This is an article I browsed upon. It mainly talks about escorting industry in the United States which is a bit different from Canada. So I made some revision for stuff that obviously would not apply here. Hopes this helps some of you guys, especially newbies.
Because of the nature of the escort and provider business, scammers and bad citizens are attracted to it to take advantage of potential clients, who may be unwilling to go to law enforcement if they’re scammed and/or robbed
Here are five main types of problems that people have to deal with: - Ads made so people can just steal deposits. Common on lesser known escort advertising websites.
- Websites where people try to steal your credit card or other personal information.
- Posts made for the sole purpose of blackmailing anyone that tries to contact the provider in the ads.
- Providers that don’t look anything like their photos.
- An appointment that is nothing but a setup for a robbery. Common on Leolist and similar advertising websites targeting low cost market segment.
Ways to spot a fake ad or other postsThese indications do not guarantee that you will identify 100% of scams, but they are very reliable signs of a fake provider ad: - Ads that are overly vulgar and direct. For example, “horny virgin wants your cock right now“.
- Ads that sound very generic. For example, “real 19 yo japanese student / first time in business / sexy pretty cute slim busty / excellent service / etc etc“. Usually its just copied from elsewhere with just some minor changes for name, location, etc.
- Ads that are too good to be true. If photos in the ad looks stunningly hot, and the ad says $120, move on. These are photos stolen from somewhere on the Internet. If you’ve talked to the provider, and their prices seem more realistic, make sure you verify the image of the person.
- Ads with photos that look like someone’s Facebook photo profile. Scammers are running automated programs that go out and download random images from Facebook, and then they use those to create unique ads, making it harder to spot the scams. Remember that providers are trying to sell you something. If the post’s photos don’t look like they’re trying to make a sale, be wary.
- Posts where someone is called a police informant, claims by new accounts claiming to be infected with STI by a particular SP, or posts giving you an address of a provider and saying “come on over”, or “I just love sex, everything is free”. These posts are made by competitors or jilted/annoyed exes in an attempt to harass a provider.
- Posts that ask you to join an Onlyfans club, private chat group, or others communicate through private channels to get "insider information" are just trying feed false information or solicit business through deceptive means.
How to verify the image of a provider By verifying their image, we mean making sure the provider looks like their photos. Ask the provider to send you a photo of themselves holding up the front page of today's newspaper with AZN747 + Your UserID handwritten by black marker on it. Please be aware that there are online services where scammers can pay just a few dollars for some random girl in a foreign country to take photos with specific requests. Meaning they can ask the girl to take a photo holding a piece of paper that says whatever you requested. Hence the copy of TODAY's newspaper is crucial. Lower priced escorts that see many customers per day may not have time to do this and will probably ignore these requests. But then again, unless you are totally thinking with the wrong head, you ought to know that a sub $150 escort with a drop dead gorgeous pic is fake. You don't need to ask them to verify. It is the high priced escorts you want to verify. Because believe it or not, some scammers deliberately price very high to throw off suspicion. If a provider refuses to send you a verification photo, move on — there are others out there. If they give you excuses or pretend to misunderstand the simple request, move on.
Types of fake adsAds made for stealing the depositThese are fake ads that are set up to draw a client in with the only goal of stealing a “deposit” for the date. Once they get the deposit, they cancel at the last minute or simply never show up for the meeting. If the provider tells you that - they don’t accept cash for security reasons
- you have to send a deposit because that will prove you’re not working for law enforcement
- they’ve received counterfeit money before and now only work electronically
- they want to be paid in gift cards
- you must join their Wechat, Onlyfans, or some other private group first
then move on: these are all sure tells that the provider is fake.
Ads where a scammer tries to steal your credit card or personal information
Again, similar to the fake deposit ads, these ads use photos of very good-looking people. The goal here is to get you to contact the person who posted the ad. They will typically reply very quickly, saying that they can meet up with you whenever and wherever you want. All you need to do is “verify your identity” — for the safety of the escort, of course. They’ll send you to a site like http://SafeDatingFun.com/, http://AdultProfileFinder.com/, or http://SafeDateTonight.com/, typically with a direct link to a profile photo. This profile photo will always show your current location as the location of the “escort” in question. These sites will then have you sign up to “verify your identity”. Some will use age verification as an excuse. Sometimes they will say they won’t charge your credit card, other times they may charge your credit card a dollar. Don’t be fooled: the aim of this scam is to steal your credit card information. Never enter your credit card information as part of a verification process.
Blackmail
While the blackmail attempts are currently rare, their number is on the rise. Here’s how the blackmail works: You contact a provider, and they then use your email or phone number to lookup your identity. Then they threaten to tell either your wife or your coworkers that you were trying to see a provider — unless you pay them. If you do pay them, they will continue to extort more and more money out of you. Blackmail is a serious crime in all jurisdictions, and if this happens to you, we recommend going to law enforcement. Fortunately, the best way to fight this type of scam is to simply avoid it happening to you, which is easy to do. If you are not single and/or you are worried about your coworkers finding out about you seeing a provider, we recommend you contact them from a phone that’s not your main phone. Simply pick up a very cheap pay-as-you go phone in any Walmart or other convenience store. With these type of phones you don’t have to register your name. (Remember to pay cash for the phone.) If you’re contacting the potential provider by email, make sure not to use your work or your main personal email. Create another email at gmail (verifying it with your new phone, if necessary) and use that.
Providers that don’t look anything like their photosThis one happens somewhat frequently. You see a gorgeous girl in an advertisement. You call her up, she sounds sweet, 30 minutes later she’s knocking at your hotel room door, you open the door in your robe, all ready to greet her and then boom! She is twice as old and twice the size is the girl from the ad photos.
Avoiding robberies by providers There are two main types of robberies that happen in this business: - Meetings that are setups for a robbery
- Opportunistic robberies, where you pay your provider an agreed-upon fee, and they suddenly dash out of the hotel room with the money. Alternatively, you may be robbed whilst you’re in the shower or some variation on this.
Realize that you can never be 100% safe in this business, especially if you’re seeing a provider in an area where prostitution is illegal or semi-legal. Some providers will take advantage of this by wagering that you won’t go to the police if they rob you. Accept that there will always be some risk, and that your best course of action is to minimize your risks, and if something bad does happen to minimize the potential damage. With that in mind, a small selection of advice: - Never bring and unknown provider to your own place of residence, regardless of whether you are single or not.
- Get the provider to verify their image with you before setting a date. This will not only let you verify their looks, but may also deter a provider from robbing you, as she will know you have her photo.
- When seeing a provider in their place of business, only bring the money you need for your date and a possible tip. Don’t bring your wallet nor any of your ID.
- If you are driving to the provider’s place, and it isn’t an upscale hotel, park at least half a block away and walk to the location. You can choose to leave your key in a magnetic car lock box under your car, or take your car key with you, depending on the area where you leave your car.
- When seeing a provider in their place of business, after walking into their room, greet the provider nicely and take a quick look around to make sure no one else is there. Make sure the apartment or hotel door is then locked with the chain or extra door stop in place to prevent anyone else from entering and surprising you. If the provider gets worried when you do this, just smile and say, “I once got robbed by a provider’s partner entering with a keycard she’d given her boyfriend, so I have to do this for my own security. You can check me for any kind of weapon if you’d like, but if you’re nervous about this I’ll have to leave for my own safety.”
- If you’re seeing a provider in your hotel room, make sure you have the cash on hand to pay them, and lock away your wallet and other valuables like a phone or wristwatch in the room safe, or hide them somewhere high out of reach and out of sight, if the room doesn’t have a safe.
- If a provider comes to visit you in your hotel room, take a look through the keyhole first, then open the door with the chain attached and again look around, just to make sure there are no unwelcome extra visitors in the hallway. After the provider enters your room, give her a chance to look around, and then close and lock the door.
- If the provider is traveling, or you’ve never met them before, there is a somewhat increased risk of the provider taking the money and dashing out the door while you’re in the shower or washroom. Some people insist on not paying in advance because of this, but you’ll find that providers who have been ripped off before will be nervous unless you pay them in advance. This can lead to a poor session or a conflict instead of a session. You’ll have to determine what you do on a case by case basis, but we always suggest giving the provider the money upfront, and then letting them know that you will gladly tip after the session if you’re happy. This should put the provider at ease, and give them additional motivation.
- Don’t give a provider money to “pay for the hotel room”, or to “buy condoms in the store” or to “pay for parking” — in short, to walk out for kind of errand before you start your session. If a hotel room needs to be paid first, walk with the provider over to the desk to pay, or go pay it yourself, then return.
To recap:- Be careful before sending a deposit.
- Talk to a provider on the phone before meeting, and ask for the provider verify their image.
- If you are not single, or are worried about friends finding out about you seeing a provider, do not use your own personal/work email or phone to contact a provider.
- Going to the provider: Don’t take extra cash or your wallet to your meeting, or your car key. Take a quick walk around the hotel room first to make sure no one else is in there, lock the hotel door using the chain or the extra bar to make sure no one can barge in.
- Seeing a provider in your room: Only have the cash you need, put the rest of your belongings in a safe or hide them. Make sure the door is locked after letting the provider enter your room.
- Paying for services in advance will depend on your relationship with the provider.
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