Whilst our moderation team works diligently to identify and delete any nefarious profiles that get created on RedHotPie, there is always a chance that you may encounter a disingenuous member. Here are several common red flags to be wary of when it comes to suspicious profiles and communications.
Help with bills/rent
Often a scammer will express interest in going out with you, but they will infer they can’t afford it as they are struggling to pay the rent, or bills etc. They will try to manipulate you into offering to pay for these expenses or will suggest it directly. Never send another member money.
Steam and other gift cards
A common scam is asking people for gift cards, Steam cards in particular. A member might give you a story about wanting to meet up but needing a particular gift card for some reason. This is just a way to extract money from you in the form of a gift card which they then sell for cash.
WhatsApp, Kik, Snapchat etc
Often scammers will try to pull conversations away from monitored platforms such as RedHotPie to unsupervised chat platforms so they can run their scams without fear of being reported or caught. If someone suggests, particularly early in conversation that you move your chat away from RedHotPie, take that as a red flag and exercise caution.
Random links and email addresses
Whilst less and less common, random phishing urls and or email addresses should always be avoided. A good rule of thumb is to never click on anything if you’re not 100% certain about it. If you receive a suspicious looking link of some kind, report it immediately.
Fake profiles
Scammers use the same text over and over again when creating profiles of different sites, so often their bios read strangely. Avoid profiles that don’t seem to fit with the tone of RedHotPie. If a bio includes things like “I’m a god-fearing woman/man,” or “I am seeking a hard-working woman/man for marriage,” treat it with caution. If it reads like a scammer’s cookie cutter bio, report it immediately.