To ensure that freelancers are who they say they are, we have a video verification process for all new freelancers. This program aims to find and remove any “fraudsters”.
Who does this apply to?
- New freelancers (once they submit their first proposal)
- Existing freelancers (for certain job categories i.e. web dev/design)
How does it work?
Freelancers will receive an email inviting them to chat with an agent from our Video Verification (VV) Team stating that their account is on temporary hold until they do. The temporary hold (a suspension on their account) means they cannot submit any proposals or accept offers, but they can complete any work currently in progress and make withdrawals. In certain cases, if the freelancer doesn’t respond within a week, we’ll put a temporary hold on their ability to withdraw funds, as well.
Once on chat with a VV agent…
The VV agent will provide a video chat link so the FL can video chat with the agent and answer a few basic questions. The FL will show on video, the VV agent will not.
- If profile verified successfully - FL’s account is resumed
- If profile not verified successfully (3 possible outcomes) -
- FL’s account is perm suspended
- Account is sent to Payment Risk for fraud review
- Account is asked to ID verify
- If FL doesn’t respond to email within 7 days - FL’s account will receive an email reminder to verify the account. We also notify their CL that FL is unresponsive. At this point, we limit their withdrawal to incent them in completing the process
To ensure this is a VV situation, look for this in the CSS Notes -
[ACTION] Temporary suspension
[DEPARTMENT] Video Verification
[CAUSE] Fake Profile project
[NEXT STEP] Video verification is required. Advise user to contact us via the chat link provided in previous ZD ticket (if user cannot access camera, chat is still required)
This process full process goes through the Video Verification Team and not CS. However, there may be cases where users may reach out to CS directly. In these cases, please be sure to check the user's ZD account and double check that they received the email in the drop-down below. Direct users to the email and instruct them to follow the instructions provided in the email they received.
If user indicates they did not get a copy of the email, please resend the Video Verification email through ZD. In the VV ticket, agents can copy/paste original email to resend in the same ticket and resend.
Subject: Action Required: Please Verify Your Identity
Body:
We are reaching out because we need you to take a few minutes to verify your identity.
To do so, you will need to join us for a brief video call within the next week. During this call – which will take less than 10 minutes – we will ask you a few simple questions about information in your Upwork profile.
To complete the required video call, please click on the link below: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us?action=verify-profile
Please note: We have placed a temporary hold on your account until you successfully complete verification. During this hold, you will not be able to submit new proposals or edit your profile picture.
Video call tips:
- Please ensure that you are on a desktop device with a camera and microphone
- Please allow Upwork to access your camera and microphone during this call. You may disable this after the chat session
- This process works best with the Google Chrome web browser
Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Verifying the identities of our users is just one way we work to keep the Upwork marketplace secure. Should you have any questions, just let me know.
Regards,
Upwork Video Verification
“Submit proposal” page
“Edit photo” window
“Temporary Hold” status SMF
What’s involved in webcam verification? Is it an interview or assessment of skill? Clients asking: A freelancer tells me they’ve been interviewed by Upwork.
At times we’ll ask freelancers to verify the information on their profile by jumping on a video call with someone from our Video Verification Team. This measure aims to verify their identity and the accuracy of their profile and helps keep our marketplace safe and secure. And of course, when our team comes across freelancers who are misrepresenting themselves, we’ll close their accounts permanently.
The profile verification process is not an interview. It’s a brief, 5-minute video chat, where we’ll ask the freelancer a variety of questions all aimed at verifying the accuracy of their profile, not to assess their abilities or skills.
<Add the sentence below for clients>
The profile verification process does not replace the need for you to interview the freelancer yourself (preferably via video chat) to evaluate whether they’re a fit for your project.
Why are you doing this to freelancers? It seems unfair.
Thanks for contacting Upwork. Honestly, we wish this step was not needed. But unfortunately there are sometimes fraudulent profiles on Upwork and we want to better ensure our marketplace is a secure place for upstanding freelancers and clients to connect and work together. As a result, we are piloting a new program that asks new freelancers to verify their profile information during a brief video chat with an Upwork team member. While this specific program is geared toward freelancers, please know we do have multiple programs in place to screen and remove fraudulent client profiles as well.
I received an email from Upwork saying I needed to click a link and chat with an agent. Is this spam?
Thanks for contacting Upwork. This is not spam. We are currently piloting a new program where freelancers may be asked to verify their profile information. This is to help protect all our users and better ensure that Upwork is a trusted and safe environment for freelancers and clients to connect and collaborate. To verify your profile, simply follow the instructions in the email and one of our team members will be happy to assist you.
I can’t submit proposals! Help! (Agents should check if FL received request to Video Verify first via CSS Notes and then, if yes, use the following response)
Thanks for contacting Upwork. I’m happy to help. At this time, you cannot submit proposals because we need to verify your profile. In order to get you fully up and running on Upwork we just need to meet you via a quick video chat. During the call -- which should take less than three minutes -- one of our team members will verify your identity. Once that has been successfully completed, you’ll be able to submit proposals and accept any job offers. To be connected to a team member via chat, please click https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us?action=verify-profile During the chat, we will provide you with a link for the required video call.Upwork is now making it even harder to work! They’ve closed my account. Why?
Thanks for contacting Upwork. Unfortunately, some users sometimes have fraudulent profiles and as part of a new program to combat this problem, on occasion we need to verify the information a freelancer has included in their profile. During that process, we place a temporary hold on the account, which blocks the freelancer from submitting proposals and accepting any new contracts. Although we wish we did not have to take this precaution and inconvenience you, we know it’s important to all freelancers and clients that Upwork is a trusted and safe environment to collaborate. To verify your profile information, please follow the instructions in the email we sent to you and we will be able to quickly resolve the matter. Once we successfully verify your profile, your account will be fully restored within one business day.
Why are you doing this to freelancers? It seems unfair.
Thanks for contacting Upwork. Honestly, we wish this step was not needed. Unfortunately, there are sometimes fraudulent profiles on Upwork and we want to better ensure our marketplace is a secure place for upstanding freelancers and clients to connect and work together. As a result, we are piloting a new program that asks new freelancers to verify their profile information during a brief video chat with an Upwork team member. While this specific program is geared toward freelancers, please know we do have multiple programs in place to screen and remove fraudulent client profiles as well.