I would recommend Upwork to create an algorythm to calculate the usual price for every job type and mark much higher rates red, if they are above market level.
Since typing jobs are a frequent scam, I would recommend making it harder to post such jobs.
A way to do this would be to make clients input the amount of words/pages / video hours to be transcribed, and a budget, so that an algorythm can be put in place to analyze the price and compare it with the usual price level.
If the level is above average, it should be marked red for the Freelancer, with a hint popping up, containing a link on how to filter out scammers.
Another, more sophisticated way, would be making it mandatory for the client to upload (and either make visible or hide).
This shouldn’t hold real clients back because they have to do this either way, since all job-related communication has to be done through Upwork, and the client has to upload the file sooner or later.
As soon as a file is uploaded – it can be hashed by Upwork or even put through an algorythm, which could analyze / sample the audio (in order to compare it automatically).
That way repeatedly uploaded PDF/Picture/Audio-files could be automatically "red flagged" for the security team and action can be taken on such clients and/or their posts.
I would have such „clients” shadow banned.
I wouldn’t recommend outright banning scammers, since they will look for a workaround.
Just make them unable to get proposals (or even better - make them think they are receiving proposals through faux „Freelancer” replies).
Since Upwork is interested in getting the client to pay on the platform and scammers don’t pay – this will be a winning solution both for the platform as well as the Freelancers.
Real Clients win as well, because Freelancers will propose to their jobs, not to the scammers.
