Possible Scam: Live Chat Representative for **Edited**

[05142ebf]

I'm new to Upwork and one role I've applied for is Live Chat Representative for **Edited for Community Guidelines**. I got a message requesting I start onboarding and do background check supposedly through ID.me and to email HR separately from **Edited for Community Guidelines** I replied and said I was unsure about engaging off the platform. She replied this was their usual process.

I emailed them and was asked for my phone number to have HR send me a text to proceed. This seemed odd so I did a little research. Their email domain goes to a site newly setup -- **Edited for Community Guidelines**-- and it appears similar to **Edited for Community Guidelines**but is not. The client's job description shows it as being in Hospitality. 

Anyone else had contact with them for this or any other role?

[the-right-writer]

As soon as anyone wants you outside of Upwork, before an Upwork contract is in place, it's a scam. When you saw they wanted you to communicate with email and HR, you should have explained the Terms of Service and offered to help them draw up a contract. If they refuse or suddenly cut communication, report to Upwork, and move on.

Because you don't know or aren't following the Terms of Service, not only will you be scammed, but you can lose your Upwork account permanently. Before you even look at jobs, you need to learn the rules or else you will only be scammed. You don't need to research; you need to follow the rules. Scammers often use real names and business - it's a scam, after all.

If you want to freelance, you need to start at the beginning. Stop looking for jobs because you are completely unprepared. Your profile is private, but I know what's there, and you have a lot of work to do. Read this post, follow ever single link, and learn.

[05142ebf]

I am actually an experienced freelancer, just new to this platform, looking for side gigs outside of what I usually do professionally and seeing if this platform is a fit for me. I don't really need a lecture or a dressing down about a legitimate question, being new to this process. I didn't respond after it was clear to me this was most likely a scam -- after having told them about going through AnyHire here, etc. Thanks for the response, but again, no talking down lecture is necessary, at least not for me.

[53165500]

Dont mind Jeanne she is like that with each and every post. I did one where I wanted to warn people here about a scam from a different site and she dressed me down when I even said it was on a different site in my post and wanted to warn. 

Thank you for warning us about it.  I think Upwork might want to check job posts for if they are violation of TOS in the description. And have a strike out policy I mean I see so many posts asking for Amazon accounts needed to me thats a red flag that you will need to buy and leave a review on Amazon.

[the-right-writer]

If you want to avoid scams and find your first job, the Academy has wonderful resources. Oh, I suggested that before. It defies logic that people will not take steps to do what is necessary to freelance, but blame others. As before,

"Proof reader editor with experience only from high school friends" will only find scams.

Since you are happy with your profile and "success" then you don't need to take anyone's advice, including the Upwork resources I gave you. To each his or her own.

[19c6ff7e]

"Proof reader editor with experience only from high school friends" will only find scams.

Maybe Darcys friends are George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, John Green etc etc and like most of us dont like to drop names?

@ Jeanne H Do you work for Upwork? And thanks for the interaction I got a new Badge😀

[the-right-writer]

"Proof reader editor with experience only from high school friends" will only find scams.

"Maybe Darcys friends are George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, John Green etc etc and like most of us dont like to drop names?"

That's not going to get any legitimate jobs for the posting freelancer, only more scams.

"@ Jeanne H Do you work for Upwork?"

You obviously haven't read many of my posts!

I am living on my private island, sipping a frosty drink with a little tiny umbrella on my exclusive beach. The last time someone accused me of working for Upwork, they said I received the connects.

*takes another sip*

Ahhhh, perfection!

You are welcome, for the participation badge. It's good to know what you value. 🙂

[the-right-writer]

It's up to you if you learn about how to use a site safely, when, as you said, you are brand new. I gave you valid information, because you are new, and obviously, participated in a scam. I put the information and rules out there. No, I see no reason to "warn" people because this is a common, typical scam, that would have been avoided entirely by following the Upwork Terms of Service. It's your choice to be scammed or follow the rules.

[19c6ff7e]

This seems to be getting serious,😀 .

One thing I would like to point out is. We seem to be continually getting a lot of "expert" advice in our feeds from people who have been on upwork for more than 8-9 years and in that time  @  "20K earnings" dosent seem like the type of succsessful freelancer to actually take advice from.  Maybe it just a part time thing for them but lot of us have different circumstances and are here to earn a living!!! I would much rather hear advice from a freelancer that is earning a 6 figure income from upwork.

[the-right-writer]

So, the rules will be followed by those breaking them constantly, if someone with a million dollars in their Upwork account tells you to do so?

What makes you think most of the freelancers work here exclusively? Most freelancers use the platform to make extra income, not their only income. I'm not going to post my taxes to try to impress people I don't care about impressing.

The rules and policies don't change. Freelancers need to follow the Terms and there will be very few scams.

[19c6ff7e]

"Maybe it just a part time thing for them but lot of us have different circumstances and are here to earn a living"

"What makes you think most of the freelancers work here exclusively? "

I dont think that and its pretty clear from my statement! (Obviously I needed an "a" after but) Weird how the spell check is not available in chat) 

[19c6ff7e]

I would assume that someone with a million dollars in their upwork account /earnings is sticking to the Upwork rules. If thats true what you say then Upwork is really failing  at every turn.

[the-right-writer]

From the freelancer with a private, hidden profile.

[19c6ff7e]

Hi Jeanne, Thanks for pointing that out. Its very odd as I cancelled my Plus account last month so it should be visible to all. The settings before were only Upwork users could view it anyway!!

Maybe there is a glitch in the matrix? Probably explains why I dont get many jobs.

If theres anyone reading this could you please view my profile as when I look at it as others would see it its visable.

[the-right-writer]

Nope. You are still set to private. Of course, you might want to ask a freelancer who has made millions on this platform, since I am not to be trusted.:)

[19c6ff7e]

Thanks for checking again, Im only set to private for users who dont have an upwork account, I know we are logged into the community but it looks like it treats it as outside request even though its from a part of the upwork platform. Ive checked with user's on upwork and clients and they can all see me fine so thats good news. Its like when I come to the community from the email link and I have have to sign in again even though Im logged in already to my account.

[the-right-writer]

I found you easily in the talent search from my search page. It's strange that freelancers would show their profile as private from the forum.

[rekasesh]

Steve, I am one of your part-time freelancers who gives "expert advice" as you call it.

In all my time on Elance and Upwork forums, I have only seen 7-8 six-figure freelancers who bother to offer advice.

Two are known for their snarky and sarcastic comments that would cut through your heart like a knife dipped in acid. One makes a rare appearance doling out advice that may not work for others not in his niche or sharing his skill sets or experience.

One gives passable advice on profiles. One is helpful at times although he loves AI a little too much for my comfort ( understandable as he makes his millions from that).

The remaining three jumped ship last year when Upwork become scam infested and lost its value in their eyes.

The rest of your six or seven figure freelancers have no time or inclination to preside over the humble forum court.

They are busy earning their green bills or enjoying the lifestyle it affords them.

A couple of them land up now and then to complain about or mourn Upwork's sad state of affairs.

It's left to minions like me and others to comment and offer suggestions based on our experiences and knowledge of how this platform worked and works. There is one other minion living in a war zone (Ukraine) and being helpful and generous with his time to people living carefree lives. Maybe, he should prioritise  his safety instead of trying to protect someone's future income.

Sad to say; after 3 months of advising newcomers to avoid scams including a link to a long and detailed blog post by a thoughtful, non-millionaire freelancer on scoping out scams before you fall prey to them, our advice is often ignored.

There is a lady, I tried to help twice, who is back on the forum complaining about the third client who scammed her. Sometimes, it falls on deaf ears as greedy trumps over logic. The siren call of $1400 for one day's work of simple data entry or copy paste is too much to resist.

We get jaded and some sound rude while others try to be diplomatic. It's hard to be patient and positive after seeing the same thing played out over the past two years. 

A simple search for telegram, contact, and  email scams will tell you that most people don't pay attention to rules, don't even read them, and are happily willing to break them. Well, until their actions affect their bank balance.

Unlike me who tries to be diplomatic, Jeanne is the kind of person who is blunt.

Some of the people joining the platform don't have the skills to work in a competitive environment, forget freelancing. While her comments to them may seem hurtful, she is trying to prepare them for the eventual pain and disappointment they will experience.

That's my two cents or three for inflation as someone else said.

 Maybe I should take a leaf out of the workbook of your six figure folk, stop wasting my time on the forum, and focus on more billable hours or curling up with a good book.

[the-right-writer]

There is a lady, I tried to help twice, who is back on the forum complaining about the third client who scammed her. Sometimes, it falls on deaf ears as greedy trumps over logic. The siren call of $1400 for one day's work of simple data entry or copy paste is too much to resist.

I was working with freelancers long before I posted to the forum. Before Upwork let everyone in policy, the majority actually listened, and wanted to do their best. Since the change, most want jobs, money, more jobs, free help - as in what's a freelancer and how do I make millions. Or as with you, you work with them, and they do nothing, then whine louder.

Maybe I should take a leaf out of the workbook of your six figure folk, stop wasting my time on the forum, and focus on more billable hours or curling up with a good book.

If you were that sort of person, you wouldn't be in the forum helping and not being paid.

[yofazza]

---

 wrote:

lot of us have different circumstances and are here to earn a living!!!

Don't do that. Don't depend on 3rd parties. Ask the Russians, or, right now you can ask almost everyone in here 😂

I've been here for even more than 8-9 years, with earnings even a lot less than $20k, thank you, but Upwork is not that great. You may ask people around you, how many of them knows about Upwork.

--

And btw, it's all Upwork's fault. They don't care about spam and scams (which is understandable/logical to me), so people post complains every day.

And then, people who read the complains getting more than bored, and lose their temper 😁  Jeanne is nicer than them.

[19c6ff7e]

This seems to be getting serious,

 .

One thing I would like to point out is. We seem to be continually getting a lot of "expert" advice in our feeds from people who have been on upwork for more than 8-9 years and in that time  @  "20K earnings" dosent seem like the type of succsessful freelancer to actually take advice from.  Maybe it just a part time thing for them but lot of us have different circumstances and are here to earn a living!!! I would much rather hear advice from a freelancer that is earning a 6 figure income from upwork.

[pudingstudio]

---

 wrote:

This seems to be getting serious,

 .

One thing I would like to point out is. We seem to be continually getting a lot of "expert" advice in our feeds from people who have been on upwork for more than 8-9 years and in that time  @  "20K earnings" dosent seem like the type of succsessful freelancer to actually take advice from.  Maybe it just a part time thing for them but lot of us have different circumstances and are here to earn a living!!! I would much rather hear advice from a freelancer that is earning a 6 figure income from upwork.

---

We're getting advice from peers from this community. Some are more experienced, some have impressive amount of earnings. Some aren't, some don't.
We all share advices and thoughts.

On upwork.com you can post a job asking for "an advice from a freelancer which has earned enough moneyz".

[19c6ff7e]

Understand totally but Anthony realised it was a scam from the offset, So was actually trying to let us know and to be aware of this, not expecting a response like that... well you can see the result.

[pudingstudio]

---

 wrote:

Understand totally but Anthony realised it was a scam from the offset, So was actually trying to let us know and to be aware of this, not expecting a response like that... well you can see the result.

---

I'm often snotty in my responses to topics like these ones ("Is this a scam"/"watch out for this scam"; whereas freelancer is going against TOS, meaning they should have known better).

Luckily, there are people like Jeanne H, who is one of the few truly helpful people here, to give valued thoughts.

[hampton_krystal]

Hey Anthony, 

I was also contacted by **Edited for community guidelines**about the position. I also saw this thread and reviewed the Terms of Service from Upwork. You CAN email outside of upwork for background purposes. Here's the link to the terms of service: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051749534-Keeping-your-contact-information-safe

This is what is accurate. 

Now the actual poster themselves and the offer is fraudulent. I have gone on **Edited for community guidelines** official website and have reached out to their recruitment process as they are aware of the fraudulent activity regarding their name. 

[53165500]

No my friends are not George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, or John Greene. At least I dont think Mr. Martin knows who I am I would have to ask a different friend if that is one of her brothers who I have never met.  I didn't drop the names of my friends because I have not yet reached out to them to ask them for permission.  Jeanne H.  the testamonials should be newer than 21 years ago right? thats the last time I was able to proofread for them. 

I  am trying to work on tweaking my profile but trying to find ways to make my skills marketable is not really helping. I also know not having much in my work history isnt really helping either but some of the jobs I have had the places are no longer in business so no way to look them up.  

Scams can happen no matter what a profile looks like.  When I said not to worry about your post I didnt mean it as in ignore I meant not to take the way your post can come across. It sometimes seems like you are angry when your putting your message down and not wanting to really explain what is wrong. I have a hard enough time transcribing my own words from my head to paper (or this case to computer). I literally have to whisper/speak outloud has I type to make sure my words that I want are getting written the way I want them to be.  It's why I am not a author even though I do have stories I could write. I can't make my own stories flow or sound not flat. It's how my brain is wired, So while I do might not have the best profile out there I just don't know how to make it sound better.  Even now that I changed it seeing other's profiles it still doesnt seem quite right.

[wobits]

"So while I do might not have the best profile out there I just don't know how to make it sound better. Even now that I changed it seeing other's profiles it still doesnt seem quite right."

Might sound a bit arrogant, but I think I know at least a bit about how to make it sound better.

First of all, you should not only work on your profile, but on your self-esteem as well.

With almost every sentence of your profile you show me (and, worse, potential clients), that you are not very confident about what you did or currently do or what you are trying to do:

The very first sentence is pure proof for this:

"I only have proofreading experience from high school. "

You do not just "only" have proofreading experience from "high-school".

You have proof reading experience. Period.

Do not give possible clients the impression that your work is of little value just because you did it "only" during "high-school" time. This will signal them that you do not trust in yourself. And how should they trust in you (and spend their money for your work) if you do not trust in yourself?

To mention that you are a self-taught knitter is a good idea, because it shows your possible clients that you are a person who is able to explore new fields successfully, and, that this probably holds for your actual profession, proofreading, as well. But, in the same sentence, you talk about the techniques you might not be good in.

DON'T DO THAT!

Tell them about the techniques you MASTER, not about those where your skills are weak.

And, with regard to your previous jobs: Just mention that you worked in sales. I would not emphasize the fact that you did work which is, whithout doubt, indispensible, but, unfortunately, accompanied by low payment. It is not about lying, it is about omitting things nobody is really interested in. 😉

Instead, mention that you have an academic education in the field of veterinary techniques and "other" (whatever that specifically means).

And, hurry up, get the testimonials from your friends and present them, but do not call them friends. They were your clients (they just did not pay you, I guess :->>). Just that. And forget about the age of the work. If it was quality work then, it would be quality work now.

And, last not least, as a reference to my intro with regard to self-esteem:

Increase your hourly rate. Eight dollars would be o.k. if you would live in India or a similar country. I have checked profiles of your competitors in the states. A minority offers their service for less than 20 bucks, so increase it accordingly (unless you think and want to show that is not worth $20). It is not relevant whether you are a relative newbie or not, but only what YOU honestly think your service is worth. And I cannot imagine that it is so little. 😉

In the hope that you are not offended by my honesty, and that my (unasked) advice is helpful I sent you greetings from Germany at night, which is drowning in chaos. 😉

Best

Wolfgang

[53165500]

Danke for your response.  I will attempt to work on my profile to make it better.  

[fb4d8398]

I applied for a data entry job and literally the same thing just happened to me. The website was only one month old and it seemed odd so I did not put in any personal information. I just hope others don't fall for it because it is definitely a scam to get your identity.