Sorry for your experience. I am a freelancer and everywhere, scamming happens. No one's safe. I suggest that, before giving a freelancer a job, kindly confirm their profile. No everyone there is a professional but I believe the profile ratings and feedback from clients can really help you out in choosing the best fit for your job. Thank you

I'm guessing this was a fixed-price contract. Usually, with fixed-price contracts, your money is kept in escrow and it is not released to the freelancer until you have approved the release of the funds to the freelancer. This is usually after the freelancer has submitted the work in a satisfactory manner to you. In addition, the funds are not withdrawable by the freelancer until 5 days after the funds have been released. So, it can still be retracted within that period.

However, you wouldn't release the funds if you weren't satisfied with the work done in the first place.

Stay away from upwork! I hired a freelancer for soccer api, she had no idea what soccer was and how is played! Project took instead of 20 hours, 12 days! And the final results were terrible, not responsive and not even the ones i requested. I opened a case for refund on 17/8! The case remained opened until 22/8, which was inlegal, as they told me that if the freelancer doesnt reply in 24/48 hours then they refund me. So really why the left the case open? Just to be able to deny a refund to me. This is Upwork..