Forum are the best places to learn about the platform.

While new, just ask questions here in the Forum. We are very chatty. And it is free to talk to us.

[bethduddy]

Good to know. Thank you.

[AndreaG]

Hi Beth,

I'm glad to see you were able to engage and get some help from the Community!

I just wanted to jump in and let you know I went ahead and flagged this Job Post to our team for a review, they will take appropriate action as per our processes. Please know, if you ever encounter any suspicious activity on the platform you can flag the Job Post or Messages and our team will review. We count on your help and diligence to make the Upwork experience as safe as possible.

Thanks!

[martina_plaschka]

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Beth D wrote:

Thank you! I did feel scammy. I'm still learning how the platform works. Is there a page/s on the site where I can read about the flow of things? Because I have no experience yet, I don't know what a legitimate offer is supposed to look like. 

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That the client tried to communicate outside of upwork is in itself not scammy. He might be inexperiences like yourself. When this happens, gently point out that you are not allowed to do that. If he gets annoyed at that point, or you never hear from him again, he's a scammer.