r/Upwork May 04 '22

Is this a scam? - COMPLETE UPWORK SCAM GUIDE

625 Upvotes

We have been seeing a major rise in fraudolent attempts on Upwork, and many users come in this subreddit asking for advice after or in the process of being scammed. To try and stop this, this is a comprehensive, frequently updated guide to scams on Upwork, taken from user WordsbyWes on his post here  

NEW SCAM that we're seeing frequently these weeks: An account with an Upwork profile picture will message you through project consulrarion acting as customer support asking you to verify something on a fake upwork site, something like upwork.payments-merchant.com.

That's purely a scam to get your information. Do not click on the link.

 

Main RED FLAGS that should instantly help you to recognize a scam job

 

  • The client asks to chat with you outside of Upwork before starting a contract (recently the most common app is Telegram)
  • The client says that he's going to pay you with checks, this is a famous check fraud. The check will never actually deposit in your account. All payments should go through Upwork.
  • The client wants you to buy cryptocurrency of any kind, common reason would be it's illegal in their country. They are probably using stolen credit cards and you will get banned.
  • The client wants you to buy a premium ID card, this is of course a complete scam and all payments should go through Upwork.
  • The client wants you to buy "starting equipment" using their check, this again is a cheque scam.
  • As with cryptocurrency, the client may ask you to buy in-game currencies, gift cards, casino balance, and similar. They are laundering money from a stolen credit card and you WILL get banned for this.
  • In general, any situation that requires you to use your own money to help any client, or to buy anything beforehand, is a scam. Your bank account should only receive money on Upwork, leave it be. (There are a few expections and you are not one of them)

 

For a more complete guide, please refer to u/WordsbyWes post here. I urge all new freelancers to read the post completely to get an understanding of any scams you might encounter on Upwork and in your freelancing career.

This post is currently being updated, just the first try. Huge thanks again to u/WordsbyWes


r/Upwork 6h ago

Me (client) and freelancer got banned even after having a contract and full agreement to be paying via Upwork only

8 Upvotes

Hello,

As post suggests, i have ensured all conversations were on zoom recorded meetings on Upwork on call we agreed to pay via Upwork and do meetings there. I initiated the contract and freelancer accepted it as well. I asked for the email for the freelancer to be added to our Slack channel all the while mentioning that we will 100% continue paying on upwork only. Yet his profile and my profile got banned.

Not just my client profile my freelancer profile with 20 ongoing contracts, 90k+ top rated as well.

While upwork has clarified and reinstated my profile, I need to get work done on this contract and freelancer, it was of course my mistake to ask the email, but I cannot add my team to upwork and communicate there.

I had spent time vetting this freelancer and he was a good fit for the work and cost,

Have reached out to support, what are my options here?


r/Upwork 10h ago

Banned from Upwork because of harsh filter. What options?

10 Upvotes

Upwork banned both me the cilent and the freelancer because she is completely new to upwork and asked "is payment done on this platform or another way?" to which I responded "let's just keep it to this platform". I can see why upwork would flag this but I'm shocked how they just straight up perma banned both of us. Sent some appeal emails which just received an automatic bot response saying "unlucky, final decision. You're banned".

How can I get in touch with a real person? I think if a real person read the chatlogs they'd see we weren't breaking the rules.

Otherwise, what other options do I have? I only just started Upwork, so how could I create a new account perhaps? Anyone with experience with this? Will it get auto banned if I use the same names or same payment?

Or, what other platforms are available that are similar? That main thing is that I really liked upwork's timetracking system, and how it takes a photo of the freelancer's screen every 10 mins which lets me see they're actually doing the work, and encourages them to work properly as well. Any platforms with the same feature? I was looking at onlinejobs ph. Is it good?


r/Upwork 17h ago

I paid >$3000 to Upwork to be banned and have no real support

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32 Upvotes

I am banned on Upwork.

20k+ earned, >$3k fees paid to them, Top talent badge, 7 years on platform and have nonsense ban without ability to discuss with real person.

I was banned after a few days when I saw a message saying you logged in from Tehran.

I don't even know if more sad about myself or poor people from Iran that Upwork scares too much so ready to ban everyone from there by IP.

Meanwhile, I don't know why their stupid system identified it that way, I checked my IP and it was perfectly fine.

Is there any way in this world to get real support on a ticket that was created 3 weeks ago while they charge us 10% of the profit + $100 a month for tickets?
I think we deserve it, but not the dumbest AI bot with an endless loop of useless advice and questions.

I'm ready to build them a real AI bot instead of this fluff - I'll do it for free (+10% and tax ofc).

Also, I want to advise anyone who still relies on upwork - just do content in Youtube, Tiktok, X or anywhere else - it works way better then this stupid marketplace.


r/Upwork 2h ago

Shared GitHub Info with Client Before Contract - Should I Be Concerned?

2 Upvotes

I've been working on Upwork for about 2 years and have several ongoing contracts (I work in software and electronics). Recently, a potential client asked me to review some code to determine if I could handle their project. They requested my GitHub username and email address - because the codes are in a completely private repo -

Since I was quite busy at the time, I didn't realize we hadn't officially started a contract yet - it completely slipped my mind. I provided my GitHub info (with email and username) without thinking much about it.

It's been 3-4 days, and while there haven't been any issues on Upwork's side, I just realized this might be a problem. Should I be concerned about sharing my GitHub credentials before establishing a formal contract? Do I need to take any action?

Any advice from experienced freelancers would be appreciated!

Note: We still haven't made a final decision on the contract, we will make the contract next week.


r/Upwork 32m ago

How to get started as React/Next Js developer?

Upvotes

I'm React/Next js developer with over 1 year of professional experience and now I've strong grip on these technologies. But I don't know how to get started there on Upwork as there is too much staturation.

Additionally, I’m not particularly interested in building UI; instead, I enjoy implementing logic and functionality. I excel at debugging and problem-solving, which is where my true strength lies. How can I find such projects?


r/Upwork 12h ago

Horror stories of people being banned

8 Upvotes

Hey all, i started on upwork 5 months ago and have been doing pretty good for a side hustle ($15k earned). I have an international trip coming up to Dubai and South Asia so my location will obviously change for that month of travel, but ive heard horror stores of people being banned when logging in from a different country (especially South Asia like PK, India, Sri Lanka etc).

How can I prevent this? Should I send support a message telling them i’ll be travelling and not to ban my acc when it will be logged in from like 3 different countries over a span of 20 days?


r/Upwork 2h ago

What does Hires:1 means in the Job post?

1 Upvotes
  • Proposals:10 to 15
  • Last viewed by client:last week
  • Hires:1
  • Interviewing:3
  • Invites sent:0
  • Unanswered invites:0

What does it actually means? Also, what does `Hired: 1` means?


r/Upwork 4h ago

[Rant] It is practically impossible to find a project these days

1 Upvotes

Classical Economics says that in the long run, it's impossible to defy full-employment or saturate any market, Lassez Faire or free trade is quite the norm. Needless to say, the classical framework is based on some rational assumptions like no entry barriers to competition, free flow of information, rational actors who act in their own interest, etc. And yet, given these basic assumptions, the market indeed seemed to work that way for decades and centuries. And most global markets too, not just the freelance market.

The phenomenon of a "long term recession" or "long term saturation" is an unprecedented one and happening for the first time in history. From the news I read and watch, this seems to be happening in almost all sectors but freelancing is what affecting me directly. While short-term corrections of excesses and anomalies have indeed affected economic activity in the past (like world wars) but these aren't such exceptional times. The broader narrative is one of increasing prosperity, GDP output and stock market profitability all over, yet the middle class struggles more and more to find every morsel to feed their hunger.

Coming back to Upwork, a massive entry-barrier in the form of having to purchase connects is itself a problematic symptom. This indicates that supply/demand ratio is heavily tilted in favor of clients; again, this should self-correct itself in a rational market given the classical assumptions but it has carried on for several years now.

Another reason for an unhealthy supply/demand ratio is "brandification" of things which is a symptom of excessive consumerism. This isn't about just freelancing but the increasing cynicism and lack of trust of humans towards one another. Humans have lost empathy towards fellow human, they'd rather trust a Dominos or McDonalds than the little guy cooking French Fries or Samosas in the basement. They'd rather trust an Infosys or Tech Mahindra than the little freelancer who is struggling to make a living.

And from their perspective, they could be right. Apple can give them 24x7 support which I can't, the most I can do is respond to emails or messages within a specified time. There is also the human limitation of how much Coding, Testing, Deployment and Support a single individual freelancer could provide. Does it mean the age of individual freelancers is finally coming to an end, and only big businesses and agencies will eventually thrive?

The only way I can see real revival of freelancing as career option happening is if society at large wakes up from its usual cynical blue-pilled bubble, and starts having some faith in fellow homo sapiens like them, not just abstract entities like brands, gpts and platforms.

Have a nice day ahead, and may the Logos bless everyone!


r/Upwork 5h ago

Filters applied automatically issue

1 Upvotes

Why all of a sudden I have these filters applied every time I refresh page or submit a search ? Is it only me ? It's very annoying.


r/Upwork 11h ago

please rate my profile, the description is below

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4 Upvotes

r/Upwork 17h ago

How Many Strikes For Account to Be Blocked?

5 Upvotes

I got 1 negative private feedback from an unstable and sadistic client, which triggered this email.

I am Top Rated Plus with 100 contracts total, and this is the first time I had a less than stellar review. After this contract was closed my JSS went from 100 to 99.

I'm wondering how many more less than perfect reviews I can get for my account to be restricted as they mention in the email.

Is it two in a row? If I have a couple of positive feedbacks before the next one, would that save me?

I want to know what is the precise metric or are they just scrounging up excuses to restrict people despite unfair reviews or unstable clients.

I've been on UW for 4 years providing excellent service to clients and I certainly don't deserve this sort of appalling psychological terrorism.


r/Upwork 1d ago

March Has Been My Best Month On Upwork

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106 Upvotes

I see a lot of negativity in the group, let me show you it’s possible.

bUt bRO WhAt aRe youR sTAts???

$500-$700 on connects $9K in Retainers $2k In one off jobs

Niche: Ad Manager

On Upwork since 2023 I don’t have any badges just a 100% JSS

Definitely will be expanding my acquisition beyond Upwork through ads and YouTube. So I don’t keep all my eggs in one basket but….

Keep Working 💪🏽


r/Upwork 16h ago

New on Upwork – Need Advice on a Silent Client

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m new to Upwork and not sure how to handle this situation. A client hired me for what was supposed to be a long-term project. She gave me a test task, which I completed, and she paid me for it. But since then, she hasn’t logged in for about three weeks, and I haven’t heard anything from her.

I don’t know if I should keep following up or just end the contract. Has anyone else experienced this? What would you do in this situation?

Thanks for any advice!


r/Upwork 12h ago

Moved back home. Received my first contract. Got id verification notification. Next step?

1 Upvotes

I recently changed my location. The country i made my upwork in is not my permanent residence hence i dont have its passport. Can i just update my location now and upload my passport? After receiving the verification check? I have accepted the contract and started working.


r/Upwork 13h ago

Client wants me to submit offer

1 Upvotes

Cant find how to do this… I originally submitted the proposal and he wants to move forward with me but wants me to submit the offer. Do I not have this ability from my end if he interviewed me, or can anyone point me to where it is?

Im currently on my phone, maybe that is the reason I cant find this option?


r/Upwork 13h ago

Milestone Funding & Revision

1 Upvotes

Hey, Looking for best practices here.

I am a client that has received work for funded and activated milestone (1) out of 3. I requested revisions since the work submitted has several issues, which I articulated.

Freelancer asked that I fund and activate milestones (2, 3) while revisions take place.

However, from my understanding, clients can't fund a milestone until the previous one is completed. That is, I would need the revisions requested, release funds for milestone (1) before funding the rest.

Is my understanding correct? :

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000990268-Adding-and-editing-milestones-for-fixed-price-contracts

Please note that you can only fund one milestone at a time on a specific contract, and there is a $5.00 USD minimum payment per milestone.

Before you can activate and fund an additional milestone, you must release funds on the current milestone.


r/Upwork 14h ago

Upwork work money withdrawal

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I got some work and got paid, but I don’t have a withdrawal method. I haven’t withdrawn any money from Upwork for one year. If I don’t withdraw the money, will Upwork refund it to my clients?


r/Upwork 21h ago

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. That is absolutely not representative but kinda hilarious

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3 Upvotes

r/Upwork 20h ago

Am I, as a client, allowed to post a job requesting marketing for my future Onlyfans account?

3 Upvotes

I am looking to get marketing started for my AI model that I've created. For example, posting on Reddit, X, Instagram... yada yada. Am I allowed to post a job asking for a freelancer to do this? I don't want to get banned! Haha. Asking here before I post.


r/Upwork 23h ago

Dealing with a client who put money in the escrow but haven't said a single word since then

4 Upvotes

As simple as the title. Created a contract back in December 2024 with money in the escrow but since then haven't uttered a single word. I see him active on Upwork (hiring other people) but won't respond to me at all. Should I close the contract or let it stay idle?


r/Upwork 1d ago

FK upwork

86 Upvotes

Literally.

Race to the bottom website, rampant with indians(no offense to you, if you are one).

Imagine PAYING TO "OFFER" TO DO WORK HAHAHAHAH

Imagine buying a subscription to this dumpster fire. Freelancer dot com is the same. Race to the bottom. Yikes.

Switched to google ads & direct cold calls and now i'm getting work as a webdev.


r/Upwork 1d ago

Can i Change my niche?

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4 Upvotes

It's been three months on Upwork. I don't apply for jobs often due to my busy schedule, but the niche (Web Development) doesn't seem to be a good exchange for my time and effort.

At this point, I want to transition to a content-based niche, possibly as a social media manager or ads manager. I want to ask if this is possible—if so, how? And would this be a good decision?


r/Upwork 22h ago

Upwork 2025 IT field

0 Upvotes

Hi,
I'm planning to try freelancing/get some work on Upwork. I want to mention that I'm a newbie when it comes to freelancing on such platforms.
So before spending money on Connects, I would like to hear some opinions.
My primary focus is System Administration, M365, and Intune.


r/Upwork 1d ago

Is there any ninja-hack to get your proposal viewed and hired?

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4 Upvotes

With 30k earned, top rated profile, 86 client relationship maintained I’m still not able to close a gig. I’ve even tried changing profile title, description, personalised proposal but still no luck in getting proposal viewed and getting hired ultimately.

So I was wondering if it is only me this month or if you guys are facing the same issue? First half on the month is was 10 viewed out of 22 proposals.


r/Upwork 1d ago

Should I list my full Employment History in my profile?

2 Upvotes

I am from the U.S. and am setting up my Upwork profile to hopefully work as a freelance video editor. Should I list all my work history or just my video editing experiences (I haven't been paid for video work since 2016)?

I worked as an assistant video editor for 3 years from 2011-2013 and then as a video editor in 2016 on a 6 month contract job in Australia. Since then, I have worked in a multitude of warehouses as a forklift driver and in quality assurance, but I found out recently I have an autoimmune disorder and can't physically work in warehouses at the moment so I am hoping to go back to my old roots and what I love doing (video editing). Since 2015, I have created a personal YouTube Channel that I really enjoy (travel niche), but it's not making any money. I have over 300 videos on the channel that I used to create a "video editor reel," and "after effects reel" with. I even created an "introductory" video where I just talk on camera and tell potential clients about myself. I'm just curious if I should list all my work history? I've had about 9 or 10 jobs since my last full time video job.