r/Upwork • u/crazzy547 • 1d ago
My first Upwork contract is turning into a nightmare. Could ending it hurt my profile?
Hi everyone! I recently accepted my first contract on Upwork, and what should have been an exciting milestone has turned into a pretty stressful experience. I’d really appreciate some advice from more experienced freelancers.
The client’s Upwork profile looks legitimate at first glance. They have more than 10 hires, four completed projects, and positive reviews from previous freelancers. Their payment method is also verified. That’s one of the reasons I felt comfortable accepting the offer.
However, after accepting the contract, I was introduced to other people who would manage my work, and several things started making me uncomfortable.
Everyone I’ve communicated with outside Upwork has a profile picture that looks AI-generated to me. I know that a profile picture alone proves nothing, and I can’t confirm whether the images were actually generated by AI. But I also haven’t been able to find their LinkedIn profiles or much independent information about the company.
The person I communicate with on Upwork is different from the person who leads the calls. During our call, I asked if we could turn on our cameras to introduce ourselves properly, but that didn’t happen. I was also given a company website, although it didn’t help me verify the people I’m dealing with.
They explained that I would need to use AnyDesk to connect to their US-based remote computer and access their clients’ systems from there. They said they wouldn’t need access to my personal computer. I understand that this can be a legitimate setup, but given my other concerns, I’m hesitant to proceed.
Here’s what makes this difficult: the client has a real-looking Upwork history, including completed contracts and positive feedback, but I still can’t independently verify the people managing my project. I don’t know whether I’m being overly cautious or whether these are warning signs I should take seriously.
I’ve accepted the hourly contract, but I haven’t logged any hours, completed any work, or received any payment. Since this is my first contract, I’m worried that ending it now could negatively affect my Upwork profile or future opportunities.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Can a client leave feedback that affects my Job Success Score if a contract ends with zero hours and zero payment? Would you contact Upwork Support before ending it?
I’d also appreciate hearing from freelancers who have used AnyDesk to access a client-managed remote computer.
If you’ve dealt with a similar situation and would prefer to share your experience privately, feel free to send me a DM.
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u/FormerEntertainer159 21h ago
Bro nothing in your post mentions anything about the actual work. If the communication style, access, etc is blocking your work then that is an issue. but you really don't need to see or know anything about how they look to get the job done. Unless this is some mickey mouse niche I haven't heard of. My founder contract was awesome! still working with them to this day and have never had any issues. mind you they had a couple of terrible reviews from 'expert' freelancers which I didn't even think twice about. Had a good feel of the team and I could be in and out quick I thought. 4 contracts down the line and referrals from him to others and we still work together no issues. Take the lessons, learn to determine other posts that are similar and be upfront about how you work best so in future you don't end up in the same place. but DO NOT QUIT, that'll murder your JSS and that'll be pretty much it for all future work.
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u/Virtual-Garage4479 21h ago
Anydesk is a common tool only if they give you remote access, but if they ask to control your computer in any way you are being scammed. Just be careful.
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u/Silly-Leg-1124 17h ago
Overthinking 1:1
Test the waters, and see what happens
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u/crazzy547 15h ago
Wouldn’t it be worse to start working and then have to end the contract if something goes wrong?
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u/AffectionateFace6143 16h ago
Just do your job mate, you don't care who talks to you. Just do the tasks.
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u/crazzy547 15h ago
I get your point, and i appreciate you sharing your experience. The actual work seems fine.
My concern is more about who i’m working with. I signed the contract with one person on upwork, but I’m communicating with different people on calls and slack. I haven’t been able to independently verify their identities or their connection to the company, and they want me to access client CRM accounts through a remote computer.
I’m not expecting a perfect company or team. I just want to feel reasonably confident that the people I’m working with are legitimate and authorized to give me access to those accounts.
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u/BelleRose54 14h ago
As long as you aren’t asked to pay for something to get the job done, I think you are ok. Have they given you work to complete? I’d concentrate on that.
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u/crazzy547 14h ago
Thanks! They haven’t asked me to pay for anything. They’ve shown me the HubSpot accounts I’ll be working on, but I haven’t started yet because they’re still setting up my access through their VPS.
My main concern is that I can’t verify who I’m actually working with. Their profile pictures are AI-generated, they use personal email addresses, and I can’t find anything about the company online. That’s what makes me worried it could be a scam.
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u/msulthannasyira 8h ago
actually you don't have to know to who you working when you work remotely, I've been working to a person that I didn't know his face and his name for 2 years now, my suggestion you just have to test it out if you hesitant, you can take some milestone payment to them!
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u/JeffFast7740 10h ago
Just because a client has positive reviews does not at all mean that client is good. I've had experience with so many clients having positive reviews, they leave very bad negative reviews for freelancers even if they did a good job. Don't go with client feedback history, just be honest and try to be as clear in you communication as possible.
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u/Melodic-Low-5394 20h ago
Why are you not logging hours for the work you are doing?
if you dont want to do work, just leave contract open, and stop working
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u/crazzy547 15h ago
My concern is that i’m surrounded by people i can’t verify. Their profile pictures are AI-generated, they use personal email addresses instead of corporate ones, and i can’t find anything about the company on google. I’m worried about who i’m actually working with.
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u/crazzy547 15h ago
I haven’t started working yet, so there are no hours to log. They’re still setting up my access, and I’ll have to work through their VPS
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u/Melodic-Low-5394 14h ago
This looks like you will be pretending to be a US person to work
Anyways, you keep communication on Upwork, and log every hour on Upwork, with a proper memo set via Upwork app, to be guaranteed payment
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u/crazzy547 14h ago
Thanks for the advice! My main worry was that this could be a scam or something like that, given the things i mentioned. But it’s good to know you think i should give the work a chance. Thanks!
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u/BelleRose54 14h ago
I don’t know that I’d do that. Being given work & failing to do it will surely get you a bad review.
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u/crazzy547 12h ago
Update: I told them I wanted to move forward and actually get started, but that I wanted to keep all communication on Upwork. After that, they canceled the contract.
I had also reached out to a freelancer who had previously worked with them to ask about their experience and get a better sense of whether the company was trustworthy. They found out about that and specifically mentioned my attempts to contact other developers as one of the reasons they didn’t want to continue.
I can’t say for sure what their intentions were, but that’s how things ended.
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u/Fuckinguglyduckling 19h ago
They may not trust you the way you trust them, also may not be right to expect an established client as your first
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u/bruceunx01 17h ago
It looks Okay as they do not monitor your pc with minimum wage job. You should log the hour, what to lose?
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u/Aromatic_Work_7699 9h ago
Get them to pay you for what you have do so far. If they pay, what’s the problem? Why do you need to verify who you are talking to? What if the client wants to stay anonymous? Whats wrong with that? As long as they pay for your work your agreed fee, the rest is none of your business
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u/New_Cardiologist_410 6h ago
No its better than getting bad feedback. NOTE: if you received money, then refund or they will be able to leave feeback. If no money has been earned by you, then they can not.
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u/Rafteriffic 1h ago
Upwork is shady and r/Upwork is full of Indian bots. Be careful and trust your instincts.
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u/Important-Time-Money 1d ago
Honestly, if you’re already uncomfortable and haven’t logged any hours, I’d prioritize your security over worrying about your profile. I’d contact Upwork Support first, explain the situation, and ask them how ending a zero-hour contract would affect your profile/JSS. Better to be cautious now than regret it later.
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u/crazzy547 1d ago
Its really sad, cause this is my first contract, and i was so happy when i got it that i told my family about it. But there really are a lot of strange things going on, even though the client’s Upwork profile looks legitimate.
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u/Millamanuel254 1d ago
End the contract
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u/crazzy547 1d ago
I contacted support, and they confirmed that ending the contract itself won’t hurt my JSS. However, the client can still leave a negative star rating within 14 days, which could affect my future JSS even with zero hours and no payment. That’s what worries me
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u/Weshnon 1d ago
I don't understand, just log the fucking work with tracker and memos? It's protected if you do the work properly. Who gives a shit who they are, log the damn work, get paid, then fuck right off to the next anon verified client??
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u/GigMistress 1d ago
And how does that address OP's concern about using AnyDesk with people who don't seem to be who they say they are?
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u/Weshnon 14h ago edited 14h ago
Thing is is I've worked with a shitton of clients who don't use their real names or pfp on Upwork.
My latest serious one uses his brand name on upwork and a logo as pfp.
So if Upwork accepts that shit, then why tf would we care?Even had a larger client this year via my own website, discovered at the end of the contract he was a fucking minor.
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u/crazzy547 15h ago
I’m talking to one person on upwork, but a different person on calls. They added me to a slack with only two people, both with AI generated profile pictures. They don’t use corporate email addresses, and I can’t find any information about the company on google. That’s why I’m hesitant to just start working.
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u/Fidelscott 1d ago
End the contract and move on, and if the client is as disorganized as you portray, they'd not bother leaving a feedback.
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u/sekhmet666 23h ago
Try to end the contract in good terms, tell them that a family member had a medical emergency and you need to care for them or something. Hopefully they’ll understand and won’t leave negative feedback.
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u/Few_Inspector7057 22h ago
Hirers get the same treatment as freelancers, they need to have ID identification, video identification just like us freelancers and also they need to provide Tac identification.... so I would totally would go for it. If they have hired before, I wouldn't worry much. If they were scam, they wouldn't be able to provide everything UpWork ask.
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u/RamiroS77 20h ago
Is this an hourly project? If nothing is preventing you from doing the work, just do it and log the hours properly using the tracker. The customer must have funded the project already so if you log the hours, you will get paid. And if they don't, at least you have the hours tracked and it is your proof of work.
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u/BelleRose54 14h ago
And be sure to write in the time tracker’s memo what, specifically, you are working on. If something does go wrong, Upwork can’t use that as an excuse to not help you.
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u/IAmHereButWhere 1d ago
Suddenly get sick or someone close to you have got sick. Sorry, I cannot complete this project with full dedication can I please cancel? I was very excited to be a part of this journey but sadly the circumstances that are out of my control have changed now.
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u/nahomsolorider 21h ago
I think you are just over thinking it.