How to avoid scammers when doing Skype shows - a little advice

[IvyBrooks]

I recently encountered a scammer while negotiating a Skype show. Luckily for me I knew how to identify the scam, so the scammer didn't succeed. But I thought I'd post some tips on doing Skype shows for other girls who may not be as aware of these scams.

1. I read that most camgirls only accept tokens or Amazon gift card for Skype shows. I believe there are also other safe ways to accept payments (I'm not too familiar with those ways), but these two methods have been working out very well for me and they are easy for the guys too,

2. Don't accept Paypal for skype shows. Not only does Paypal has super strict policies against paying for adult services (plus a very robust investigation team), but a lot of guys know that and can use that against you. Apparently guys can report you to Paypal right after paying for your show and take the money straight out of your hands. Then Paypal can cancel all your accounts, not just the business one you use for camming! I'd say don't risk it.

3. When using Amazon gift card, educate yourself on what an Amazon gift card email looks like. It's pretty simple, has the Amazon logo all over it, but most importantly, the Amazon gift card balance can be applied to your Amazon account right away. If any guy tries to tell you that there is a "processing period" or anything like that, he is trying to scam you. Also, if the guy asks for any more info than your email while sending you your Amazon gift card, it is a likely scam. Guys only need your email address, and not even the one that is associated with your Amazon account. When you check your email for your Amazon gift card, always check that the email address that your "confirmation" email came from ends in the "amazon.com" domain. If it ends in "@gmail.com" or "@me.com" or ANY other domain, it's a scam. Scammers also often have small typos in their fake "confirmation" emails, so any typo is a dead giveaway. Another dead giveaway is if the "confirmation email" states your camming name on it, because you know that your actual Amazon account has your real name on it. Plus, like I said, the gift card doesn't have to be sent to the email associated with your Amazon account at all, so if the email claims that the gift card is somehow linked to your Amazon account, that's a scam.

Hopefully that was helpful for girls who are new to Skype shows. I wouldn't want anyone to get scammed like I almost was!

 

[LillyAllaire]

Thanks! This was sooo helpful

 

[Ann_Sulu]

I like how you covered all of that. Only advise with Skypes I would add is don't let guys drag about an eventual Skype show. I'd say close to half of members will take forever by either time wasting for free dirty talk, and the other half will have no clue/can't broach the topic of what they want and believe you'll spoon feed them after reading their minds. A small percentage say what they want, pay and etc. (Bless them! )

The curtail any hemming and hawing I typically am nice and polite (will likely say hi, how are you and such), but after introductions have been established I'll type something along the lines of "So I take it you're wanting a show today?" This kind of nudges them that they should start deciding on what they came to my Skype for. If they make it sound like they aren't sure, I'll normally list about 3 very different types of shows I offer, and say there's a lot more if they had something specific. I tell them to take their time, or if I only have so long before I log off, I let them know how long. Either way, this way they know what they need to do if they're serious about paying for a show and I can get other work done while they're deciding.

I believe there are also other safe ways to accept payments (I'm not too familiar with those ways)

@AmberCutie I know this thread is in the model's only section, but perhaps it would benefit the forum to have a stickied version in the member's section (I don't think there's one at least) for payment options that can be used, and if their TOS changes. Not that I believe this will hinder scammers, but many members and models don't know what can be used as payment, and that may actually lead to more tipping f they find a payment site they prefer.

I figure people can also contribute to that thread on how to identify a real vs. fake purchase.

 

[CharlieCharma]

Before I did camming on websites I would sell Skype shows on reddit. My favorite payment was bitcoin and if they wanted to do amazon gift card instead I would charge $5 extra. If they wanted to do gift rocket, cool, wait the 3-5 days for it to process. I'm also a bit more paranoid and use a vpn whenever I Skype. I only had one problem with a Skype show and that was when I used sky private and it glitched on me(like 3 or 4 years ago, I've been doing this camming thing on and off for a minute). Just use common sense. If someone is dragging on the convo into unneeded dirty talk, he's trying to get free shit, ignore his ass till he buys a show. Also, don't be afraid to block cause you're afraid of not making money. You will lose money by giving those kinds of fuckers more attention than they deserve.

 

[MFCGod]

Before I did camming on websites I would sell Skype shows on reddit. My favorite payment was bitcoin and if they wanted to do amazon gift card instead I would charge $5 extra.

It's a shame Bitcoin hasn't been very well adopted, it's perfect for paying for adult services since it has no chance of being reversed

 

[MiaFoxUK]

I'd also like to add, just because many girls accept Amazon don't feel you have to, amazon gift cards won't pay your bills, so unless you specifically want something from Amazon don't be afraid to say you want actual money.
There's many payment processors out there, i have a simple indie bill literally just for snapchat, Skype and also has a tribute and custom vid listing, check out www.worshipmia.co.uk if you want to see what I mean, I get 85% of transactions here, so higher than Mfc tokens and not breaking any sm rules (obviously don't mention Skype at all on sm)

 

[mercurymelonss]

I recently encountered a scammer while negotiating a Skype show. Luckily for me I knew how to identify the scam, so the scammer didn't succeed. But I thought I'd post some tips on doing Skype shows for other girls who may not be as aware of these scams.

1. I read that most camgirls only accept tokens or Amazon gift card for Skype shows. I believe there are also other safe ways to accept payments (I'm not too familiar with those ways), but these two methods have been working out very well for me and they are easy for the guys too,

2. Don't accept Paypal for skype shows. Not only does Paypal has super strict policies against paying for adult services (plus a very robust investigation team), but a lot of guys know that and can use that against you. Apparently guys can report you to Paypal right after paying for your show and take the money straight out of your hands. Then Paypal can cancel all your accounts, not just the business one you use for camming! I'd say don't risk it.

3. When using Amazon gift card, educate yourself on what an Amazon gift card email looks like. It's pretty simple, has the Amazon logo all over it, but most importantly, the Amazon gift card balance can be applied to your Amazon account right away. If any guy tries to tell you that there is a "processing period" or anything like that, he is trying to scam you. Also, if the guy asks for any more info than your email while sending you your Amazon gift card, it is a likely scam. Guys only need your email address, and not even the one that is associated with your Amazon account. When you check your email for your Amazon gift card, always check that the email address that your "confirmation" email came from ends in the "amazon.com" domain. If it ends in "@gmail.com" or "@me.com" or ANY other domain, it's a scam. Scammers also often have small typos in their fake "confirmation" emails, so any typo is a dead giveaway. Another dead giveaway is if the "confirmation email" states your camming name on it, because you know that your actual Amazon account has your real name on it. Plus, like I said, the gift card doesn't have to be sent to the email associated with your Amazon account at all, so if the email claims that the gift card is somehow linked to your Amazon account, that's a scam.

Hopefully that was helpful for girls who are new to Skype shows. I wouldn't want anyone to get scammed like I almost was!

THISSSSSS!!!!! is so accurate, i thank you for writing this. two days ago a guy offered me a gift card for a show. so i give him my email designated for camming...i go check it while he's still in my room waiting! and as i check it i notice it looks authentic but isn't, its from HIS email not amazon and then he's rushing me , so i say it isnt working. by the fifth time trying to add the amount to my amazon, i call support. by this time he sees me calling on cam and he flees!!!!! i was so frustrated. the amazon customer service on the phone explained i should change all my passwords and delete the email. it could potentially be a virus. i wish i remembered his name!

 

[Zana]

I've posted this multiple times. But a little advice seeing as people are still falling for fake amazon gift cards:
add amazon's gift card email to your contacts and change the name a little. That way when you get an amazon gc email and it doesn't have your adjusted name, you don't even have to risk opening it.

Example: adjusted name showing. If I got an email that just said "amazon gift card" I'll know its fake because it's not the name I've given it.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

Just something to add, I didn't see it mentioned. But apply the amount to your account immediately. If you don't they can get a refund, but once you apply it to your account the money is gone. I know this because a member once sent me an Amazon gift voucher from the US which I couldn't redeem onto my UK account so he had to get a refund. It was a simple process and he bought me the UK one, which was very useful at the time. But yeah, make sure you redeem it to your account ASAP!

Just want to second Mia that gift vouchers are great if you buy stuff from Amazon regularly, but they don't pay your bills, so unless you know you have stuff coming up, don't feel pressured into working for a gift voucher over money!
It's a real shame really that you can no longer have a fake name for bank accounts. My mother was an actress back in the day and she has always had accounts with her acting name as well as her real name, I believe she has been able to keep those accounts open, but about 15 years ago the law changed so you can only open an account with your legal name. It would have been so useful for camming to be able to have an account solely connected to work.

 

[Zana]

But apply the amount to your account immediately. If you don't they can get a refund, but once you apply it to your account the money is gone.

Actually no. Even if you apply it to your account, it's not safe. It's not safe from refunds until you actually SPEND the money.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

Actually no. Even if you apply it to your account, it's not safe. It's not safe from refunds until you actually SPEND the money.

I always thought it was once you apply it then the funds are gone. I don't think I've ever had someone try to get a refund, but I can remember it being talked about years ago. Though good to know if this isn't the case!

 

[Moffle]

As a customer I've purchased Skypes for tokens, Western Union Money Transfer and Payoneer.

Western Union needs full disclosure (name, bank, address) on both sides and if you're (understablly) not comfortable with that then stay well clear, I had reservations myself and mine came with a high degree of trust.

Payoneer (for those that get paid that way) I only need the email address the model has associated with the account but (as of recent changes) the model now needs my full name and email address to invoice me before payment.

I can't comment on Amazon as I've never done it but tokens, honestly its the way to go. Obviously other payment methods can avoid the site and sometimes studio cut but you should be factoring in those in the price anyway.

I'll happily make arrangements but only with models i know really really well and it's at their discretion - the model I have spent comfortably 10 times as much on as anyones else it's never come up as a discussion point and that's fine, anyone "trying" to make an arrangement is probably trying to take advantage.

p.s. In the real world outside tokens things can an do go wrong, payments get declined, websites change (as payoneer did recently stopping me making a payment), odd rules come into play such as Western Union having a limit before the payee needs to be "verified". Unless you are very sure what you are doing I'd sick with tokens.

 

[TajaEthereal]

There are so many options now and days when it comes to taking secure payments for skype shows. Some services range in processing fees from 10%-25% But you pay those fees to eliminate the hassle of getting shows charged back. Or giftcard scams. Or Gift Rocket reversing the money after it's been deposited into your bank account. This is a true story. Even Circle has started to close down accounts that they suspected were using it for adult services.

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Payoneer which is now FirstChoice no longer does private loads.

 

[Moffle]

Payoneer which is now FirstChoice no longer does private loads.

This was correct until very recently, their load.payoneer.com site stopped working, now if you go there it tells you the new mechanism (recipient invoices first etc.) - it works, did it last week.