Formerly known as Elance-oDesk, Upwork has become one of the largest and most popular freelancing platforms in the world. With a 16% increase in revenue gain this year, approximately 12 million freelancers and about 5 million registered clients, Upwork does not seem to be slowing down.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort and can build a decent portfolio in terms of successful completion of projects with decent reviews, you can earn anywhere around $100-$150 per day. That’s a decent $3000 minimum pay per month considering you have kept Upwork as a side hustle.
If you plan to make Upwork a full-time gig then you stand to earn much more than this. The amount you earn is limitless. Over time and with a good hourly rate, you’ll be making thousands. This will take time and effort. To
succeed in freelancing on such platforms you always need to depend on the snowball effect.
The first couple of projects will be the hardest to get, but once you power through those with honesty and a good work ethic, you will find projects flowing into your queue in no time. With all that said, freelancing on Upwork does come with its risks. Here are few of the different Upwork scams and how you can avoid it.
Requesting to work off-site
This has become one of the most common ways freelancers get scammed on Upwork. If you’ve gone through the handbook for freelancers on the site (which you should’ve), then you know that operating outside the site does not fall in the site’s code of conduct. All work on Upwork has to be done on Upwork and nowhere else.
Most often, this scam works because freelancers get enticed by fancy rates that these “clients” supposedly offer if you agree to work with them outside Upwork. What freelancers do not understand is that these clients are not accountable to anyone outside the site. You stand a risk to get scammed and get paid nothing for all your hard work.
How to solve this?
Follow the handbook rules. Stay within the site for all work received through Upwork. Do NOT go off-site or you risk getting scammed and Upwork can do nothing about it.
Asking for some fee to begin working
Off the back, you might think that this a scam that clients face but surprisingly this is something that freelancers also face. Some clients will request a small fee before they let you begin working on their project. This goes against the website’s rules and regulations and could be a possible scam.
The only money involved is what is listed on the site which is either the amount the project will cost or your hourly rate as a freelancer. If any other cash is requested via chat, this hints to a possible scam so stay away.
How to solve this?
Just say “NO”. If they demand money from you, there is a high chance that this is a scam. Reject the offer and report such clients so that they can deal with them.
Asking for free work
In some instances, clients will ask for a “sample” article to “prove” your writing potential. Although this sounds legitimate, it isn’t. Upwork has stated that there is no concept of free work here whether it is an actual
job or a simple sample. Any work done has to be remunerated. Clients asking for free samples fall under scammers so stay away from such parties.
How to solve this?
Browse through this client’s open jobs, proposals and reviews and make a decision. If it looks fishy, it’s probably a scam. Let your instinct guide you but always remember that free samples are not part of Upwork and their structure.
Asking to share accounts
Yes, the initial days of being a freelancer on sites like this will be nothing short of a struggle. With many rejections and failed attempts at getting that one project to get the ball rolling, you will be desperate. Freelancers in this state usually tend to get scammed by sudden invitations to share accounts so that they can work with you and split the earnings (50-50 or sometimes even 70-30 ).
This might sound downright convenient. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s a scam! The risks involved in sharing your account is endless. Changing your password, withdrawing the existing earnings, hijacking and asking for money to give the account back are just a few of these.
How to solve this?
The answer is not rocket science. Under no circumstances should you ever share your account with anyone. Shortcuts will lead to nothing and cost you everything. The simplest way to prevent this is to reject such “helpful” suggestions.
As a client on Upwork, you face scams too. Some of the possible scams are:
Getting plagiarized material
A very simple scam that clients fall into is receiving material that you think is original only to find out later that it is plagiarized. With over 12 million registered freelancers there is a chance that quite a few are scammers looking to make some easy money with copy-paste material.
How to solve this?
Nowadays, tools like Copyscape help clients ensure that the material they receive is 100% genuine. Run the material you receive through this and if it fails, you can easily reject the client and keep the money. There is no point in doing this after a week after completion of the transaction. Do it as soon as you receive the material. (Grammarly is another tool that can help check for grammatical errors along with plagiarism)
Requesting off-site communication and payment
This should be a red flag that your freelancer is possibly trying to scam you. The handbook clearly states that no communication or payment should occur outside its channel. If you do so, you risk getting scammed.
How to solve this?
Just say “NO”. Accept no communication outside Upwork. It ensures accountability, proof and reduces the risk of getting scammed.
Conclusion
Whether you are a freelancer or a client, Upwork is a perfect place for you. With that being said, if you choose to ignore signs of such scams and indulge in activities that might sound like a jackpot, you have a high chance of getting scammed. Stick to their guidelines, adhere to the tips provided here and you stand to gain both as a client and as a freelancer on Upwork.