$5 DEPOSIT?

[Roberto]

Hi-I was just texting with someone on SCRUFF who has a great menu of massage services at a very low rate. He also mentioned that he requires a $5 deposit to hold a slot.  That is not much money compared to the cost of services and was wondering if that could be a way to get someone's credit card info, PayPal, etc. ?

[+ DynamicUno]

If he's using cashapp or venmo or similar app, he wouldn't get your CC info.  He would probably get your real name depending how you have the account set up, which may or may not be an issue for you.  The monetary risk is low, and it's not likely he's using it as a ruse for other purposes, but the risk is there.

I did send a provider a pre-payment by venmo a few months ago who ended up a no-show.  In this case he did own up and did return the deposit, but it did take a few reminders to get it done.  I was only out the transaction fees in the end, but it's a lesson learned to be more cautious when setting up engagements with providers for the first time.

[Roberto]

I appreciate your response.  What got me suspicious was the amount--$5---hardly enough to dissuade someone from booking an appointment with him and then flaking!

[MichaelV]

I actually have a friend who offers legit massage services and requires a $10 deposit to book a spot that is non-refundable (he does allow you to reschedule if you give more than 24 hours notice - but you only can do that once).  He says while it is a small amount (his hourly rate is $100), it does tend to keep the "flakes" from wasting time and has considerably stopped no shows/ghosting.  He's a very honest guy, so no misuse of names from Venmo/Paypal, but I understand some may use it as a game.  He said if nothing else, if they sent him the small deposit and then no-shows, at least he made a bit of money off the time wasted.

[MikeBiDude]

1 hour ago, Roberto said:

great menu of massage services at a very low rate.

@Roberto If the guy is using Venmo or CashApp - something well know that *maybe* it’s ok.

But, there’s also a scam  on Grindr/Scruff where a great menu of massage services are offered, but in the end they want you to go to a verification “scheduling” site for the $5 deposit. That site will in fact ask for your personal information including credit card. Be careful, I’d avoid

[EastbayMike]

Did the masseur initiate the conversation or did you? Agree it's low risk but depending on how many guys he's scamming $5 a pop can add up fast. Does he have another web site or does he advertise on masseurfinder? Other sites? Ask him for confirmation. 

[Wanderoz]

It's a scam. Avoid it like the plague!

 

[sydneyboy]

8 minutes ago, Wanderoz said:

It's a scam. Avoid it like the plague!

 

I agree.

[marylander1940]

2 hours ago, DynamicUno said:

If he's using cashapp or venmo or similar app, he wouldn't get your CC info.  He would probably get your real name depending how you have the account set up, which may or may not be an issue for you.  The monetary risk is low, and it's not likely he's using it as a ruse for other purposes, but the risk is there.

I did send a provider a pre-payment by venmo a few months ago who ended up a no-show.  In this case he did own up and did return the deposit, but it did take a few reminders to get it done.  I was only out the transaction fees in the end, but it's a lesson learned to be more cautious when setting up engagements with providers for the first time.

Damn... you got lucky! 

29 minutes ago, Wanderoz said:

It's a scam. Avoid it like the plague!

 

 

49 minutes ago, EastbayMike said:

Did the masseur initiate the conversation or did you? Agree it's low risk but depending on how many guys he's scamming $5 a pop can add up fast. Does he have another web site or does he advertise on masseurfinder? Other sites? Ask him for confirmation. 

[+ DynamicUno]

35 minutes ago, marylander1940 said:

Damn... you got lucky! 

 

Yeah, I did.  It was only a token amount, not a full pre-payment, so it wasn't a potential disaster if things didn't happen.  I would have balked about a bigger 'deposit'.   I don't think he set out to scam me, he claimed 'car trouble' which is a classic excuse, but he did seem genuinely embarrased and he did offer to make the refund.  I just had to remind him a few times.  It worked out this time, but I wouldn't have been out much if it didn't.  Just a reminder on the cheap this time.

[Roberto]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback!  The other thing I neglected to mention that made me a bit suspicious were the rates: $80 for 120 min. massage, $40 for an hour, etc. Seems incredibly low for 2021 !

[MikeBiDude]

1 hour ago, Roberto said:

Thanks for all the helpful feedback!  The other thing I neglected to mention that made me a bit suspicious were the rates: $80 for 120 min. massage, $40 for an hour, etc. Seems incredibly low for 2021 !

Another hallmark of the scam. 

[carp86]

I get a lot of this "masseur" scammers on Grindr, who are just trying to phish for your CC details through "their very secure" website. 

Run to the hills. 

[Monarchy79]

If this guy doesn’t intend to ever meet these potential Clients, he can literally reach out to 500 guys in a day, get a $5.00 deposit from each of them, and literally make $2,500.00 in one day… 

Think of it as being similar to those embezzlement scams, where someone has some trick code to thousands of bank accounts and nips .03 cents from each of their checking accounts randomly. The customer will never notice the small amount, but for the scammer, those numbers exponentially add up. 
 

Edited October 31, 2021 by Monarchy79

[+ Pensant]

13 hours ago, Roberto said:

Thanks for all the helpful feedback!  The other thing I neglected to mention that made me a bit suspicious were the rates: $80 for 120 min. massage, $40 for an hour, etc. Seems incredibly low for 2021 !

I haven’t had an erotic massage in 20 years, but I do get deep tissue massages monthly from two masseurs, depending on my location. They’re both superb and charge $150 for 90 minutes so, yes, I’d agree, those rates you were quoted were exceptionally low for an “erotic” massage.

[allyouknow]

Currently "itslance08" or lance edwards on insta is doing this around manhattan. 

low rates, just book now, go to a link - if you don't he "I guess you don't like me" crap and sends alluring photos. 

[+ glutes]

A Note About Sending Gift Cards or Deposits

Never send Gift Cards to escorts before meeting. If asked to pre-pay a deposit, use caution - we recommend a video call first, and that you ask yourself if the person and their request seem legitimate. Let us know about suspicious escorts by using the Report a Problem with this Escort page.

 

 

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