Scammed by Upwork Developer

[00da7b93]

I initiated a web development project on May 29th.

The developer remained in good communication before requesting a half payment of the total amount after some minimal work was completed. He stated this was a very complex project and that he would need to spend more time so extended the deadline to 29th June. I agreed, and as a gesture of goodwill, based on his stellar Upwork record, earning over 100k$ and 100% success at the time. 

He then stopped communicating entirely. He made some tiny changes weeks after. I then noted today a 1 star review stating the exact same experience. I contacted the developer and said I needed to meet with him. he refused to meet with me and stated the review was "independent" to my project and that he would complete it still. 30 minutes later he ended the contract.

I understand that I released the 1,100$ payment and that I will not be able to get this back. But this is insane. 

I have never had such a bad experience with a developer before. I can't even find somewhere to contact Upwork support and report this guy?

I would love some feedback on my experience, if someone knows best way to ensure his account is removed from upwork. I just cannot believe this has happened. 1,100$ wasted, and over 2 months wasted on development time.

[spectralua]

Yep, you did a critical fault. It is good that you understand it.

You still able to try dispute your money. Some moderator here will help you to reach support.

[00da7b93]

I agree. Unfortunately, the developer did just enough work on the project for me to believe he was going to continue working at that rate.

It is extremely disappointing that someone who has completed 130 jobs on Upwork with pristine rating, and earned 100k$+, would then scam someone for 1,100$. 

[IvygailJ]

Hello Brian,

I’m sorry to learn about the issue with your freelancer and that you weren’t able to contact the Support Team.

To access our support services, it would be best to follow the steps below:

• Navigate to the Help Center’s navigation bar and select the “Contact Support” option.
• Choose the “Chat with Upwork” option to initiate a conversation with our chatbot.
• Type in a question or topic and click “Send.” The chatbot will provide relevant articles related to your question.

We strongly encourage everyone to engage with the chatbot to access the available support options. Asking for assistance directly may not provide sufficient information for the chatbot to be able to assist you appropriately - for example, creating a ticket for you with the right team according to your concern.

Additionally, I have shared your report with our team. One of our agents will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to provide you with the necessary assistance. You can access your ticket on this page.