Oh, gosh!  So many red flags!  Stay safe!

Xoxo

Jenny

It is very common for a provider to use fake pics. There are multiple categories these fall under. I have found, usually they are still an escort.

 
One category is what you ask specifically. There are providers that look to use pics that they at least feel somewhat resembles them. I actually had a booker who had a stable of European ladies. She did this for every last one of them. None of the pics were the actual escorts. But all of them were in the same ballpark. The ladies were attractive. But the pics were drop dead gorgeous model types. The actual ladies were usually more homely or girl next door types.

 
Another category is what I call same race bait. This one is popular with Asian agencies or escorts. The pictures look nothing like the provider. You likely get the same hair color. Often, pics are much younger. But the number of clients that literally have no clue because their sensors are broken when it comes to some other ethnic groups is wild. Guys will literally say they are the ladies in the pictures in their reviews. But they clearly are not.

 
Then there are some that anyone can tell are not them. The attempt at looking like the pics isn’t even made. These are just bait and switches. They are banking on you being fooled and not having the balls to walk away when you see them.

 
The last category are not escorts. These can be various things. They are sometimes promotions for a dating/boning site or Onlyfans. They could also be a flat out scam. Big red flag is if they ask for a deposit. There are some that could be a mugging setup. There are others that will try to steal your identity. There’s probably more scams than I can even begin to describe.

 
Be safe out there!

And this being an unregulated, illegal one, means that the consumer (i.e. the client) has typically more to do in terms of research than any civie service/product. There are so many tools at our disposal for that research and you used them well in this case. This is a great thread for new people to this realm as they can see how one of the ways deception can occur.
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To answer your question, I guess it depends on how you define "common." If you talking about SWs at large and in general, yes, sadly it's a rather common practice. But if you are talking about women that use TER and are reviewed here, I would say it's mostly uncommon.  
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But that is my experience and others may have different ones. Guys who often TOFTT will run across what you are saying routinely but most of them have the knowledge and experience to avoid the charlatans. I am not part of that group, for the most part, so my research is a bit less extensive as I am seeing easily verifiable women for the most part.

It is marketing. Just like the big Mac is not going to look anything like the marketing pic. The pics of me on my website are actually me, I do not photo shop or use AI. The funny thing is when I meet a new client they often tell me I look much better in person than in my pics. I think I look the same. We are so accustomed to seeing an image of a person or item that has been doctored that when we see an authentic pic of that person or thing it is like the brain cannot even process that they are the same. Should providers do this? I don't think so. Do most providers do this? I don't think most do but there is a large percent. Guys think they are going to be with a smoking hot model but in reality she is average. Providers are counting on getting you in the room, you being horny, and you thinking with the little head and not the big one. This is also why so many providers lie about their age. I am 45 years old and I look 45 years old. I also get all the time "you look so much younger!" No, you have been with women who are 45-50 and tell you they are 37 so that is what your brain thinks a 37 year old woman looks like. Again, marketing.

This is very common among Asian agencies.