How to avoid being scammed
It’s not possible to reduce your risk to zero, but then punting in general is not risk free. There are all sorts of potential pitfalls than can befall you and, to be honest, losing a couple of quid to a private gallery scam is one of the least significant. However, the following will help to reduce your risk, but is not exhaustive.
Do a reverse image search of pictures on a prossie’s profile. Any positive hits suggest cause for concern, but not always. If they get hits from an Eastern European agency site, she may still be genuine. If they get hits from a social media site or similar, she may still be genuine (but you should probably let the girl know know that the prossie profile can be linked to her real life persona). If you get hits from Playboy, then you should be moving on.
Beware profiles that only use images from webcams. Screen shots from webcams are virtually impossible to reverse image search.
Check to see where the profile is accessed from. This appears at the bottom of the profile. Sometimes the pimp will be managing the profile from “back home”, but it is a red flag if the girl claims to be in Kent, but the profile is being accessed from Bulgaria.
A displayed mobile number is a good sign. If one isn’t displayed then it should be readily forthcoming in email. If they seem hesitant to provide one or, once provided, to talk to you on the phone then be concerned.
Never give out any personal details. Use a fake name, use a punting phone, use a punting email. Try not to let her see your car. Do not reveal what you do for a living. Do not tell her where you live. Don’t carry personal identifiers, you may accidentally reveal them/leave them behind.
Reference a profile against those discussed on UKPunting. It is not foolproof (scammers can join here and post fake reviews/information, but they’re often weeded out), but a review by a long-standing member is as good a recommendation as you are likely to get.
Never pay a deposit or cash up front. The way the prossie/scammer may ask for a deposit is subject to change. Some will request you pay for the private gallery, some will ask that you pay for a webcam session. Avoid.
Confirm services over the phone and again when you meet the girl in person, before handing over the money. Be prepared to walk if you detect hesitancy.
Request a face picture before a meet. It is much harder to bait and switch when you’ve seen a face. Some genuine girls will still refuse (anonymity being the reason, even though that doesn’t really wash with an emailed face picture), but if one is provided then it helps.
Beware girls advertising as escorts, but with only webcam ratings. They have ticked the escorting box to come up in more searches.
Beware profiles who have ticked every like box. How many girls do you think have sybian sex machines or are willing to let you shit in their mouths? They are merely trying to appear in as many search results as possible. At the very least these profiles will switch services on you.
Hidden feedback is invariably an indication that the profile is to be avoided at all costs. Hover your mouse pointer over the number to get a break down of the feedback even if it is hidden (number of positives, negatives, and neutrals). Remember that “feedback only” is not displayed even with a hover and is the usual means by which a punter can leave a warning. Hidden feedback with a breakdown of purely positive reviews may still contain plenty of “feedback only”.
Read the feedback. Sometimes you see things like “thanks Jessica” when the profile is for a girl named Katie. Prossies do use fake names and may change them from time to time, but this may suggest the profile has changed hands.
Beware feedback from lots of “punters” who only have one feedback themselves, often only from the girl you’re looking at. It’s often worth cross-referencing the feedback of the guys leaving the feedback. See if they have feedback from/for girls you have seen/know are genuine.
Only take the agreed money (maybe an extra £20 or so to pay for extras if you’re happy to do this) and your cheap punting phone. If the worst happens and you’re mugged then you lose the bare minimum. Don’t carry your ID/personal identifiers.
If you’re struggling to contact a girl (by phone/email/whatever) just walk away. If they’re genuine it shouldn’t be hard to get in touch.
Don’t confuse an automated reply with a genuine reply. Automated replies come immediately after you’ve sent a message so check the timings of your outgoing mail and their incoming mail. Also if you receive an email from the prossie on AW, check to see if your email was open and read. If not then it is an automated reply. Not always (even often) part of a scam profile, but something to be aware of.