Seeking Freelancers Who've Been Scammed

We're producing a documentary-style video about scams that target freelancers, including one pattern where a client continually extracts real, unpaid work with little recourse for the freelancer. We want to hear from people who've experienced this firsthand. This is a paid engagement: selected participants receive US$100 for a short video interview, contracted and paid through Upwork. If you'd prefer to stay anonymous, we can conceal your identity — voice and/or face hidden, no real name used. To help us understand your story, please share: (1) what happened, (2) roughly when, (3) how the work and payment were handled, (4) what steps you took to resolve it and the outcome, and (5) whether you have any screenshots or records. The interview is a brief video call at a time that works for you. Even if you're not interested in being interviewed, we'd still like to hear your experience.