I’ve been burned three times by male escorts requiring deposits on Leoslist. All of the red flags to look for have been mentioned in this thread - and I missed some when I was ripped off so I take responsibility for not trusting my intuition. Now I also take a couple the advertised pics and do a reverse image search on google or tinyeye.com and have caught many with stolen pics. I’ve reported them to Leoslist and they’ve responded a few times and removed the profiles. I also let the catfish know I know they are scamming and they usually take the fake pics down.
There isn’t an easy solution because nobody wants or deserves to be taken advantage of. I have no problem advancing payment if we’ve met before. If we haven’t, I won’t advance payment. I don’t doubt that clients can be shady as hell too - negotiating down, not keeping commitments - and behaving badly.
Because I dont prepay, I do try to make the experience low risk for the escort. I will hire and pay for the uber /cab or offer to meet them where they want to meet. I’ll turnover 1/2 payment cash and show the other 1/2 is with me. Trust is established quickly and then I just hand it over. It’s important to tip well too. Restaurant etiquette applies - you pay and tip even if you didn’t like the meal because you ate it (seriously no pun intended).
If we decide to hang out longer then I e-transfer additional funds right away - we talk about this up front so we both know the additional costs. I think the client also has to pay for food, drinks, supplies and transportation for incalls. Transportation should be prepaid for sure - and prearranged - so the escort can leave when they want and not have to ask or worry that it will be taken care of.
Respect and talking it out in advance are important - with each side doing what they can to make the other feel safe & respected.
