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virtualissupport
Community Member

Where can I find reviews of companies

Hi,

 

Some consulting business has sent me a DM that they think I would be a good fit based on my profile etc. How can I find reviews about them? With the offered rate, my first impuls is 'scam!!!' ($65 p/h). I should be screening CVs.

Many thanks in advance.

11 REPLIES 11
2a05aa63
Community Member


Roosmarijn A wrote:

Hi,

 

Some consulting business has sent me a DM that they think I would be a good fit based on my profile etc. How can I find reviews about them? With the offered rate, my first impuls is 'scam!!!' ($65 p/h). I should be screening CVs.

Many thanks in advance.


Hourly contracts are rarely a scam. Is the client new? Do they have a work history?

colettelewis
Community Member


Roosmarijn A wrote:

Hi,

 

Some consulting business has sent me a DM that they think I would be a good fit based on my profile etc. How can I find reviews about them? With the offered rate, my first impuls is 'scam!!!' ($65 p/h). I should be screening CVs.

Many thanks in advance.


______________________

Do you mean a DM via the message room?

 

There's no point in trying to find reviews about them. It is very likely a scam. If they like your profile they can send you a an official invitation through Upwork and you can discuss the job with them after you accept the invitation.  You can generally check out a company (if it's above board) once you have accepted. 

 

ETA:  I have just looked at your profile. As it is only in Dutch, did  the potential client contact you in Dutch or English? It just seems odd that he or she should have offered you exactly your quoted rate.  Be very careful. Scammers wait to pounce on newcomers. 

 

BTW it would be a good idea to also have your profile and overview in English, as  you are more likely to double your chances of finding work.

they've sent me a DM on Upwork and I can find an offer from them in 'my jobs'. I don't think they have reviews because if I open the offer, it says they have 0 stars out of 2 reviews. 

About the client

 Payment method verified
 
Rating is 0.001 out of 5.
 0.00 of 2 reviews
  • United States
    New York 05:10 am
  • 2 jobs posted
    100% hire rate, 1 open job
  • $600+ total spent
    198 hires, 191 active
  • $42.95/hr avg hourly rate paid
    30 hours
  • Member since Jul 8, 2021

They ask for my LinkedIn profile or my CV and 'they will send me the materials to get started'.


Roosmarijn A wrote:

they've sent me a DM on Upwork and I can find an offer from them in 'my jobs'. I don't think they have reviews because if I open the offer, it says they have 0 stars out of 2 reviews. 

About the client

 Payment method verified
 
Rating is 0.001 out of 5.
 0.00 of 2 reviews
  • United States
    New York 05:10 am
  • 2 jobs posted
    100% hire rate, 1 open job
  • $600+ total spent
    198 hires, 191 active
  • $42.95/hr avg hourly rate paid
    30 hours
  • Member since Jul 8, 2021

They ask for my LinkedIn profile or my CV and 'they will send me the materials to get started'.


_________________________

It is against Upwork's ToS for freelancers give clients any personal contact information before they have a formal contract in place, or they risk having their account suspended. This  includes, websites, social media contact, CVs etc.  The client may not know this either, so if they  want to send you materials to start working, then they must hire you formally first through Upwork.  

 

Do read all the help pages for newcomers to Upwork as well as Upwork's Terms of Service. 

Many thanks for your help. So if I would accept the proposal and refuse to share any details that would lead to contact outside of Upwork, I should be save? I cannot find anything about it but if I accept the proposal, will Upwork have a contract that client could use? 


Roosmarijn A wrote:

Many thanks for your help. So if I would accept the proposal and refuse to share any details that would lead to contact outside of Upwork, I should be save? I cannot find anything about it but if I accept the proposal, will Upwork have a contract that client could use? 


_____________________________________

When you have agreed the terms during the interview process via Upwork, the client will send you an offer (via Upwork) asking you to accept the contract. Once you have written to agree, Upwork will send you a message to say that your contract with client has started. Then you can communicate with client how you want. But payment has to go through Upwork. And to begin with, particularly in your category, I would only agree to work on an hourly basis with Upwork's tracking system. 

 

Freelancing is never completely safe anywhere. Upwork offers some protection, but only if you follow their rules and regs.  However, you are never completely covered, so you really must know what you are letting yourself in for first. I suggest you start by reading everything in this thread, particularly tips on questionable jobs, bearing in mind that these tips are not the only questionable job offers out there: 

https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460

 

But for me, and I may be wrong,  your job offer has too many red flags to even consider. 


Roosmarijn A wrote:
  • 2 jobs posted
    100% hire rate, 1 open job
  • $600+ total spent
    198 hires, 191 active

????? $600 dollars with 198 hires? Surely a scam of some sort. 191 active.


Viacheslav K wrote:

Roosmarijn A wrote:
  • 2 jobs posted
    100% hire rate, 1 open job
  • $600+ total spent
    198 hires, 191 active

????? $600 dollars with 198 hires? Surely a scam of some sort. 191 active.


______________________

Lol - I missed that and only read the bold print! Scam indeed! And I cannot think how Upwork could possibly have missed this. 

BTW I flagged this thread and interestingly a moderator still hasn't appeared. 

Valid point you've got there. My profile is indeed in Dutch and they sent me a message in English. Wow, I didn't even think of that. (and at first I wanted to also do my profile in English but with the rates usually offered on Upwork I was a bit like "why bother, it's not as if I will probably find anything suitable here" (not meant in an arrogant way but rates here a way lower than on Dutch freelance platforms, perhaps because most freelancers here only work for higher rates than in other parts of the world.)

AleksandarD
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Roosmarijn,

 

I shared the report with the team for investigation and if any violations of our TOS are found, proper actions will be taken.
 
Thank you.
~ Aleksandar
Upwork

Do you need the name of the entity sending me the message?

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