Check for equipment

[6dee5528]

I was recently asked to interview for a freelance Scrum Master opportunity with BCRC INC. They are asking for me to accept a check from them to purchase equipment. They also asked me to send a copy of my drivers license with my picture during the interview to ensure that I am who I am on Skype. I tried to submit a ticket on UpWork support but it takes 24-48 hours for a response which is horrible practice considering people are waiting for contract acceptance in minutes. I feel it is poor practice for UpWork to not provide customer support within the hour and it is poor practice that they don't have proper security measures in place to reduce scammers. This issue with accepting check payments for equipment and sending people to Skype for interviews that are written and not on camera is alarming. I was hoping that UpWork would provide some sort of protection for their freelancers but the more I hear about the freelancers getting scammed on UpWork it is making me more and more uncomfortable to offer my services on this platform. I am deeply saddened by the lack of support and the poor security in place for the freelancers. I cannot believe this is happening.

[PradeepH]

Hi Renee,

I am sorry to hear about your experience with this client and how you feel about our support. Please know that we have strict policies in place to prevent fraudulent activity, and we actively work to investigate and address any suspicious behavior.

Sending checks for equipment purchases and requesting personal information such as a driver's license during an interview are not typical practices on Upwork. These actions raise red flags and may indicate potential scams or fraudulent activity. We strongly advise against engaging in any transactions that seem suspicious or violate our Terms of Service. You can refer to this course for more tips on staying safe on Upwork and use the flag option found on each job post or message anytime you’d like to report a violation. We take all reports seriously and investigate each case thoroughly to ensure the safety of our community.

Regarding your experience with our customer support response time, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. All support requests are handled in the same manner they are received in the queue. While we strive to provide timely assistance to our users, sometimes it can take up to 24-48 hours for the team to review and respond to your request. Rest assured, we're continuously working to improve our support processes to better serve you. If you have any further questions or need assistance with anything else, please feel free to reach out. We're here to help!

- Pradeep

[dataextract]

Before accusing Upwork, did you go through how Upwork works? You are not supposed to contact anyone outside the platform, nor gives your contact details before the project been awarded officially in Upwork. All payments are through Upwork only. Both of these are the very basic rules in Upwork and you have violated it.

If you have gone through Upwork's ToS and how Upwork is functioning before start bidding in the platform, you might have reported that client as soon as he has asked you to contact in Skype.