I have been contacted privately by a poor fellow who got scammed. We don't allow 3rd party info to be posted, so I am not going to name names or post the details. He's too embarrassed/ashamed to post and so I can at least post an overall warning.
Suffice to say there's a trend across Canada with fake ads and scams, it's been well documented elsewhere, I've posted another PSA recently. It's particularly a problem in the trans ads section of leolist. The scammers know that guys are even less likely to complain about getting taken by a rip off than guys seeing AFAB providers, due to the stigma that still exists.
The ads fall into the same pattern as female providers. Lower than normal rates like half of what legit providers are asking for, amazing pics you have never seen before, usually links to snapchat, telegram or other communication methods, as well as texts that are usually text apps. The same ad will appear in multiple cities on the same day, within minutes or hours of each other when it's posted. There's a back and forth to lull you into a sense of security and then a request for a deposit or a gift card to prove you are sincere/real. Once given, you never hear from them again. When called out on the scam, they either attack, or just go silent and disappear.
One example for educational purposes:
Alessa Scam
Do an image search. They often will show dozens or 100s of hits. Look at other cities, right across Canada, if the ad is in 2 places at once, it's a scam. Never, ever provide a deposit to an unknown LL ad. Reputable, known providers with websites, twitter accounts, PERB profiles only.
Please post about them when you see them, don't suffer in silence. The only way to help others is to admit it happened to you.
Suffice to say there's a trend across Canada with fake ads and scams, it's been well documented elsewhere, I've posted another PSA recently. It's particularly a problem in the trans ads section of leolist. The scammers know that guys are even less likely to complain about getting taken by a rip off than guys seeing AFAB providers, due to the stigma that still exists.
The ads fall into the same pattern as female providers. Lower than normal rates like half of what legit providers are asking for, amazing pics you have never seen before, usually links to snapchat, telegram or other communication methods, as well as texts that are usually text apps. The same ad will appear in multiple cities on the same day, within minutes or hours of each other when it's posted. There's a back and forth to lull you into a sense of security and then a request for a deposit or a gift card to prove you are sincere/real. Once given, you never hear from them again. When called out on the scam, they either attack, or just go silent and disappear.
One example for educational purposes:
Alessa Scam
Do an image search. They often will show dozens or 100s of hits. Look at other cities, right across Canada, if the ad is in 2 places at once, it's a scam. Never, ever provide a deposit to an unknown LL ad. Reputable, known providers with websites, twitter accounts, PERB profiles only.
Please post about them when you see them, don't suffer in silence. The only way to help others is to admit it happened to you.
