Posters using Backpage to post iffy ads and perpetrate scams has always been an issue but the recent developments (the withdrawal of their credit card processors) has made it even more of a minefield. Accepting ads with a "pay later" policy has made BP even more anonymous and notorious.

Recently two subs have told Me about similar scams they fell for - A well known Mistress posts an ad in their mid sized city. They are ecstatic that a Domme of this caliber is visiting their town, so they contact them about setting up a session. They are asked for a deposit, which is a common request when a Domme travels - and once the deposit is sent, poof - they never hear from the Mistress again and in a day or two the ad disappears. I am sure this type of scam has been going on for years on BP - I just think it's odd that I have heard of two in such short succession.

The common thread with these two scams is that the Domme was recognizable by her name and photos and the sub contacted them through the means provided on backpage (either the backpage email system or a phone or email listed in the ad). If they had only gone to the Dommes official website and contacted Her there, they would have found out she was not coming to their town and the Domme would then know that Her images and reputation were being used to scam the unsuspecting.

Oddly enough neither of these subs contacted the real Mistress to tell her what was going on. I would want to know. I've had My photos used in other's ads (usually it's a Mistress in that town that tells Me about it) and I contact both the poster and backpage asking that they take them down. Backpage is actually very good about doing this. To My knowledge, I have never had My name and photos used. That would infuriate Me.

I still use backpage and I am not suggesting that subs not respond to ads, but be careful how you respond. Take the conversation off backpage and double check that the phone number and email listed on the ad match the information on the Domme's site.

If any of you have experiences/advice to share, please do.

Backpage is just as dangerous for the Mistress as the sub.
There are so many ethical places to make a connection why use BP?

It really is a must when you travel. I advertise on Eros, which is much better, but many local subs won't check Eros regularly. I see the same situation when I am resident in Atlanta - subs that travel here check backpage first.

In the past I seldom got clients from BP, in fact it was full of time wasters, but that changed and now a large percentage of new subs say that is where they first saw Me. I don't find subs that find Me on backpage to be better or worse than those that find Me other places. Actually social media is often the worst way to connect. Personally I just wish backpage would disappear - that would level the playing and make people use their search engines more.

I always tell subs who are afraid of deposits for that reason, to please verify contact info through My official website.

Some subs who were scammed were not using common sense at the time, and now think everyone is a scammer. I've heard stories from men who saw profiles on CM (now CS) or FL, saw stolen pictures of Dita Von Teese, or other well-known fetish models, and claimed they figured the Domme must be legit with photos of that caliber. I asked what they found when they went to her website, or saw her profiles on other places, and they'd always say she didn't have a profile other places, and had no website. (Facepalm)

I wrote a blog about this here: http://mistressgenesis.com/?p=75

I've used BP many, many times over the years and have never had an issue. It's unfortunate that the subs You spoke to got scammed, but I have the believe they were not thinking with the corrects heads when they sent the deposits.

ymp

ymo: I certainly think that's a big part of it, but some subs who seek Pro-Dommes were born sometime in the '30s to the '50s, and are barely able to view BP or other sites, because they struggle with the internet. Some things that you and I would take for granted, are foreign concepts because they did not grow up surrounded by technology. At least the older ones who've made contact through DDI Magazine, did their homework that way.

Great blogpost, MG. All good points that should be taken into consideration. You are a very articulate writer, by the way.

I think both you and ynp are both correct: some guys think with the wrong head and the idea of doing research doesn't enter into their decision making process. Others don't know how to research. However, I have found that older subs often do a better job of investigating than some of the younger ones, even if they might struggle with technology, but I know what you are saying.

You can right click on most photos on the web and select "Search Google for this image" and Google will show links to other places that photo appears online. I randomly did that to one on BP once of a photo that looked a little too good to be true and it came back with hundreds of results - of a motivational poster. Mmm, I'm guessing that's not who you would actually meet.

Google image search is great. It's amazing how many male subs are catalog models.

I'm ashamed to admit that I once got scammed for a $50 deposit on a session with what I thought was Paris Kennedy. Wrong! Even the smartest and most cynical of us can fall for it when the wrong head is doing the thinking.

oracle