Are some studios hiding, or even lying, about where their models are from?

[Dannyhomebody]

I am good friends with a model who works in a studio. As per her contract, she broadcasts on 5 sites simultaneously. All 5 sites say she is in a certain Baltic country. (I follow her on SC.)
After chatting with her for a few months, I began to realize she didn't even speak the language of the country she was supposed to be in. I asked her directly and she said she only spoke one language. She uses a translator to English for chat.

That language is Pусский.

I thought it was odd, but brushed it off. Maybe she was a new immigrant.
We talk about lots of stuff... family, interests, recreation, etc. We have a good time. Until one day I asked how long she had been in that country. Smile disappeared. She wouldn't answer for half an hour. After I profusely apologized. she said she was not allowed to talk about it.

Why, would the studio, or maybe the site, allow her to talk about all sorts of personal stuff, but not about how long she had been in her location?

She was very cold for a while after that. So I did some digging. I started clicking on models in SC and CB who were from the same country as my friend. I quickly found out most of them spoke only Russian too and were obviously using translators. I also realized from looking closely at the rooms, i.e. the furniture, the floors, the curtains, that most of them were in the same studio. I even saw one using the same room that my friend sometimes uses.

I can only come up with two scenarios. One, a Russian company is renting a space in this Baltic studio and filling it with Russian models. For some reason they don't want the models to let on where they are really from, or ...
Two, the studio is actually in Russia, and the models are claiming to be from another country.

Why all the secrecy? Keep in mind this was going on before the invasion of Ukraine, so that is not it. Is this also violating the TOS of SC and CB? I don't understand. I would appreciate some thoughts on this matter.

(Btw, we are friends again. Just as long as certain subjects aren't brought up. )

Thank you for posting this. Because I'm fluent in English, Spanish, French, and soon to be fluent in Italian, I'm asked all the time, are you really from the USA? Whenever somebody asks me the where are you from question, I'm cautious. No I don't tell them, I just say USA, now and moving forward, but in the back of my head I'm thinking, possible stalker alert.

Whenever I do pvt shows with cam models when I'm not on the webcam, I never ask a model out of respect, where are you from? Read the cam model's bio/profile, and just avoid this question now, and moving forward with any models you chat with. Remember, for privacy and security reasons, you and/or the model, could possibly put yourselves at risk for somebody finding out about your personal info. say, in a guest chat, and not realize some psycho d-bag is just scoping the cam sites, hoping a model, member, or guest, will leak whatever personal info.

I could be wrong, but I don't get the vibe you're a stalker. You're a nice person, and you just simply want a connection with the model, but don't want to come across as becoming too attached and/or providing TMI. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Last but not least, thank goodness for the webcam world. You two would've never met if it wasn't for this kick-ass webcam industry, right?

 

[yummybrownfox]

Okay, the saga continues, and now I am really pissed. I guess I came across as creepy in my OP, and I kind of understand why. My model friend told me I could be banned and she could be fined for the content in some of our conversations. So I stopped. I was honestly just concerned and confused. It certainly is none of my business where she broadcasts from. Now I have a good idea of where I can and cannot go, and I always tip her very well for the PM's. I was just confused by the way she shared so much but suddenly reacted so strongly to what I thought was an innocent question. I am also genuinely concerned about her safety, but she assures me she is okay, even if she can't talk about it. I am happy with that. I guess I have to be.

HOWEVER, something happened that really bothered me. Another client she considers a friend, whom she has been friends with for over a year, was banned and she was fined. (Yes, she talks to me about other client friends). He discovered some of her Private shows posted on a site. (Camwhores?) She only goes nude in PVT, and these were clearly posted without her permission. He informed her and expressed his concern. He was worried for her. He was banned for this!

Wtf? He was just trying to help! She is upset, as she really liked him. Why would a site do that? (Actually, was it the site or studio? I am not sure if studios can ban users.) So, I get it, I get it. Leave personal stuff well enough alone. I get that rules exist to protect the models. I have backed completely off. But this I don't get.

This guy who was "trying to help"...I certainly hope he didn't post in her public chat (for all the other wankers to see) "I just found a bunch of your leaked private shows on Camwhores! Just thought you should know!" Because that'd be a pretty dick move. While some models might appreciate the heads up privately, some models prefer you not tell them that because then it becomes this thing where they're stressing out over trying to get it taken down...and then looking for more to get taken down.

Also, as another poster mentioned, models can get banned for mentioning other sites. I know that Streamate and ImLive are strict about this, and models can't even mention Twitter either. So I just want to remind members to please not mention other adult sites at all in the model's chat or in your messages to her. You wouldn't want to be the reason some model gets suspended/banned for her slipping up and saying the word "Twitter" or "OnlyFans" or whatever aloud. If you must talk to her about other adult sites, follow her on Twitter (where she probably has the links posted to her other sites) where you can talk freely about those other sites. I know that on MyFreeCams you can discuss OnlyFans since they're both owned by the same guy, and MFC also doesn't have a stick up their ass about models mentioning Twitter either, so that's fine too.

 

[Nienna]

This guy who was "trying to help"...I certainly hope he didn't post in her public chat (for all the other wankers to see) "I just found a bunch of your leaked private shows on Camwhores! Just thought you should know!" Because that'd be a pretty dick move. While some models might appreciate the heads up privately, some models prefer you not tell them that because then it becomes this thing where they're stressing out over trying to get it taken down...and then looking for more to get taken down.

Also, as another poster mentioned, models can get banned for mentioning other sites. I know that Streamate and ImLive are strict about this, and models can't even mention Twitter either. So I just want to remind members to please not mention other adult sites at all in the model's chat or in your messages to her. You wouldn't want to be the reason some model gets suspended/banned for her slipping up and saying the word "Twitter" or "OnlyFans" or whatever aloud. If you must talk to her about other adult sites, follow her on Twitter (where she probably has the links posted to her other sites) where you can talk freely about those other sites. I know that on MyFreeCams you can discuss OnlyFans since they're both owned by the same guy, and MFC also doesn't have a stick up their ass about models mentioning Twitter either, so that's fine too.

No, he actually contacted her in PM, that much I do know. Apparently, even those are monitored though. like I said, she's really upset that he got blocked. I offered (in pvt) to give her the user names of those that uploaded her vids, but she begged me not to get involved, as she didn't want to get fined and didn't want me to get blocked too. As I said previously, I really screwed up, because even mentioning the incident in pm could get us both in trouble. I have completely dropped the matter. Hopefully nothing comes of it. I support her now by being nice and tipping well, and I am thankful that we are friends again. (Also, she doesn't have Twitter or Onlyfans.)

 

[Nienna]

Thank you for posting this. Because I'm fluent in English, Spanish, French, and soon to be fluent in Italian, I'm asked all the time, are you really from the USA? Whenever somebody asks me the where are you from question, I'm cautious. No I don't tell them, I just say USA, now and moving forward, but in the back of my head I'm thinking, possible stalker alert.

Whenever I do pvt shows with cam models when I'm not on the webcam, I never ask a model out of respect, where are you from? Read the cam model's bio/profile, and just avoid this question now, and moving forward with any models you chat with. Remember, for privacy and security reasons, you and/or the model, could possibly put yourselves at risk for somebody finding out about your personal info. say, in a guest chat, and not realize some psycho d-bag is just scoping the cam sites, hoping a model, member, or guest, will leak whatever personal info.

I could be wrong, but I don't get the vibe you're a stalker. You're a nice person, and you just simply want a connection with the model, but don't want to come across as becoming too attached and/or providing TMI. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Last but not least, thank goodness for the webcam world. You two would've never met if it wasn't for this kick-ass webcam industry, right?

Well said! Thank you for posting this. I really do value her friendship, even if it is an online one. She has actually helped me through a bad stretch, and I keep her company when it is quiet. She likes to vent at me when she gets frustrated or tired, lol. I am careful not to come across as obsessive or clingy, qualities that I dislike myself, but this one time I messed up. We are cool now. Thanks again!

 

[yummybrownfox]

No, he actually contacted her in PM, that much I do know. Apparently, even those are monitored though. like I said, she's really upset that he got blocked. I offered (in pvt) to give her the user names of those that uploaded her vids, but she begged me not to get involved, as she didn't want to get fined and didn't want me to get blocked too. As I said previously, I really screwed up, because even mentioning the incident in pm could get us both in trouble. I have completely dropped the matter. Hopefully nothing comes of it. I support her now by being nice and tipping well, and I am thankful that we are friends again. (Also, she doesn't have Twitter or Onlyfans.)

Okay. Even if your model friend doesn't have Twitter or OnlyFans, the advice I gave in my previous post should be kept in your mind (Same goes for other members reading this) with future interactions with models.

I'm glad that you are respecting her wishes in not getting involved, and that you're friends again.

 

[Ozzie_]

This guy who was "trying to help"...I certainly hope he didn't post in her public chat (for all the other wankers to see) "I just found a bunch of your leaked private shows on Camwhores! Just thought you should know!" Because that'd be a pretty dick move. While some models might appreciate the heads up privately, some models prefer you not tell them that because then it becomes this thing where they're stressing out over trying to get it taken down...and then looking for more to get taken down.

I can confirm this (sorry, @yummybrownfox, I know you do not need my validation ) but for any other users who might be reading this:-

This weekend I informed my model friend that I had recently discovered that someone had been uploading videos of her to a certain site. After a brief discussion she told me to please not tell her about such things in future because, while she is not an idiot and is aware that in her years as a model there of course will be videos of her on the net, it just upsets her and messes with her mental health to have it drawn to her attention and to then have to think about it.

The only reason I mentioned it to her was that the videos were clearly recordings of private shows (she is not explicit in public, but certainly is in private) and were of quite recent shows (the date is watermarked on her broadcasts) so it really annoyed me that some arsehole had betrayed her by either: recording a private show he had with her, or a show that he spied upon. The guy seems somewhat obsessed, actually asking on the website for guys to swap videos specifically of her, and I thought given the watermarks she might be able to figure out who it was. I now understand why she does not want to go down that potential rabbit hole..

So, I will never mention it to her again. It is her call, and as her friend I do not want to be responsible even in a small way for making her life any more difficult than it is.

 

[Nienna]

On another look i can see there is more than 1 camwhores and from what you've said I'm going to guess it's not in fact the white label as i thought but one of the many pirate/affiliate sites. It can get a bit complicated because when signing up to a cam site you're agreeing for them to use your pics/clips/shows for marketing which in some cases means let's say CB, running sites that appear to be full of pirated material with the aim of driving traffic to the main site. I've never worked for studio but I would imagine they have similar clauses about using your content to promote you. Of course obviously there are sites out there where customers upload content they've stolen and I think mrbee is right about dcma being US cenric so with all things considered it's pretty hard to get content removed.

You've said it yourself though, take a step back and just support her in the simplest way. Everything else could get messy quickly.

The actual site is Camwhores TV. I have read a few threads on different message boards about them. They routinely post pirated vids, and as they are offshore, (Seychelles apparently), they also completely ignore DMCA requests. There is pretty much no way to remove those videos once they are posted. On some of these forums, big sites like SM, CB, FFF, and SC came under fire for turning a blind eye, as traffic and therefore revenue get redirected to them. I guess it is what it is. This is just me, btw, I haven't discussed any of this with my friend. I can't really, anyway.

 

[Nienna]

I can confirm this (sorry, @yummybrownfox, I know you do not need my validation ) but for any other users who might be reading this:-

This weekend I informed my model friend that I had recently discovered that someone had been uploading videos of her to a certain site. After a brief discussion she told me to please not tell her about such things in future because, while she is not an idiot and is aware that in her years as a model there of course will be videos of her on the net, it just upsets her and messes with her mental health to have it drawn to her attention and to then have to think about it.

The only reason I mentioned it to her was that the videos were clearly recordings of private shows (she is not explicit in public, but certainly is in private) and were of quite recent shows (the date is watermarked on her broadcasts) so it really annoyed me that some arsehole had betrayed her by either: recording a private show he had with her, or a show that he spied upon. The guy seems somewhat obsessed, actually asking on the website for guys to swap videos specifically of her, and I thought given the watermarks she might be able to figure out who it was. I now understand why she does not want to go down that potential rabbit hole..

So, I will never mention it to her again. It is her call, and as her friend I do not want to be responsible even in a small way for making her life any more difficult than it is.

I found a new video of one of my friend's pvt shows on that site today. It was posted two weeks ago. I was actually in the room when this guy asked her for pvt. Thedingbat was stupid enough to use the same user name on camwhores as he was using in SC. I know exactly who he is, I remember his user name. I don't know why this angers me so much, it really is none of my business, and I realize I am dangerously close to white-knighting here. I want to tell my friend, so she can be wary of ever going pvt with him again, or at least refuse to let him record. (If he actually even did record her legally) She doesn't want to hear anything about it though, and I understand why. It's too dangerous a topic for us to discuss right now even if she wanted to anyway. I shouldn't be angry but I can't help it. (Sigh) I am going to visit her room tonight, tell her how awesome she is, tip her generously and just have fun. She deserves it.

 

[rockin_rod]

I found a new video of one of my friend's pvt shows on that site today. It was posted two weeks ago. I was actually in the room when this guy asked her for pvt. Thedingbat was stupid enough to use the same user name on camwhores as he was using in SC. I know exactly who he is, I remember his user name. I don't know why this angers me so much, it really is none of my business, and I realize I am dangerously close to white-knighting here. I want to tell my friend, so she can be wary of ever going pvt with him again, or at least refuse to let him record. (If he actually even did record her legally) She doesn't want to hear anything about it though, and I understand why. It's too dangerous a topic for us to discuss right now even if she wanted to anyway. I shouldn't be angry but I can't help it. (Sigh) I am going to visit her room tonight, tell her how awesome she is, tip her generously and just have fun. She deserves it.

Sorry if you covered this in a previous reply and I missed it, but has your friend considered diabling the recording of private shows?
A friend did this on CB recently (after finding a group of viewers openly discussing in public chat how and where to download her videos) and it made no difference to 99% of users asking her private afterwards.
The one that did, pestered her to reinstate the recording feature before he would go ahead, and that gave her a pretty good idea that he was the one involved.

It won't prevent use of screen recordings, but it will make it a little harder for the minority that does this sh!t.

 

[Nienna]

Sorry if you covered this in a previous reply and I missed it, but has your friend considered diabling the recording of private shows?
A friend did this on CB recently (after finding a group of viewers openly discussing in public chat how and where to download her videos) and it made no difference to 99% of users asking her private afterwards.
The one that did, pestered her to reinstate the recording feature before he would go ahead, and that gave her a pretty good idea that he was the one involved.

She told me that normally she does not allow recorded private shows, but she will occasionally allow it A) If she knows the user and is comfortable with them, and B) If they pay extra tokens for it. She also said to me that the Admins know this too. I think she meant by that, that the Admins know who is allowed to record.

 

[Dannyhomebody]

Well said! Thank you for posting this. I really do value her friendship, even if it is an online one. She has actually helped me through a bad stretch, and I keep her company when it is quiet. She likes to vent at me when she gets frustrated or tired, lol. I am careful not to come across as obsessive or clingy, qualities that I dislike myself, but this one time I messed up. We are cool now. Thanks again!

You're welcome. No problem. Nobody's perfect. You learned and owned up to your mistake. A lot of members wouldn't be as nice as you, well, from what you're telling me, and everybody else on ACF anyway. If there's anything else you do that makes her uncomfortable, just respect that and don't do it, now and moving forward, and vice versa. I'm glad to read/see things are getting better for the two of you, and I hope they get better and better. Thanks again for posting this thread.

 

[LauraSP-CMD]

Tooootally, a lot of Studios or independent models as well lie about their nationalities, is pretty normal actually

 

[Nienna]

Well, looks like we have come full circle.
I would like to thank all of you who responded, especially those that set me straight. It needed to happen.
My friend finally told me where her studio was. It came out of the blue, and without me asking.
A bit of back ground: a couple of weeks ago we were having this great conversation about where we would like to travel. I suggested the great museums of the world. She enjoyed that, and the conversation turned to a famous one in Russia. I said I loved the rich history and culture of that country and would love to visit that museum.
Two days ago, we had an almost two-hour Private, where we just had fun and talked about everything. I was about to end it when she said she had to tell me something.
She said she wanted to tell me the truth. I didn't know what else to say, but "I am listening"
She said I would understand, but I could not ask her. I said okay, and then she said she was in the city I dreamed of visiting. It took a minute for me to clue in, but then I remembered our previous conversation.
She then asked me never, ever to ask or talk about it again. Half our conversation was in Russian, lol. (I know a bit). That is how careful we had to be.

So, now I know. She's in Russia. The city is unimportant, and I am not going to say for her safety.
Part of me is overwhelmed with gratitude. I am honored and humbled, and so touched that she would trust me, even at the risk of both of us being in trouble.
But I am also now constantly worried, as I know she is operating illegally in her country. I am terrified she might get fired, fined, or even arrested.

Be careful what you wish for.

And now, I am going to be a hypocrite. Please, to other users, a model's location is unimportant. Even if you have the best of intentions and are just curious, you could be putting them at risk just by asking. Put their safety first. They deserve it.

 

[ArcticKitty]

Oh dear...

 

[Nienna]

Oh dear...

Lol. I never know how to take you. I appreciate your insight, regardless.

 

[EasternPromis]

I completely understand this now. No, I do not need to know her exact location. Honestly, I never actually asked her what country she was in. I just found it interesting that she didn't speak the language of the country her profile says she's in. I got used to having great conversations with her in PM, (which I tip for), where we discuss all sorts of things, including our lives. One day we discussed how hard it would be to live in a country and not speak the language, and I asked her how long she had been in her country. That is when her demeanor abruptly changed. She said she wasn't allowed to talk about it and got really cold for quite a while. I never asked her where she lived. I never asked for an email, a phone number, or any social media. I never asked to communicate outside SC, or even expressed fantasies about meeting up. I guess I wandered into a forbidden area unknowingly. We have since established boundaries, as I have explained in other posts. It's my bad, I should have expressed myself more clearly. Not much of an excuse, but I was upset, I guess.

It's more common than you think. I am Ukrainian but live in Asian country. So what shall I put in my profiles? Ukraine or country I am in? I put Ukraine because I look like one, if I put Asian country.. people will go wtf because I do not look like that but moved in adult age and it is no longer harmful for me to put Ukraine as I am not there and won't have legal troubles.
But even if model puts random country for safety reasons.. it doesn't stop her anyhow from otherwise showing off her personality, talking all about hobbies, personality, things she's up to etc..

 

[ArcticKitty]

Lol. I never know how to take you. I appreciate your insight, regardless.

I pm'd you.

 

[cammingisdifficult]

Not to lecture or anything just throwing in some personal experience as a cam model on the matter of privacy. I had an issue where i made the mistake of letting someone know my phone number and from there it kind of snowballed. The person I was chatting with on a cam site seemed "friendly" but turns out they are SUPER crazy and slightly stalkerish. It started in private shows, at first they were nice payed for their time, enjoyed themselves each time they came in to where we got too comfortable and they asked for my number so I gave it. Then later on each time in private they tried to record my shows so I would put my hand up and say no you have no permission from me to record things on your phone. They would apologize or get irritated with me, leave, then show up later. Last, they found my social media and threatened to expose me. Mind you on my social media, friends and family were on there. So I went to authorities and they did not even bother to take it seriously. I was pretty much having to battle it on my own. Once in awhile during that time I would have random grey users pop in typing out my name, familys name, mother, father. All information they shouldn't know somehow they got. It scared me for awhile so i thought about quitting but instead stood my ground and fought since then. Now its just a battlefield with other issues lol Needless to say, I learned that even the tiniest information is not worth the risk.

 

[Nienna]

Not to lecture or anything just throwing in some personal experience as a cam model on the matter of privacy. I had an issue where i made the mistake of letting someone know my phone number and from there it kind of snowballed. The person I was chatting with on a cam site seemed "friendly" but turns out they are SUPER crazy and slightly stalkerish. It started in private shows, at first they were nice payed for their time, enjoyed themselves each time they came in to where we got too comfortable and they asked for my number so I gave it. Then later on each time in private they tried to record my shows so I would put my hand up and say no you have no permission from me to record things on your phone. They would apologize or get irritated with me, leave, then show up later. Last, they found my social media and threatened to expose me. Mind you on my social media, friends and family were on there. So I went to authorities and they did not even bother to take it seriously. I was pretty much having to battle it on my own. Once in awhile during that time I would have random grey users pop in typing out my name, familys name, mother, father. All information they shouldn't know somehow they got. It scared me for awhile so i thought about quitting but instead stood my ground and fought since then. Now its just a battlefield with other issues lol Needless to say, I learned that even the tiniest information is not worth the risk.

Wow, scary. I am sorry you had to go through this.

 

[rockin_rod]

Wow, scary. I am sorry you had to go through this.

X2. 'Trustworthy' people can prove untrustworthy in a heartbeat. They only give the appearance they want to give, to get what they want.