I'd been considering trying Upwork, but stories like this keep putting me off. Even if it was legit, I'm not happy about having to undergo interviews for a freelance job. Try me. If you like it, try me again. That's how I work. It's worked that way for 11 years. Going back to job interviews and all this bullshit just sounds massively time consuming, frustrating, and like they're trying to control the way I work, which are all red flags in my book.