As for clients, they should do their own due diligence and be sure the provider is well reviewed and when they check with her, make sure things check out properly.
What should never happen is making a public ado about it until things are 100% certainI was reading about a problem on another board. It seemed to me to be a simple situation but it sort of blew up for both parties. I'll try to summarize and leave out details.
Consider:
There is a provider that you know and have previously met.
You see a new ad that seems suspicious (new contact info; touring to a city she has not previously visited; authentic pics but could they have been stolen; etc.).
You want to notify / ask the Provider if the ad is legit or alert her to the ripoff.
You want to warn guys in that locale that the ad might be a fake.
What actually ensued was kind of a mess that I didn't completely follow but it might have involved indiscreet posts to her Twitter account.
Here is what I have done but others might have other suggestions.
When I have noticed questionable ads in the past, I started by contacting the Provider to ask if she was aware of the ad and if it was authentic. Her email or PM reply was usually polite and confirmed the new info, sometimes even with a chuckle about the "new" circumstances that might have raised a flag or two. And sometimes she posts to TER that her new ad is really her and not to worry about new info.
Sometimes, her reply to me was a big THANK YOU so she could take action on her own to force the ad to be taken down and to notify people (TER boards) that her pics or info was stolen and that the ad is a fake and to please contact her via her website rather than the fake BP, CV or other ad.
I can understand wanting to report a Scam Alert! to other hobbyists ASAP but it could have ramifications on her business, especially if it's a short tour. That could generate some negative feedback, to say the least!
On the other hand, we don't want to see brother (or sister [Hi lopaw! Hi frenchy74!]) hobbyists get scammed. If you are going to post a POSSIBLE Scam Alert before getting Provider verification, do so advisedly. "Jane Doe's new ad has a new phone number, different from her Profile phone number. Be sure to confirm by PM or email or P411 that it's really Jane Doe." or "Jane Doe is currently running an ad in Seattle and in Boston. She can't be in two places at once. One ad might be a mistake [automatically posted by an assistant or agent without knowing about her touring plans?] so be sure to confirm it's the real Jane Doe via email or PM or P411."
Hobbyists: be careful about the language in a possible scam alert. Also notify the Provider so she can reply to your post ("yes, it's a scam." or "no, it's really me.")
Providers: usually, a scam alert is from someone looking out for your interests and to stop a scammer from stealing your business and besmirching your reputation. I think that a thank you and a correction (yes, it is a scam or no, it's really me) is a preferred course of action.
Guys? Gals? Any other suggestions on how to handle POSSIBLE Scam Alerts?
-- Modified on 6/25/2016 11:30:40 PM
As for clients, they should do their own due diligence and be sure the provider is well reviewed and when they check with her, make sure things check out properly.
What should never happen is making a public ado about it until things are 100% certain
Consider:
There is a provider that you know and have previously met.
You see a new ad that seems suspicious (new contact info; touring to a city she has not previously visited; authentic pics but could they have been stolen; etc.).
You want to notify / ask the Provider if the ad is legit or alert her to the ripoff.
You want to warn guys in that locale that the ad might be a fake.
What actually ensued was kind of a mess that I didn't completely follow but it might have involved indiscreet posts to her Twitter account.
Here is what I have done but others might have other suggestions.
When I have noticed questionable ads in the past, I started by contacting the Provider to ask if she was aware of the ad and if it was authentic. Her email or PM reply was usually polite and confirmed the new info, sometimes even with a chuckle about the "new" circumstances that might have raised a flag or two. And sometimes she posts to TER that her new ad is really her and not to worry about new info.
Sometimes, her reply to me was a big THANK YOU so she could take action on her own to force the ad to be taken down and to notify people (TER boards) that her pics or info was stolen and that the ad is a fake and to please contact her via her website rather than the fake BP, CV or other ad.
I can understand wanting to report a Scam Alert! to other hobbyists ASAP but it could have ramifications on her business, especially if it's a short tour. That could generate some negative feedback, to say the least!
On the other hand, we don't want to see brother (or sister [Hi lopaw! Hi frenchy74!]) hobbyists get scammed. If you are going to post a POSSIBLE Scam Alert before getting Provider verification, do so advisedly. "Jane Doe's new ad has a new phone number, different from her Profile phone number. Be sure to confirm by PM or email or P411 that it's really Jane Doe." or "Jane Doe is currently running an ad in Seattle and in Boston. She can't be in two places at once. One ad might be a mistake [automatically posted by an assistant or agent without knowing about her touring plans?] so be sure to confirm it's the real Jane Doe via email or PM or P411."
Hobbyists: be careful about the language in a possible scam alert. Also notify the Provider so she can reply to your post ("yes, it's a scam." or "no, it's really me.")
Providers: usually, a scam alert is from someone looking out for your interests and to stop a scammer from stealing your business and besmirching your reputation. I think that a thank you and a correction (yes, it is a scam or no, it's really me) is a preferred course of action.
Guys? Gals? Any other suggestions on how to handle POSSIBLE Scam Alerts?
-- Modified on 6/25/2016 11:30:40 PM
IF I found ads for 2 different locations at the same time, one might post about the scheduling conflict with the proviso for interested hobbists to check it out.
Without some feed back, I think it's wrong to post a definate SCAM ALERT... because you are not her & don't know.
Ladies should thank you... a simple email is suffient.
I've noticed a problem in an ad (a Fav lady) with enough info to lead LE to her door... I emailed her, got a TY & the ad was corrected within the hour.