Problems getting Upwork Clients to pay

Hey folks,

I just wanted to drop this here and see if anyone has had the same issue as me when it comes to working for clients over the Upwork platform.

Arguably Upwork's best feature is payment protection for its freelancers. This functions by way of escrow. Basically, the client deposits a sum of funds into their accounts, that money is held by Upwork, then it is deposited to the freelancer when the requisite work is completed.

Now, I've had two gigs "given" to me over Upwork. Both of them offered me a contract via email and referred to PayPal being the method of payment. Both of these clients were engaged initially over Upwork, as well as discussion of the work.

I've basically had to put these two projects in limbo while I fire off emails to both clients asking them to get their shit in order.

Is this a common problem that people have had over Upwork? Or did I just get unlucky. It's hard to tell if they're intentionally trying to bypass it or if they're just blissfully ignorant.

Some of you may be thinking "so what, just take the money and shut up".

The issue with that is there is nothing to stop them from claiming that they will pay me via PayPal or any other method. Furthermore, it would void the Upwork ToS and make my membership forfeit. And no client is worth risking that.