Stay away from Bambi. Not the girl in the photo. (I did walk on this one.)Rip-off artist. Actually grabbed the money out of my hand when I said I wasn't interested and threatened to scream when I asked for it back. Have others ever been in a situation like that? This was a first for me.

The smart thing to do would be to just hand over the money.  If she screams, police may become involved, and I don't lie well enough to explain why I had a few hundred dollars out in the presence of a stranger.  But then again, with my temper, I would probably start cursing the bi*ch and force the money out of her dirty grubbing hands.

I believe that might be part of why it is best to follow the advice to have the money in an envelope hidden in your pocket.  Then don't hand it to the provider but place it on the bathroom vanity or other designated location (once you have decided you want to to stay).  Otherwise, get the hell out of there FAST and don't look back.  That way, the door won't hit you on the way out.

As they say, hindsight's 20-20. IMHO, there really is no "right" way to avoid getting ripped off if they're determined. Fortunately, it's only happened to me twice. The fact is, at some point before things get going envelopes need to change hands. Then the ball's in their court, for good or for ill. If someone has the perfect approach to avoid getting taken by a determined rip-off artist, I'd like to hear it. In the meantime, live and learn....live and learn. The key thing for me is to warn others, which I've now done.