How to Avoid Escort Scams
Fake profiles, stolen photos and upfront payment tricks are common. These warning signs will help you spot them.
The most common scams
The classic trick is an upfront payment. Someone asks you to pay a deposit by gift card, cryptocurrency or bank transfer, then disappears, or demands a further fee for a driver or for security. Another version uses your messages to threaten to tell your family or employer unless you pay.
Warning signs
Be careful if the price is far below what others charge, if the photos appear on many sites under different names, or if the person refuses to speak on the phone. Pressure is the biggest warning of all. Anyone who insists that you pay right now is rarely offering a real booking.
What to do
Stop replying, and do not send any more money. Keep the messages and report the matter to the police, or to Report Fraud, the UK's national reporting service. If you are being threatened, do not pay: payment rarely ends it. Speak to the police, who treat these cases seriously and handle them with discretion.