I've noticed a number of POT SB's with new accounts on SA will either reach out to me or will respond to my inquires introducing myself but after some back and forth amenities they want me to message them on WhatsApp or Telegram. To me this is a red flag and I don't do it, first because I've heard scammers use these apps to try to get you to send them money but also because I don't need or want to use multiple apps to message POTS. My reasoning is that if a person can't SMS using their cell phone with me than they are likely a scammer. On the other hand, I've seen multiple posts in online sugar lifestyle forums on Reddit that claim many younger SB's use these apps regularly over SMS texting and in fact prefer them and aren't scammers. Also, I am not certain but I believe one can't text from a Google number? Any thoughts/experiences/advice on this?

I use my GV (Google Voice)  number since I don't have a burner phone.  I'm single, but still do not want to give out my real cell number.

...and they are telling you to "get off my lawn!"  :p  

 
Here's the deal, Adonis.  The POT's you are looking for grew up in the 2000's and 2010's.  They do not know a time when literally everyone did not have a smartphone. And smart phones mean apps. And apps for young people mean free apps. And the most popular free apps for communications are WhatsApp, Snapchat, Telegram, etc. If you want to engage these POTs you will need to come onto their lawn to do so.  

 
Yes, the popularity of these apps mean they are also the favored tools of scammers. That's true for the same reason - that's where their target victims are and they are largely untraceable and free.  Having said that, your instincts about additional caution with apps based in, or most popular in Asia are valid. But a scammer can only scam you if you let them do so.  I had a M&G on Thursday with a 26-year old brunette near me. She messaged me 1st, had 3 head-only, filtered pics and listed her location on the far side of the county I prefer. In her short message, she gave me her Snapchat with a request to connect. My Spidey Senses were blasting at full volume. But I contacted her in Snapchat anyway. I thought if nothing else, I will get intel on the latest scam playbook.    

 
That ended up with a 2-hour M&G and we have a BCD date on Tuesday. I think she uses Snapchat specifically for her safety; the messages disappear in 24 hours, you can turn off your snap-location, you keep your phone number hidden, etc.  Using the pics she did allowed her to reduce the chances of being recognized.  

 
For your last question, yes. Google Voice (also free) provides you with a different unlisted phone number you can use for calls, texts and vid chats. You can block anyone and even throw away the number and get a new one.  I give out my G-Voice number when I suspect a scammer for these reasons.  

 
So my suggestion is to stop being an old fuddy-duddy gramps, and start being a wise, sexy older guy who's comfortable with the new and cool tools.  

 
Life is good  

 
The Cat

It's very annoying that you are always correct in these matters Herb!  Darnit!  I'm another old dinosaur who finds these new apps insanely difficult to use.  Especially snapchat because everything disappears.  I receive a constant stream of requests to meetup offsite on Snap, whatsapp, and telegraph.  Which I have always been declining, asking them if they would please just text me.   It has occurred to me that I'm shooting myself in the foot by doing so, but I have not succeeded in embracing the new messaging apps.  I guess it's time to raise my game.  (Anybody up for a good old fashioned email conversation??  I guess not.)  Anyway, I screwed up my courage and googled how to use snapchat.  I managed to get about 5 minutes into a 25 minute long video tutorial when I realized I was not learning or retaining anything.  I have snapchat on my phone, but don't know how to use it.  Is there any user guide you can recommend, preferably one that is text based, not a video, so I can take it at my own speed?  I'm feeling very discouraged!

Okay Herb, I'm going to go for it and become a sexy young hip communicator through any and all of the latest apps these young hunnies wanna use! I appreciate the pep talk and for talking some sense into this die hard dinosaur! You have once again saved the day, professor!  

Best of luck on your BCD with her, Herbcat! This is a good lesson for all of us to push through our reluctance to embrace new technologies and also to follow through even when our spidey senses are on full alert. We can often miss opportunities being too cautious and end up missing the boat.    

As far as I know, both Whatsapp and Telegram are initially linked to the user's smartphone number.  Both services are supposedly encrypted end to end.  Both are widely popular worldwide.  
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I use Whatsapp to communicate daily with a family member in another country.  We can send text, pictures, documents, videos and make voice calls.  It's incredibly reliable.    
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I also have Telegram.  Although individuals can use it, many famous people and sites use it as a fallback channel for their output in case they get de-platformed on other sites.  
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Also both apps have desktop versions (you have to tie them back to your smartphone account.)  
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Now the worldwide popularity of these apps does open them up for foreign scam attempts.  But so many local country scam attempts that choice of contact method is mostly irrelevant these days.  You just have to keep up your guard.

Ok, I’m listening. How do I make my snap or WhatsApp that my friends and family have private enough for the POT to not track them down to scam me ?  That’s my fear.  TIA

Every App has privacy settings.  

 
It's not really practical to try to recreate each App's user guide here.  Instead, do a google search in this format:  

 
"App name" + "privacy settings" + "iPhone 14"  (or "Galaxy S2" or the brand and model of whatever phone you use).  

 
Several responses will appear. Look for the link from the company that makes the phone 1st. If you can't find what you need, try another link, starting with (non-Sponsor or Ad) links at the top.  

 
Life is good

 
The Cat

I did download Telegram to converse with a super hot Latina who favorited me and she refused to text via SMS. She ran me around with long delay texts for three days and then finally I got through to her on a voice call and it was obviously a call center in some foreign country. She could barely speak English. Not sure what the scam was or could have been, I hung up as she couldn't answer any questions coherently. I doubt she was the girl in the pictures. In her texts she claimed to be living in a small town north of LA and comes to LA a lot. Probably used some kind of text converter for English.      

...and it didn't cost you anything but some time.  

 
Sorry it didn't work out. Definitely a scammer and probably an entire scamming org.  

 
But OTOH, now you know how to use Telegram.  So net-net it's a win.  

 
As for my SnapChat POT, she rocked my world. My favorite moment was after she swallowed and said: "I really enjoy giving, want to go again?"  Pretty sure you all know how I answered.  

 
Life is good

 
The Cat

It is indeed a win-win, Herb, as thanks to your encouragement now I have another tool in my arsenal to communicate with prospective POTS. I've also downloaded WhatsApp for the same reason. I appreciate your pep talks and advice.

I used Telegram to meet my best (and only at the moment) SB. It’s pretty simple and works like other messaging apps.
The advantage is you create a user name and don’t reveal your number — as long as you manage the settings correctly. It has video chat too.