Newer freelancer here with a question

[afbab43f]

Why are there so many scammers on this freelance site - scam jobs which reappear over nad over again with new identies and new people's name - but the same old pdf scam or now they have changed to actually ask a few questions and then after you waste the time answering in depth withyour knowledge they then say "my <people> do not speak english <or whatever other language I offer - I speak 5 and write 7> and that they now need me to go offline to use something called ViaChat as they cannot use Upworks communications. I have repeatedly reported them and nothing happens, they pop back up again on this site with new jobs loads of new jobs that are NOT really there. AND they get very very rude when you tell them that you need to use Upwork's communications - they even call names at times. DOES NO ONE police this site or screen the scammers out?? I am getting fed up with wasting my money buying connects for zero results other than piles of scams. Sorry but I upset at this point - I joined here to off my skills as a freelancer and have spent more money on connects than I have ever received in jobs. 😞 Does anyone who works at Upwork read this forum? if so I welcome direct messages if you want to discuss.

[JoanneP]

Hi Chris,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and concerns. Our teams are working to address the situation around scam and spam jobs, including higher than usual volumes of scam posts, constantly changing methods of scam accounts, and gaps in user education around Upwork TOS and safety. Furthermore, we'd like to assure you that the feedback we receive is shared with the rest of the team; likewise, we will continue providing updates to the Community about the team's initiatives.

[the-right-writer]

Furthermore, we'd like to assure you that the feedback we receive is shared with the rest of the team;

Honestly, do you think anyone believes that copy-paste by any moderator?

As someone who has been on the platform and followed the forum for years before I posted, I have seen this tired, useless statement. While someone may have technically "shared it with the rest of the team" what does that mean? It sounds like someone sharing a meme. There is nothing implied or stated that anything will happen with the feedback, or it will be considered for change. In all the years I have watched the forum, I have never seen Upwork act in favor of the clients or freelancers.

If you asked important, relevant questions about the finances for your job, and you received copy-pasted messages that said nothing, I think you, too, would find it a slap in the face.

[2297e2bc]

Maybe VALID CLIENTS need to  TAKE A QUALIFICATION TESTor be able to link a real website or other verifiable information.

As a FL, I only have a name and 2 verification check boxes to go by, And they are even faked!

[elisa_b]

Upwork is perfectly aware of what is going on, has failed to implement even the simplest measures to fight scammers, and the copy-paste "higher than usual volumes of scam posts, constantly changing methods of scam accounts, and gaps in user education" explanation is the only reply you are going to get.

[feed_my_eyes]

I'm curious as to why you're encountering the pdf scam - aren't you a web dev? Why are you applying for typing jobs?

[afbab43f]

They send a pdf (I am not applying to typing jobs, only those in my engineering fields), which you then open (I assume it gets around Upworks initial monitoring as whatever automated process they have in place thinks it is a job description). The pdf will then do one of two things - 1). It directs you to a location on google documents where it then directs you to either the same old telegram account with more or less the same text each time OR 2). It directs you to a location on google documents and an editable pdf within which it asks a series of similar questions and the last question being "please enter your botcoin wallet acocunt as we have an arrangement with Upwork tobypass their payments ystem to pay you your salary directly".

I do apologize if what I wrote confused you Christine, this is not intended sometimes I write faster than I catch the ideas I am putting into written form. My students at Uni often call me out on this as I rattle off stuff on the boards. Sorry 🙂

[feed_my_eyes]

Wow, I had no idea - I thought that scammers focussed on data entry people, translators and content writers. I guess the pdf attachment thing is because Upwork cracked down on contact info in messages and job descriptions (a lot of newbies are even complaining that they were talking to a "client" who gave them contact info and was then blocked). 

A bit of unsolicited advice? Raise your hourly rate - $38/hour doesn't say "expert" to clients. Be extremely selective about the jobs that you apply to; if that means you only apply to 2-3 jobs per week, so be it. For someone with actual skills and experience, it's not a numbers game, despite what you may have heard. Also, get somebody to take a better profile photo of you - in colour and in good lighting conditions - in which you look more friendly and approachable. Your current photo looks like a mugshot. IMO, it's even worth paying a professional photographer to take some headshots of you. Finally, get rid of the AI-generated "blah blah blah, me me me" in your profile overview and write something that sounds more natural, conversational and client-focussed. (Nobody uses phrases like "meticulously pursued to augment my capabilities" in real life.) Don't write overly long proposals, either - get to the point as quickly as possible about why a client should hire you, or they won't bother reading further. Good luck.

[yofazza]

Haven't you read this thread? The 'bad program' is delivered through a Node app where people must be a programmer and have Node.js installed to run the app.

That's why I always disagree when people blame scam victims for 'lack of common sense'. Common sense are developed, and different among people. "The system" needs to protect the people, at least on common-repeated crimes, to prevent next victims. I'm not talking about Upwork of course.

[afbab43f]

LOL I like your categorization of the photo, it was the one I had digitally on hand, of all things the DMV Drivers lIcense one LOL