@Warmth_Seeker Red flags go up for me when guys send me their phone number right off, too. I do not share my phone number with anyone.
~ Sunset Snuggles
Catfish, eh? I had carried on a convo with an enthusiast until she asked me for money and my number. Learned something new every day!
@handy_celtic Hope you reported them for charging without being a Pro.
@Warmth_Seeker @SunsetSnuggles, since Covid hit I exclusively FaceTime with potential cuddle partners in lieu of a public meeting due to my underlying condition. Requiring a deposit and/or not being okay with Face Time (something that generally requires exchanging phone numbers) is a red flag for me. To each his own I guess?
@herby357 I've never done FaceTime, but would totally be down for a video call on Skype, in that scenario.
Been binge listening Mtv and Wondery's, "Catfish: The Podcast" ~ It's interesting to hear all the different reasons people end up 'catfishing' someone, why the catfishee continues despite the flags, and the various story resolutions too.
@herby357 there are some respected professionals who require a deposit, so it's not necessarily a red flag in itself. However, I would guess that they would all be perfectly happy to do a video call.
The two together (deposit and no video call if you want one) is definitely one to walk away from.
There are some funny memes here lol. I’m glad to see everyone’s since of humor. Scammers and time wasters are everywhere. I did see one question that I did not see an answer for. @sunshine77. A male becoming a pro to get free cuddles, and this is my personal opinion only, is a bit on the predator side. Most males that become pro have this notion that they are going to make alot of money, cuddle a lot of young hot women and lets just say progress from there. That’s why the life span of a male pro here is like a month and half or something like that. The female population of this community do not allow it. Be cautious of new male pros especially with no karma. That’s why there is about 40 male pros within 300 miles of me at there are only three with any karma.
As far as free cuddles. I have received free cuddles from female pros before but it was more like a let’s hang out thing than a session like at the MO meet and greet. Which by the way anyone and everyone should try to get to one of the meets. It was a fantastic weekend. Normally I have known them for sometime. Any time I reach out to a female pro I always assume I’m going to pay. But that being said the two other cuddlers in my are and myself that have karma are a rare breed.
I also wanted to add a touch of personal experience about deposits. I myself do not require deposits nor will I pay a deposit unless there is an expense for the pro such as travel. This was ruined for me when I was going to hire a pro then she required a deposit. It was not much but I paid it. I knew it was her because she did send a confirmation picture. Then the night of the cuddle she rescheduled on me, then again rescheduled on me. At this point it cost me money because I reserved a place both times. When I told her I was over it and just wanted my deposit back she refused, said it was non refundable. She was later banned for that and I’m sure I was not the only one she tricked. She had no intention of ever meeting. I also would have been fine if she just refunded the deposit. But in my personal opinion and not judging anyone here for how they handle their own business. Unless there are expenses involved there is no reason for a deposit for a pro.
If I wonder whether I’m being catfished, I say so and ask for a very specific picture. For example: “Can I make sure you’re real and not a Nigerian prince trying to give me your inheritance? Will you send me a picture of you rolling your eyes and holding up four fingers?” Results in some pretty funny pictures sometimes too.
Haha some of us are real. I think If you start to talk to them look for broken English or only doing online
Thanks for everyone's diligence in reporting scammers. I banned at least 5 accounts within the last hour.
I've survived several catfish attempts, both here, and on some other sites. For me, the easiest clue to spot, is when they start calling me "honey," sweetheart," "darling," or some other term of endearment, entirely too soon. An "emergency" request to borrow money, soon follows.
That's interesting. I didn't know people had time for all of that 😅. I had a potential client assume I wasn't real when I have a picture and Karma. I'm starting to think this is the biggest risk of my life 🤣. I'm still here to cuddle though!
@Gentleclo - this is a public service announcement thread - not an advertisement for Pros, nor anyone. Photo and content removed. [-Sid]
Not sure if this goes in the catfish bucket, maybe it should just be under the “annoying” umbrella, but the women that when you take the time to write them a nice quality, well thought out introduction, coupled with a quality profile and good bench of nice karma reviews, and then all they can muster is a “hello”… Then I come back with a “thanks for checking out my profile, so tell me, _____(whatever)_____ “…. Then they say something brilliant like “yeah it was good”…. And then I say …. (well you get the point)… Just an endless string of 3-6 word responses with no intention, direction, openness, desire, ability or capacity to engage. I can’t help but think why the hell are you even here??!
@WestsideMarc We are often times met with timewasters. People who love nothing more than exchanging endless messages back and forth like long lost pen pals. These guys have zero intention of ever booking, they just want to chat with us and absorb our time like a sponge. Those of us who are experienced can spot these types pretty quickly.
It sounds like you're doing everything right. Those who don't want to engage in any communication prior to meeting are likely dead fish cuddlers you don't want to meet anyways. Consider it a service to you, they just filtered themselves out. 😊
Thanks, yes, exactly, and well said. (And I’m. Not even a pro). I can totally see that happening for your sector…
@Rezz ... If you are a client/enthusiast and then you become a pro does your karma carry over? I'm new here and still figuring things out.
@angeljra4 - karma is karma, whether you start as Pro or enthusiast. Karma is not dependent on your status.
@Sideon . Thank you for the info. Now Im in the know ☺️.
@WestsideMarc this is nothing to do with you, or Cuddle Comfort, or cuddling in general. Or gender. There is a significant proportion of the population who are essentially unwilling to communicate.
I have never managed to figure out what's going on with them. They will put the effort into continuing the stream of three to six word platitudes indefinitely, but never actually say anything. Asking them questions doesn't help, and neither does inviting them to ask you a question.
As someone who is brandnew, is catfishing a common problem? I signed up because this idea sounded amazing, but now I'm a bit weary (and set my profile to "away" while I learn). How do you vet people?
Welcome, @Goatwhisperer, and don't panic - most of the people here are exactly who they say they are. And when they aren't, it most commonly becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly.
But you are right to be a little bit wary. Take your time, and read around the forums a bit. Start by reading the beginning of the Frequently Asked Question sticky on this board. If you receive messages from idiots be quick to use the Block/Report buttons (under the three dots).
The cuddling world tends to reward patience, effort, self-awareness, respect and thoughtfulness.
My friend said "I've never had good catfish". Someone else replies " You haven't been on the internet long enough".
I'll let myself out.
Thank you @CuddleDuncan , I got a few more kind emails as well and feel better about it again.
Lol, people do that on this? But you know, I think that plays a part into why this is important.
I am wondering why appearance is so important to people for cuddling
@theCuddleDrgn - if your question is in relation to people catfishing with attractive photos, I can offer this insight…
Clear back in 1939, W.C. Fields starred in a comedy movie called “You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man.” The premise of the title is than an honest person would not participate in “get rich quick” schemes offered by con artists. To put that 83 year old movie title in modern terms, an honest person is not going to send $200 to a Nigerian Prince offering them a 10% commission for helping to transfer $80 million from Nigeria to the United States.
What does that have to do with cuddling? There are many people (I am guessing mainly men but possibly some women as well) who put emphasis on physical appearance of their cuddle partners because... some combination of biology and psychology. I suspect those individuals are more likely to fall victim to a catfishing attempt so people doing the catfishing use attractive photos for bait.
@theCuddleDrgn Same reason people like cute dogs. 😄 It doesn't have to allude to anything sexual at all, people just like to cuddle cute things.
@Goatwhisperer If you exercise just a little bit of care, you probably don't need to worry. For starters, catfishers tend to be impatient. If an account has been in existence for at least two months, the person almost certainly isn't catfishing. If you chat with them for more than 2 weeks, and they haven't asked for an "emergency loan," they probably aren't catfishing.