Scam or legit

[3a2ad763]

Communicating out of Upwork before a contract breaches the terms of service. Should I assume everyone trying this tactic is malicious? 
I've had two tactics so far: questioning the authenticity of the offer due to the breach or stating that it's a breach and confirming I'm happy to discuss further within Upwork. The latter seems to align with my values more, but they drive away fraudsters equally fast!

What experiences do you have with potential job scams on Upwork? How do you respond to suspicious messages?

[fccfebe2]

Hi Becki, you are correct in what you are doing, insist on communicating on Upwork until you have a contract in place, that is a great way to scare the scammers away.

[6bfcdaf8]

Hi Becki, prospective clients who share a personal zoom link, ask for an email etc are not all scammers. They may be inexperienced in the platform or sometimes simply ignorant. In those cases i kindly state that "Upwork doesn't allow us to communicate outside the platform before you actually decide to hire me. But once we have a contract in place i'll be more than happy to join your company slack or any other platform." And if they are legitimate clients they play by the rules. Some of them have sent me contracts and hired me, some of them continued the conversation on upwork until they make their decision to continue with the hiring process. 

[williamtcooper]

I always remind the prospect of Upwork's Terms of Service.

Who knows their intent.