Suspect scammers

I get three or four messages every week from self-proclaimed “mistresses looking for subs”. In itself, it might seem innocuous. However, when I view their profile, their profiles are remarkably similar, sometimes word-for-word. Their pictures are often very similar as well. At least three different ones have used very similar pictures using tattooed women. Upon closer inspection, the tattoos will show some variation (suggesting the photos are AI), such as ink on right leg in one photo, left leg in another, or details in one photo which are missing in another.

I have changed my profile to read CLEARLY that I am not interested in becoming anyone’s sub, yet that almost seemed to increase the frequency of the messages. I suspect that the mere mention of the word “sub” in a profile was picked up by AI algorithms, hence, the increase in attempts.

A dominant/sub relationship is one that leaves the sub extremely vulnerable to manipulation and scams. I seriously think this is going on.

I get "Likes" on my profile pretty much weekly from women who are seemingly promoting their dom/mistress services. Pretty normal for a while now. Haven't had them actually message me since I have "Only allow messages from friends" turned on. If you don't need to get messages from people other than friends, maybe try that. Have you reported the profiles so the mods can have a look?

Quote by Seeker4

I get "Likes" on my profile pretty much weekly from women who are seemingly promoting their dom/mistress services. Pretty normal for a while now. Haven't had them actually message me since I have "Only allow messages from friends" turned on. If you don't need to get messages from people other than friends, maybe try that. Have you reported the profiles so the mods can have a look?

I get at least one a week as well. I just delete and block them. It’s not worth the effort to report them. And, surprisingly, the messages sound the same and the pictures are virtually the same. Between scammers and AI there isn’t much that can be done if they pay the fee to join.

I get those messages too. I point out to them that even IF I was into BDSM, we live (something like) 1400 km away from each other.

[ oh gheeeesh even as I am typing this out I just got a notification of a message from ‘Removed by admin’ — so yes, it’s a silly bother, these Dom messages. ]

I agree with HarryLarry that they could very likely scam a sub-type person, in ways like “Empty your bank account and send it to me to show your devotion “, which is very concerning.

[ I checked the message; it sounds like it was translated from another language — and very poorly, I might add.

Removed by admin. wrote this message:

“Hello handsome… what kind of stories do you got interest on here ? Would you like to talk off here. Removed by admin”.

I wrote back asking about ‘ ’, do we exist in 1905? I also asked what language she was using, cuz it sure isn’t English. ]

Quote by PeepingThomas

I get those messages too. I point out to them that even IF I was into BDSM, we live (something like) 1400 km away from each other.

[ oh gheeeesh even as I am typing this out I just got a notification of a message from ‘Removed by admin’ — so yes, it’s a silly bother, these Dom messages. ]

I agree with HarryLarry that they could very likely scam a sub-type person, in ways like “Empty your bank account and send it to me to show your devotion “, which is very concerning.

[ I checked the message; it sounds like it was translated from another language — and very poorly, I might add.

Removed by admin. wrote this message:

“Hello handsome… what kind of stories do you got interest on here ? Would you like to talk off here. Removed by admin”.

I wrote back asking about ‘ ’, do we exist in 1905? I also asked what language she was using, cuz it sure isn’t English. ]

Please do not post account details. I have edited your post.

Quote by darkroot50

I get at least one a week as well. I just delete and block them. It’s not worth the effort to report them. And, surprisingly, the messages sound the same and the pictures are virtually the same. Between scammers and AI there isn’t much that can be done if they pay the fee to join.

'Report message' doesn't take long and it will very likely result in other members not being subject to the same.

Same here, it seems the marital status of widower draws women in their mid 30;s claiming they like older men, blah, blah, send me a photo handsome and they send those photos seemingly to be the same woman or sisters even, big boobs, thighs and ass dressed provocatively. Then quickly comes the sob story of how dire they are and could you send just a little bit to help. One drives a Jaguar but needed $800 for new tires and $25 for gas. No thanks. I too think they are generated by one source whose aim is to hit a bank account somewhere.

Interesting… I never bother to hear their stories. My response is simply, “I am not interested in being anyone’s sub, never mind a random stranger. Have a nice life.” Only once or twice have they pursued me further.

It didn’t bother me at first. But when the questions, the profiles, and pictures all started to repeat over and over, it raised a red flag to me. I’m a suspicious person to begin with, so I refuse to put myself at risk with random, anonymous strangers and recommend others to be aware and cautious - hence my reason for posting on this forum.

FYI I have reported the more blatant duplicative messages I have received, but am not impressed with any response. These “people” or bots, are like creepy old men hanging out by playgrounds looking for “easy marks”.

What do I want LS to do about it? First, I would like LS to monitor any members who excessively send messages, if that is possible. Second, be aggressive in responding to accounts who receive reports regarding their behavior. Third, and this is controversial at least, monitor those names that speak “dominance” carefully. I would also like to see restrictions on using AI created photos because that immediately projects dishonesty.

Quote by simplyjohn

Please do not post account details. I have edited your post.

I apologize for that. I didn’t realize I was going against site rules. That’s what I get for agreeing to terms and conditions without reading them. I will avoid doing that.

Quote by HairyLarry
First, I would like LS to monitor any members who excessively send messages, if that is possible.

Not impossible but not a normal part of running a forum to be sure. The software I admin would require custom to do this.

Quote by HairyLarry
Second, be aggressive in responding to accounts who receive reports regarding their behavior.

As far as I know, the mods do. But we are already seeing in this thread that a lot of people see these profiles as just a nuisance and don't report them. I am guilty of that myself. The mods can't enforce when they don't know the violation is happening.

Quote by HairyLarry
Third, and this is controversial at least, monitor those names that speak “dominance” carefully.

And how do you propose to do that equitably and fairly on a site with a BDSM forum and that publishes BDSM stories? An author who is dominant and writes stories from that perspective, for instance, should be able to use a name that reflects that without attracting extra scrutiny. That lifestyle faces discrimination from some quarters as it is. This site should not be contributing to that discrimination but provide a space where they can express their sexuality like we all can. So no to this. Report th spammers and scammers and do not target people just based on their choice of username.

FYI I had a suspicious like today that was not BDSM related. The profile claimed to be female but used pics that were easily identifiable by an image search as being of a known porn model. At least 3 guys posted on the profile that I saw. So this is NOT about BDSM, but about spam and scams. They just seem to use dominance as a lure a lot.

Quote by Seeker4

And how do you propose to do that equitably and fairly on a site with a BDSM forum and that publishes BDSM stories? An author who is dominant and writes stories from that perspective, for instance, should be able to use a name that reflects that without attracting extra scrutiny. That lifestyle faces discrimination from some quarters as it is. This site should not be contributing to that discrimination but provide a space where they can express their sexuality like we all can. So no to this. Report th spammers and scammers and do not target people just based on their choice of username.

Not easy, I understand. Also probably easy to avoid for abusers. However, the name itself can be “monitored” without affecting the actual user, by the message profile. Simple having the name “XXXDominatrix” (my apologies if that is an actual user name) can alert an algorithm without the user ever seeing an affect, as long as the next step in the algorithm is to monitor number of unsolicited outgoing messages, especially to new users.

Perhaps the solution goes back to the broad brush of everyone being limited to number of outgoing unsolicited messages. A normal user limited to 20, 30, or 50 unsolicited outgoing messages per month (for example) would probably never notice or reach that threshold, whereas a bot or other predator, might be discouraged if the have to pay for numerous accounts to reach the wide range of potential victims they can currently.

Next question might be: Why should LS care? Shouldn’t it be the user’s responsibility to protect themself?

My answer is that the user must ALSO protect themself, but getting this type of harassment gives the user the feel of walking through a seedy, downtown back alley. I have not paid for a silver or gold membership yet because I am still feeling out the site. I have written on other sites and dropped several for how I perceived both the readers and other contributors. I had hoped by making my profile blatantly clear, I could be spared the annoyance. That didn’t work. That’s a bad sign.

I don’t begrudge anyone their (within legal limits) lifestyle and don’t want the BDSM lifestyle singled out for writings by any means. But it seems blatantly obvious that a user attracted to the sub side of that style could use more added protection than the rest of us.

Having never engaged with any of these spammer-scammers, I have yet to hear one of their sob stories. These people are annoying, but also not that hard to spot. If, like me, you're an older guy and some random young hottie comes up to you spouting "Hi, handsome!" when you're clearly not even the most handsome guy on the block, you should be suspicious. Just as you would if that happened in an actual dark alley.

We should all diligently report behavior that violates the ToS outright, and while I think there are some additional limitations Lush could place on newer members, there's not a ton else that they can do. I don't want them policing our behavior at the level that would be required to make all the hazards go away - and I say this as someone who's largely repulsed by BDSM, although I take care not to judge others who are into it. The admins don't have the time to monitor all the chatter for dom/sub or anything else deemed to be a red flag. Report violators, and they usually take care of it quickly, even if it sometimes feels like Whac-A-Mole.

Quote by HairyLarry
Simple having the name “XXXDominatrix” (my apologies if that is an actual user name) can alert an algorithm without the user ever seeing an affect, as long as the next step in the algorithm is to monitor number of unsolicited outgoing messages, especially to new users.

Most of the ones who hit on me don't have obvious, easily identifiable names like that. You would have to cast a very wide net and a lot would still slip through. And once the fake doms realize that names are being watched, they will start using names that won't trip the monitor and you are back to square one. And, as I pointed out in my last paragraph, I have had ones that aren't for doms. The only way to catch those really is people reporting them. So I really see a measure like this as potentially intrusive while adding little to no benefit.

I’ve been reading a lot of stories lately and seeing those spamming the comments section. I hit report and they disappear pretty quickly. I’m also the self-appointed penis patrol and after enjoying the against-the-rules penis avatars, I report them and they are quickly removed or changed. That report button works well.

This is a big ass site with a ton of members. We are adults and I think should hold ourselves responsible for reporting scammers and vetting anyone we might be interested in. And most avatars are not the member. I thought that was pretty well known and acceptable. Is Seeker4 an ape? Nope. So assume a woman’s pic with the best tits and ass you’ve ever seen isn’t really what she looks like.

You would think that LS could write in a bit of code so when a newbie posts the identical link to a pay-to-play porn site in 5 pages worth of Forum posts, it would pop up something for the Mods like "Hey, Bob. We might want to take a look at this."
I reported posts, as well as the poster's page, hours ago. It's all still there.

Quote by kistinspencil

You would think that LS could write in a bit of code so when a newbie posts the identical link to a pay-to-play porn site in 5 pages worth of Forum posts, it would pop up something for the Mods like "Hey, Bob. We might want to take a look at this."
I reported posts, as well as the poster's page, hours ago. It's all still there.

That won't help because Bob left the team years ago 😇

You’re all right. There is nothing anyone can do, so we shouldn’t even try. I don’t know what I was thinking.

The only ones even reading this forum post (except for admins) aren’t the people who should be. I guess if you are on an erotic stories website to find someone to submit to, you probably have bigger things to worry about. I will reduce my presence going forward.

Quote by HairyLarry

You’re all right. There is nothing anyone can do, so we shouldn’t even try. I don’t know what I was thinking.

We have all talked about things we can do. The only one of your suggestions anyone took issue with is using names as a trigger for monitoring an account and I pointed out the problems with that in my previous post.

Maybe they already do this, but there are tools like StopForumSpam that can check a registration's email addresses and IP addresses against blacklists of know spam/scam sources and then route them for mod scrutiny (or just summarily reject them) if they match a list. I use them on the site I run (it is built into the software I use).

But, again, it is not perfect. Users still need to report the ones that get through.

Quote by KimmiBeGood

So assume a woman’s pic with the best tits and ass you’ve ever seen isn’t really what she looks like.

oh kimmi ur tits and ass are the best ive ever seen i bet you like older men huh

Quote by KimmiBeGood

I’m also the self-appointed penis patrol

I suppose that job isn't quite as fun as it first sounds.

Quote by Chet_Morton

oh kimmi ur tits and ass are the best ive ever seen i bet you like older men huh

I do like older men! And will also tell all any pics of tits or ass on my profile or avatar are NOT my tits or ass. And the only pussy I show is my cat Butters. 🤣🤣

Quote by joe71

I suppose that job isn't quite as fun as it first sounds.

Actually, it is fun. I put on my bifocals and go penis hunting on avatars. I also think it’s funny to sent the rule-breaking penis pics to WannabeWordsmith to address. He loves that! 🤣🤣🤣 Not!!

Quote by KimmiBeGood
And the only pussy I show is my cat Butters. 🤣🤣

And there are few finer to see in all of Lush Land.

Quote by kistinspencil

And there are few finer to see in all of Lush Land.

❤️