For the past year, image searching has become my go-to tool. Whenever I find a provider interesting in any way, my next step is always to reverse search their photos. It doesn’t matter who they are—it could be one of the top 100 providers in the country or a content creator looking to make extra money. I will search their images regardless. It’s unfortunate because it wasn’t always like this, but with the rise in scammers infiltrating our hobby, it feels like there’s no other choice.
In the past, finding a provider was as simple as 1-2-3: find, email, and book. Of course, there were additional steps, like doing some research, using search engines to cross-reference details, and ensuring things made sense. But back then, the process felt smoother, and I rarely needed to resort to reverse image searching. Now, things are entirely different.
Today, scammers routinely steal women’s pictures and use them to set up fake escort directory ads, create social media profiles, and even launch servers to lure unsuspecting clients. The number of times I’ve had to stop myself from getting too excited about a “provider” is astounding. Nine times out of ten, a reverse search reveals the photos belong to a completely different woman whose social media or public profile has no connection to the one I initially found. It’s disheartening and also raises concerns about the legitimacy of other profiles that might follow or endorse these fakes.
So when I images search I always have three things in mind. Verifying Authenticity, first of course. I need to know that this person is real and when I say that I mean they aren't a scammer using photos or AI generated, because that's a thing now. Safety, as in after you search the image you want to make sure it isn't used on suspicious websites or that it isn't linked to other scam like directories. Finally, my due diligence, if I want to be in the hobby this is unfortunately what we need to do now in order to navigate correctly. I don't like it but there is nothing I can really do about it.
Reverse image searching is straightforward and can save you a lot of headaches. I use tools like TinEye, Image Search, or Google Image Search. Social media apps sometimes have reverse search capabilities, but in my experience, they don’t work as well as the dedicated platforms.
While it’s unfortunate that this has become our reality, taking these precautions is now part of protecting yourself—and ensuring that the providers you choose to engage with are genuine.
