Upwork Trust & Safety Team / Upwork Leadership

My name is Abuzar Mirza. I am a full-stack developer from Lahore, Pakistan. I am not writing this petition out of anger. I am writing it because I have documented proof of a contradiction inside Upwork's own system — and I believe it is happening to other freelancers too.

Here is what happened to me:

On June 9, 2024, Upwork's official Verification Team sent me this email: "Congratulations! Your identification has been reviewed and accepted." Case #47515767 — Status: SOLVED.

48 hours later, on June 11, 2024, Upwork's Trust & Safety agent permanently suspended my account. Stated reason: "We are not able to verify your identity."

Both of these records exist in Upwork's own system. Both are dated 48 hours apart. Both directly contradict each other.

My identity was verified. Then I was permanently banned for being unverifiable. Both cannot be true.

This is not just my story.

A top-rated Upwork agency that earned over $1,000,000 on the platform published a nearly identical account in 2025. They too received official confirmation that their identity documents were "verified and accepted" — and were permanently banned the very next day, with no explanation. You can read their story here: https://medium.com/@poma.prs/is-upwork-still-safe-for-agencies-in-2025-we-earned-1m-and-got-banned-ce125e46e357

This is a pattern. It is not an isolated mistake. Upwork's automated systems are flagging and permanently banning legitimate, verified freelancers — and then closing every appeal channel without ever examining the internal contradiction.

What I have been through:

— June 7, 2024: Account placed on hold for "irregular activity." A payment of $44.01 was processed the same day, confirming I was an actively working member in good standing.

— June 8, 2024: Asked to verify identity. I complied immediately.

— June 9, 2024: Identity officially verified and accepted. Case marked SOLVED.

— June 11, 2024: Permanently suspended. Reason: identity could not be verified.

— June 2024 to April 2026: Seven formal appeals submitted. Every single one denied. In two years and across every single response, Upwork has never once named a specific Terms of Service violation I committed.

I have now published my full documented story here: https://medium.com/@abuzarmirza918/upwork-verified-my-identity-then-permanently-banned-me-for-being-unverifiable-c7732d9126e0

What I am asking Upwork to do:

Pull up Case #47515767 and Case #47488515 simultaneously. Look at the dates. Look at the findings. The contradiction is already in your own system. It has always been there. No reviewer has ever looked at both cases at the same time.

That is all I am asking for. One real human review of two case numbers that already exist in your database.

Why I need your signature:

I am one freelancer from Pakistan. Upwork will not respond to one voice. But freelancers around the world signing this petition sends a message that this issue matters — not just for me, but for every freelancer who depends on this platform for their livelihood and deserves to be treated fairly when your own system makes an error.

If Upwork's systems can do this to me, they can do this to you.

Please sign. Please share. Let's make sure someone at Upwork actually looks at this.

Abuzar Mirza Full-Stack Developer, Lahore, Pakistan Full story: https://medium.com/@abuzarmirza918/upwork-verified-my-identity-then-permanently-banned-me-for-being-unverifiable-c7732d9126e0