Stings on Grinder, Jack'd, Scuff?

[Fyton]

Is there any significant risk of Vice PD snaring johns on Scruff, Grider, Jack'd?

I recently had a suspicious encounter. I contacted a pair of sweat pants clearly holding an impressive member. I believe, but I am not sure, that the advertiser's page changed on the reply and stated something solicitous. We conversed for a while. He seemed highly intelligent. After a while, I asked, "What would it take to get to see you?" He replied, "U GEN". I said yes, and he sent me a pic of the impressive member. We then continued to converse about benign topics, until he said, "well, let me know when you want to see what's up."

In retrospect I find it odd that he didn't pursue a transaction.

 

Feel encouraged to tell me where to take this topic if this isn't the appropriate forum.

[marylander1940]

Is there any significant risk of Vice PD snaring johns on Scruff, Grider, Jack'd?

I recently had a suspicious encounter. I contacted a pair of sweat pants clearly holding an impressive member. I believe, but I am not sure, that the advertiser's page changed on the reply and stated something solicitous. We conversed for a while. He seemed highly intelligent. After a while, I asked, "What would it take to get to see you?" He replied, "U GEN". I said yes, and he sent me a pic of the impressive member. We then continued to converse about benign topics, until he said, "well, let me know when you want to see what's up."

In retrospect I find it odd that he didn't pursue a transaction.

 

Feel encouraged to tell me where to take this topic if this isn't the appropriate forum.

 

I think Tag Adams got caught and sent to jail on Manhunt, I don't think apps existed at the time, or maybe they weren't even popular.

 

Just use your common sense: PNP, minors, no age, bring party favors across state lines, ask someone to come to you for $ with a friend, etc. big red flags!

[+ Keith30309]

Just use your common sense: PNP, minors, no age, bring party favors across state lines, ask someone to come to you for $ with a friend, etc. big red flags!

 

Agreed.... I suspect that a long, drawn out hookup discussion would not be a method that would be employed. There are certainly more overt targets.

[marylander1940]

Agreed.... I suspect that a long, drawn out hookup discussion would not be a method that would be employed. There are certainly more overt targets.

 

If it's too good to be true...

[+ Travis69]

A lot of whether to be concerned or not is where you live. Some areas could care less and have more important things to do with their police.

[Fyton]

I like to believe that Austin is too progressive, or professional, too pursue "victimless" crime. But, I don't know.

[LookingAround]

You use the term “advertiser.” People don’t pay per se to be on Grindr scruff or Jack’d. There are no advertisers of persons.

Edited July 13, 2018 by LookingAround

[MikeBiDude]

“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”

you have to evaluate your local conditions, and your personal risk aversion

[DavidMore]

I don’t believe cops would use any gay app to “catch” you for whatever

[marylander1940]

A lot of whether to be concerned or not is where you live. Some areas could care less and have more important things to do with their police.

 

Each Police Department is different and has its own priorities

[marylander1940]

“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”

you have to evaluate your local conditions, and your personal risk aversion

 

we hire, because we don’t expect to get caught.

[+ azdr0710]

though not always the only reasons, I believe a lot of stings are orchestrated only after local law enforcement receives a high amount of complaints about unusual activity occurring at a specific spot (park bathroom, massage parlor, street corner, motel activity....) or if a more serious crime (robbery, murder....) investigation exposes a pervasive prostitution connection........of course, there're always the periodic sweeps (supposedly) in anticipation of an upcoming election or major sports event!......also, law enforcement is much more concerned about underage victims (male and female) and sex slavery/trafficking.....I'm wondering if a sting targeting consenting adults on gay-oriented apps is really a high priority.....

 

it's common knowledge, of course, to never associate a sex act with money.....tell your intended ahead of time that you do not want to talk about money at the meeting and that you'll pay at the end (and get his ok).....going to another's hotel room (with connecting doors!) might (???) be risky, of course......we've all seen the undercover videos of an undercover cop quickly getting the target to agree to a sex act for money, then the rest of the squad busting in thru the connecting door and taking the john down.....

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by azdr0710

[rvwnsd]

I think Tag Adams got caught and sent to jail on Manhunt, I don't think apps existed at the time, or maybe they weren't even popular.

 

Just use your common sense: PNP, minors, no age, bring party favors across state lines, ask someone to come to you for $ with a friend, etc. big red flags!

I believe Tag Adams was arrested because the guy he was talking to purported to be a minor and he had drugs on him.

[samhexum]

I believe a lot of stings are orchestrated only after local law enforcement receives a high amount of complaints about unusual activity

Each Police Department is different and has its own priorities

Dead James Bond movie extra was targeted on Grindr: prosecutors

 

An extra on the James Bond movie “Skyfall” was murdered using date-rape drug GHB by a serial thief who targeted his victims on Grindr, a UK court heard on Tuesday.

 

Eric Michels, 54, was found dead of an overdose at his home in southwest London on Aug. 18, after being drugged by 25-year-old Gerald Matovu the night before, prosecutors claimed in a hearing at the Old Bailey, according to the BBC.

 

After administering the fatal dose of the party drug with a syringe, Matovu snapped photos of Michels’ bank card and driver’s licence and swiped his Macbook, cellphone and other belongings, prosecutors say.

 

Matovu and another man, 23-year-old Brandon Dunbar, are on trial for allegedly drugging Michels and 11 other men they met on gay dating apps like Grindr in order to rob them.

 

Matovu has pleaded not guilty to murder. Dunbar isn’t charged with killing Michels, but with using his card a day later to buy an Xbox and other fraud.

 

Michels, who briefly appeared in the 2012 Bond film, was also a businessman and father of three, according to the report. He divorced his wife in 2010 after coming out as gay.

 

Gay dating app Jack’d to pay $240K for exposing users’ nude photos

 

Jack’d, a popular gay hookup and dating app that left users’ nude photos exposed, has agreed to pay $240,000 to New York state and amp up security in an agreement with the state Attorney General’s office, officials announced Friday.

 

The app, which is run by parent company Online Buddies Inc., allows users to share the explicit photos discreetly with others on the app who they selected. But due to a security flaw, those racy photos — as well as personal and location data — became accessible to anyone using the internet.

 

Users had the option of uploading photos either publicly or privately. But it was revealed that both options were being sent to the same server leaving them open to anyone using the app.

 

What’s worse, AG Letitia James says, the security problem was made known to the company in February 2018 — but it didn’t fix the flaw until a year later.

 

And of the some 7,000 users of the app in New York, nearly 4,000 of those people had uploaded private photos, approximately 2,000 of which were nude images, James said.

 

“This app put users’ sensitive information and private photos at risk of exposure and the company didn’t do anything about it for a full year just so that they could continue to make a profit,” James said in a statement.

 

The company’s new CEO Adam Segel said, “Online Buddies became aware of a potential security flaw in the Jack’d app that was corrected earlier this year. We apologize to our users for this flaw.”

 

“With new leadership and stronger security measures in place, Jack’d users can continue to rely on the security of their personal data. We greatly value all of our Jack’d users throughout the world and wish all in our community a happy and healthy pride,” Segel added.

Edited June 30, 2019 by samhexum

[hypothetically]

Dead James Bond movie extra was targeted on Grindr: prosecutors

 

An extra on the James Bond movie “Skyfall” was murdered using date-rape drug GHB by a serial thief who targeted his victims on Grindr, a UK court heard on Tuesday.

 

Eric Michels, 54, was found dead of an overdose at his home in southwest London on Aug. 18, after being drugged by 25-year-old Gerald Matovu the night before, prosecutors claimed in a hearing at the Old Bailey, according to the BBC.

 

After administering the fatal dose of the party drug with a syringe, Matovu snapped photos of Michels’ bank card and driver’s licence and swiped his Macbook, cellphone and other belongings, prosecutors say.

 

Matovu and another man, 23-year-old Brandon Dunbar, are on trial for allegedly drugging Michels and 11 other men they met on gay dating apps like Grindr in order to rob them.

 

Matovu has pleaded not guilty to murder. Dunbar isn’t charged with killing Michels, but with using his card a day later to buy an Xbox and other fraud.

 

Michels, who briefly appeared in the 2012 Bond film, was also a businessman and father of three, according to the report. He divorced his wife in 2010 after coming out as gay.

 

Gay dating app Jack’d to pay $240K for exposing users’ nude photos

 

Jack’d, a popular gay hookup and dating app that left users’ nude photos exposed, has agreed to pay $240,000 to New York state and amp up security in an agreement with the state Attorney General’s office, officials announced Friday.

 

The app, which is run by parent company Online Buddies Inc., allows users to share the explicit photos discreetly with others on the app who they selected. But due to a security flaw, those racy photos — as well as personal and location data — became accessible to anyone using the internet.

 

Users had the option of uploading photos either publicly or privately. But it was revealed that both options were being sent to the same server leaving them open to anyone using the app.

 

What’s worse, AG Letitia James says, the security problem was made known to the company in February 2018 — but it didn’t fix the flaw until a year later.

 

And of the some 7,000 users of the app in New York, nearly 4,000 of those people had uploaded private photos, approximately 2,000 of which were nude images, James said.

 

“This app put users’ sensitive information and private photos at risk of exposure and the company didn’t do anything about it for a full year just so that they could continue to make a profit,” James said in a statement.

 

The company’s new CEO Adam Segel said, “Online Buddies became aware of a potential security flaw in the Jack’d app that was corrected earlier this year. We apologize to our users for this flaw.”

 

“With new leadership and stronger security measures in place, Jack’d users can continue to rely on the security of their personal data. We greatly value all of our Jack’d users throughout the world and wish all in our community a happy and healthy pride,” Segel added.

 

While both of these situations are absolutely awful, I don’t think either would warrant law enforcement to orchestrate a sting operation. An alarming number of people have been robbed or killed by serial killers/thieves via gay dating apps over the years and the apps have issued no warnings, nor have authorities taken any action.

 

Additionally, I don’t anticipate gay men are going to report “unusual activity” to the authorities as all activity on dating apps is technically “unusual.” If someone is soliciting sex or drugs, the average gay man (who is not into it) is not going to call the authorities, but rather block or report them.

 

As naive as gay men like to pretend they are, they recognize the dangers, destructive vices and lack of personal security synonymous with these hook-up apps, but no one is calling the authorities, because god forbid they take away what is many-a-gay-man’s sex lifeline. Gay men would prefer to tolerate whatever they have to than to have the straight authorities invade our spaces, both digitally and in real life.

[+ JEC]

There is a lot of solicitation like you describe going on on “dating sites” like Grindr. I have received a few messages like yours, I also know a few “clients” who regularly hire off of Grindr. I have never “sealed the deal” on any of these sites. I would suggest using ALL your rules of caution here, especially as others have said correlating sex for money. Some friends have had a LOT of success on these sites.....

Edited June 30, 2019 by JEC

[marylander1940]

I believe Tag Adams was arrested because the guy he was talking to purported to be a minor and he had drugs on him.

 

Exactly!

 

He was talking to a police officer on manhunt (Grindr didn't exist) impersonating a minor in Virginia. The sentencing was also harder than usual because of Tag offered to pay the kid to come to his place in DC crossing a state line. Tag's boyfriend Travis who is a police officer wasn't involved in the whole situation.

[caliguy]

They also get off on the dangerous aspect of it.

Exactly!

 

He was talking to a police officer on manhunt (Grindr didn't exist) impersonating a minor in Virginia. The sentencing was also harder than usual because of Tag offered to pay the kid to come to his place in DC crossing a state line. Tag's boyfriend Travis who is a police officer wasn't involved in the whole situation.

The one that threw me was Mike Dozers case a few years ago. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison for soliciting a 14 yo for sex that he met on Jack'd. Mike's lover who was also fucking the kid decided to avoid the embarrassment and just commit suicide. I'm sure I'd do the same thing.

https://www.queerty.com/judge-adds-additional-8-16-years-to-child-rapist-mike-dozers-17-year-prison-sentence-20160422