I feel scammed

[0f9e9413]

I applied on upwork for few design related tasks, i came across a requirement which suited my profile by **Edited for Community Guidelines** you can wven check my messages with her ,so i proposed her about the work and she gave me an email lD to communicate effortlessly which is “ Hi, We appreciate your kind gesture in showing interest to work with us on this project… Nice to have you here, Kindly send a message to us using the mail below so we can start the job **Edited for Community Guidelines** “ so we started mailing and discussing about the project , i pocked a task from the list they gave me they told me that it would be 3500$ project, they work for **Edited for Community Guidelines** companies they gave me 3 days timeline to make 32 logos, i understood the requirements and started work. I completed this in 4 days and they asked me to share the same for approval. They told me that this is approved and i will also be receiving the approval bonus of 200$. I said okay and was waiting eagerly for the payment, after a day waiting I texted her and she told me that she is giving a telegram id and that is their payment office **Edited for Community Guidelines**. They both told me that they are working for**Edited for Community Guidelines** Companies ,Jacksonville, Florida. Paula asked me the signed contract letter and on telegram to check the payment issue why is it not deposited in my account. Then she sent me a pdf which is about the levy fees I got suspicious about this as they asked me to share 150$ first as a levy charge on the full payment and kept on forcing me to make the payment in 15 minutes, I asked them to pay the amount and deduct the levy fees from the total, this is still not complete and they are asking me to pay them 150$ what should i do? These are scammers right?

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[0f9e9413]

More screenshots

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[7d2cd031]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation; it indeed raises several red flags typical of online scams. Communication which moves off the Upwork platform, rush fees, and upfront payments (such as "levy charges") demanded by the clients are not standard practice on Upwork or any reputable freelancing platform and are heavily discouraged because they are commonly associated with fraudulent activities.

Here's what you should do:

1. Cease Communication: Stop all communication with the individuals immediately, especially if they are insisting on payments from you to receive your earnings.

2. Report to Upwork: Report this incident to Upwork immediately. Provide them with all the communication and information you have, including messages, emails, and any other correspondence. Upwork has a strict policy against this type of behavior, and they can take action to prevent these individuals from scamming others.

3. Do Not Pay Any Fees: You should never have to pay to receive payment for your work. Legitimate clients on Upwork pay through the platform, which handles all the payment processing without requiring freelancers to pay fees upfront.

4. Keep All Evidence: Retain all the emails, messages on Upwork, and any other form of communication you’ve had with these individuals for reporting purposes.

5. Learn From This Experience: As a rule of thumb, keep all communication and transactions within the Upwork platform. This ensures that you are protected by Upwork's Payment Protection, which cannot be enforced when dealings are moved off the platform.

6. Be Vigilant: Familiarize yourself with common signs of scams and remain vigilant when applying for jobs on freelancing platforms. Upwork provides resources to help identify potentially fraudulent job postings and clients.

To report the incident to Upwork, you can use the "Flag as inappropriate" link on the job post itself, or contact Upwork support through the help center by submitting a ticket detailing the scam, so they can take the appropriate actions against the client's account.

Remember, moving forward, that legitimate clients will not ask you to communicate outside of Upwork before payment, nor will they ask for money in any form.

Stay safe, and if you need further assistance with project-related guidance, feel free to ask.

Best regards, Minara Begum

CopyGood responseBad response

[spectralua]

You feel correct: you broke rules and was scammed.

Take time to read ToS or will be scammed again or banned.