How to Protect Yourself From Call Girl Scams

Scammers are clever and ruthless, so it can be hard to tell when someone is trying to scam you. However, there are some things to look for. If someone tries to get personal information from you — such as your Social Security or bank account numbers, PINs, passwords or other financial information — be very suspicious.

1. Don’t give out personal information

The more personal information scammers have about you, the easier it is to manipulate and steal from you. If someone calls you and tries to get you to give them your credit card number, bank account details, medical records, or other personal information, it is best to hang up the phone immediately. The reason this is so common is that the person who is calling you is not who they claim to be. For example, scammers often call people pretending to be their grandchild or claiming they need money for bail or urgent medical bills.

Scammers also often use technology to spoof the caller ID so it looks like they are calling from a legitimate organisation, such as the police or a well-known company. They may even include the name of the organisation in their conversation thread to make it more convincing. This is why it is so important to never reveal personal information on a dating website or over instant messaging. In fact, it is a good idea to use separate email and instant messaging accounts that are not linked to your personal information.

2. Don’t send money

Call girl scams often involve extortion or threatening to expose private videos or photos unless victims pay. Police in Ottawa have reported a surge in calls from people who say they contacted escorts or dating sites and were asked to send masturbation videos. The suspect then threatens to expose the video to the victim’s friends or family if they don’t pay.

Another common extortion method is to get victims to send money for “premium” sexual content or in-person meetings that will never occur. This is similar to Snapchat premium scams where fraudsters charge real money for sexually suggestive content that does not actually exist.

When people are asked to send money online, they often do so because they think they are helping a loved one in need. However, these predatory criminals are clever and aggressive and will use a variety of lies to trick unsuspecting victims into handing over their hard-earned money or personal information.

To protect yourself, never send money to anyone you have met online, regardless of how convincing the story is. Instead, call or text them to confirm the request is genuine. If you do send money, only do so with a trusted friend or relative and only using a payment app that allows for cancellation. If someone really needs your help, they will be able to find other ways to raise the funds that don’t involve putting your money at risk.

3. Don’t give out your address

If you give out your address to a call girl scammer you could end up getting extorted or even blackmailed. If she knows your address it is very easy to track you down and threaten your family or friends.

This can happen in a number of ways, for example she may send you a video of her naked or performing sex acts, or she might promise to meet you in person. In this case it is always best not to share your address, especially if you are meeting someone from a private location or through an escort website.

Another way she might try to blackmail you is by threatening to share your intimate videos with others or with your family. This is an increasingly common scam that police are reporting. The best thing to do if you think this is happening is to file a report with the police. They will investigate the matter and based on your complaint can take action against her.