How to Identify and Report Scams on Upwork

Upwork has many features to help you work safely, build your professional reputation, and protect your hard-earned income. These include escrow payments, hourly payment protection, in-app messaging, and ​​freelancer profiles that have undergone identity verification.

Unfortunately, there are bad actors who try to take advantage of internet users everywhere. We work around the clock to catch scammers on Upwork before they can target our customers, but scams are always evolving. As a result, some scams may slip through and make it to our users before we can catch them.

By remaining alert for suspicious activity and following these steps to report scams, you can help us keep everyone safe on Upwork.

Table of contents: Identifying and reporting scams on Upwork

Conducting business safely on Upwork

These three steps will help you stay safe when using the Upwork platform.

1. Never accept payment off the Upwork platform

When you send and receive payment through the Upwork platform, you’re protected by our Payment Protection program for eligible transactions. Upwork Payment Protection uses milestones, escrow accounts, and a desktop time tracker to ensure that talented professionals are paid for their hard work—and that clients are only billed for hours completed or projects delivered.

Requesting to move payment off the Upwork platform is a tactic frequently used by scammers. If you take payment off of the Upwork platform, we cannot offer payment protection or help to resolve any invoice disputes. To maintain payment protection, refuse offers or requests for payment through PayPal, Stripe, CashApp, cryptocurrency wallets, and other systems.

2. Communicate through Upwork Messages

Keep all communication with clients and independent professionals on the Upwork platform before starting a contract. (Keeping your communication on the platform after a contract is in place is a good idea, too!) This way, there’s a record of all of your communications and we can help resolve any issues. You can also flag suspicious messages for Upwork's Trust and Safety team to review.

Note that some Upwork Enterprise clients do request to communicate with or interview independent talent on Upwork via another platform. In this instance, moving communications off of the platform is allowed. Independent talent using the Upwork platform can verify that they are communicating with an Enterprise client by looking for this badge on job postings in Talent Marketplace:

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3. Never share your Upwork account with others

Don’t let anyone else access your Upwork account through the browser, desktop app, or mobile app. Additionally, never send your Upwork login credentials to anyone else via email or message. If an Upwork staff member gets in touch with you for any reason, they may ask you to confirm your account details but won’t ask for your account password. Similarly, we won’t ask you to send us money–or your bank account number–via email or message.

If you aren’t sure about the legitimacy of an email that claims to be from Upwork, reach out to our support team. And if you receive an Upwork message that you think is fraudulent, you can flag it for our review.

Protecting yourself online

In addition to the steps above, you can practice these 10 electronic security habits to help you stay safe when you’re using Upwork or any other website!

1. Use secure passwords that are hard to guess

Password managers like BitWarden, LastPass, and Dashlane make password security easy. These apps generate and save unique passwords for you, so you don’t have to worry about remembering a long string of numbers, letters, and symbols. You should also consider changing your passwords every 90 days.

2. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-Factor Authentication adds another layer of security to your passwords. When you turn 2FA on in your Upwork account, you’ll be prompted to verify that you’d like to log into an account each time you enter the password. You can choose to conduct verification by text message, an authenticator app like Google Authenticator, or our mobile app.

3. Log out of your accounts

Log out of your Upwork account (or any other online service that you’re using) when you’re done working. This is doubly important if you’re using a shared computer, such as in a library.

4. Never leave your computer unattended

When using a laptop or tablet in public, you’ll want to be sure to lock the device and take it with you when you get up and walk around.

5. Only connect to secure Wi-Fi networks

Public Wi-Fi networks, like those in hotels and coffee shops, can be either secured or unsecured.

• Secured networks require you to log in with a password
• Unsecured networks require no password or verification steps in order to access the WiFi connection

Unsecured networks open your device up to risk, as scammers may be able to access your device. Some scammers even set up fake Wi-Fi networks that appear to be legitimate hotspots. This allows the scammers to steal data that you send over the Wi-Fi connection. You may want to avoid connecting to unsecured networks.

6. Consider using a VPN if needed

When using any public Wi-Fi connection—even if it’s secured—you should consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like NordVPN or ProtonVPN. These services redirect your online activity through their secure servers and help prevent third parties from intercepting your data.

7. Secure your home Wi-Fi network

You can also safeguard your internet activity at home by securing your Wi-Fi network. This can include changing your router’s default network name to something unique, setting a strong Wi-Fi password, and installing a firewall on your system.

8. Install an antivirus program

Install an antivirus program on your computer—even Apple MacOS devices. Scammers are continually developing new virus and malware programs disguised as regular messages, ads, and files. If you accidentally open the virus or malware file on your computer, scammers could get control of your system.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on an antivirus program, either. If you have a Windows PC, your computer may already have Microsoft Defender installed. If not, or you use a different operating system, there are several free programs on the market including:

• Avira
• Bitdefender
• Avast
• AVG AntiVirus

9. Click carefully

In addition to installing and using an antivirus program on your computer, remember to never open links or download files if you cannot verify where they’re from. You’ll also only want to visit websites that load with a secure connection (the URL will begin with https://).

10. Regularly back up your computer

Make sure to regularly back up your computer data to a secure location. This can include an external hard drive as well as cloud services like Google Drive for Desktop or Apple iCloud. If you lose access to your device, you can re-download all of your important work on a new computer or tablet.

Together, all of these steps can help minimize your risk of malware and keep your personal data safe.

Identifying and avoiding Upwork scams

By familiarizing yourself with common online scams and markers of potential scam activity, you can help keep yourself safe on Upwork and other websites. A legitimate Upwork user should not:

• Ask you to start work before a contract is in place.
• Ask you to pay them upfront, before they begin work (placing funds in Upwork escrow for fixed-price projects is fine).
• Request that you receive money, buy gift cards, or send packages on their behalf.
• Require that you pay a fee in order to apply for a job.
• Ask for sensitive personal information such as your social security number, banking account numbers, or government ID. Upwork collects this information in order to verify your identity, pay you, and provide you with necessary financial and tax documents. There is no need for a potential client paying you through the Upwork platform to request this information.

You should flag these instances or contact Customer Support if any of this happens to you.

Known scams

Many of the following scams can occur not only on Upwork, but on any digital platform where there is an exchange of money, goods, or services. In fact, the FBI has identified an increase in scam activity across job boards and freelance platforms. Keep an eye out for these common scams when conducting business online:

• Phishing: Phishing is an attempt to gather personal information through fraudulent emails and messages that appear to be from a legitimate sender. Phishing can lead to identity theft, compromised accounts, and more. If a member of the Upwork team emails you directly, the message will come from an @upwork.com or @cloud.upwork.com email address.

• Promised reimbursement. This scam involves the other party asking you to purchase supplies for a project with the promise of paying you back—in excess. For example, they may ask you to buy $1,000 worth of goods and promise a $1,500 repayment. The scammer usually starts the process by asking you to send them a few hundred dollars to confirm your banking details. As soon as you do, they’ll cut off contact and you won’t get your money back.
• Check-cashing fraud. This one is similar to promised reimbursement, but involves the scammer seemingly paying you first. Let’s say you quote the scammer for a $500 project. They’ll say they are going to mail you a check for $800, and all you need to do is wire back the extra $300. Here’s the catch, though: the check is fake, or will bounce. It can take a day or two for this discovery to happen, whereas wire transfers are instant. When all is said and done, you’re out the $300 you wired the scammer, and you’ll never get any funds from their bad check. This scam is also a form of money laundering.
• Paid or leased account fraud: If someone offers to pay you money in exchange for the use of your Upwork profile, say no. This is not only against Upwork’s Terms of Service, but it can also be illegal. Furthermore, you can be responsible for any taxes owed or crimes committed through your account.
• Gift card fraud: Someone running a gift card scam may ask their victims to either purchase gift cards on their behalf, or share the number on the back of an existing gift card—ultimately taking the balance for themselves. Nobody should ask you to pay them in gift cards, or state that they will pay you with gift cards in lieu of an escrowed Upwork payment.
• Digital currency fraud: Fraudsters may ask you to purchase tokens or other virtual currency in a mobile or video game. Sometimes, this request will come as part of a “job description”—but remember, a legitimate client should never ask you to pay money in order to work with them. If a game developer needs help testing a product, they’ll give you the necessary access to conduct testing once a contract is in place.

Remember, scams are constantly evolving, and anyone can be targeted and fall victim—not just first-time Upwork users. Trust your gut. If you come across something that feels suspicious but isn’t on this list, take it seriously and follow the reporting steps in this guide.

Other red flags

Experienced scammers may be more subtle in their actions and harder to spot. If you see any of the red flags below, think twice about engaging in work with the client or freelancer on Upwork—these can all be signs of scam jobs or fraudulent users:

• Clients with many open jobs and no money spent
• Clients with unverified payment methods
• Messages from people purporting to be from a well-known company, with no verifiable information to back up their claims
• Messages asking you to join a social media group or subscribe to a YouTube channel in order to receive a contract
• Profiles using the name or picture of a famous celebrity or other public figure
• Job posts with suspiciously high budgets
• Requests for free work

To report a suspected scam, follow the instructions below.

Reporting scams on Upwork

When you see potentially suspicious activity on Upwork, look for a green flag icon with the words “Flag as inappropriate.”

You can find the suspicious activity flag in the following places:

• Freelancer profiles
• Freelancer portfolios
• Job postings
• Upwork Message Center

After clicking the flag, you’ll be directed to select a reason for reporting the content. The options presented will vary based on the type of content you’re reporting, and may include:

• Requests for or offers of payment outside of the Upwork platform
• Requests to purchase access to your Upwork account
• Suspected false or misrepresented identity
• Suspicious links in job posts
• Contact information in job posts, messages, or freelancer profiles and portfolios
• Copyright violations and suspected plagiarism
• Inappropriate content
• Threats and harassment
• Demands for five-star ratings

If you think something violates Upwork’s Terms of Service, such as a client or freelancer requesting to take work off the platform without going through the appropriate channels, you can contact Customer Support directly.

You’ll need to document the situation clearly and share any proof you have (such as screenshots of messages or a chat transcript) with the Customer Support team.

What happens when you report a scam on Upwork?

When you flag content for review, the Upwork team will receive a confidential report. We won’t let the person you flagged know that you reported them.

While our team may reach out to you via email for more information, we won’t be able to share the results of our confidential investigation. Regardless, you can be assured that the Upwork Trust and Safety team takes every flag seriously and will investigate the content you’ve reported.

What to do if you think your Upwork account was compromised by a scam

If you realize that you’ve engaged with a scam, suspect you’re the victim of a phishing attack, or that your Upwork account may be compromised, stolen, or hacked, you can take these steps to help:

1. Report suspicious activity on your account or loss of account access by contacting Upwork Support as soon as possible. Include your name, account email address, and an explanation of what you believe is happening.
   
   
2. Immediately change your Upwork account password and security question. Be advised that we may put a hold on your account when you report it as compromised. We do this to stop scammers from using your account while we investigate the matter. If Upwork has placed a hold on your account, you won’t be able to change the password until we release the account back to you.

How Upwork helps freelancers stop scams in 2024

By working on the Upwork platform, you can add several layers of scam protection to your everyday workflow—from secure messages and contract workrooms to escrowed payments and access to a dedicated Trust and Safety team.

Working to keep you safe, together

Many Upwork users conduct business on our platform without ever encountering a scammer or problem. Because scams are a known issue across all online platforms, though, you’ll want to remain diligent and let us know if you suspect something is amiss.

Always remember to:

• Practice good online safety habits
• Keep your computers, phones, and tablets safe
• Never pay or receive payment for Upwork projects off our platform
• Communicate through the Upwork platform
• Safeguard your Upwork account information
• Flag any suspected scams or suspicious activity
• Familiarize yourself with Upwork’s Terms of Use and Trust and Safety policies
• Let us know immediately if your account is compromised

Finally, remember that while you’re keeping an eye out for scams, so are we. Our Trust and Safety team is hard at work to keep bad actors off of the platform. Together, we can keep Upwork a safe place to conduct business online.