[ethbr0]

The hierarchy of information and scale here, from most to least, seems to obviously be: banks, Upwork, freelancer.

Or, to put it another way, requiring the freelancer to pay this begs the question: "What could the freelancer have done to avoid this?"

To which the only answer is: everything Upwork is abstracting away and doesn't want their freelancers doing. Do a background check on the client. Obtain the client's actual payment methods and verify them with the bank. Etc.

All of which are literally Upwork's functions in this arrangement, because like PayPal, they exist to centralize and decrease friction between two semi-trusting parties.

And when that goes bad, it's bullshit for them to transfer the consequences of that onto someone who lacked the access to detect or fix it in the first place, by Upwork's design!

It'd be like Uber requiring a passenger to pay an insurance claim, because their driver was involved in an accident and didn't have auto insurance.

[freemint]

Crypto transactions are not irreversible either. The law of the land can still force you to send money back.

[tlogan]

> What could the freelancer have done to avoid this?

If contractors' time is tracked using Upwork tool then this problem will not exist.

[ethbr0]

Per the article, that would have required him opening a laptop during their meeting and twiddling the mouse around to prevent idle.

Legally, that may impact.

But practically and provably? I can't imagine he wouldn't be in the same situation, albeit with Upwork claiming they'd detected patterns of abuse during his claimed time, and still putting this on him. Or maybe not. Futures not taken, etc.

[CRConrad]

> If contractors' time is tracked using Upwork tool then this problem will not exist.

But that's for countering the opposite problem -- when the contractor tries to scam the client. Here, the client is the scammer.

And didn't TFA say that Upwork tried this tack at first -- but stopped that line of argument after he provided testimonials from the client that he had indeed performed the work?

[tlogan]

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062568

[CRConrad]

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