How to spot a sideline deposit scam before you pay

Most people booking a sideline want to keep it private. They don't want to explain it to a bank or a police officer, so most victims write off the loss and stay quiet. Scammers count on that, and it lets them repeat the same trick on the next person.

• The deposit to confirm your booking

  You agree a price, then you're told to send a deposit to confirm, often with pressure to do it right now. The amount is small enough that you don't think hard about it. Once the money arrives, they block you.

• The admin in the middle

  Someone else handles the booking on LINE, and you never speak to the person in the photos. Agencies do arrange bookings, so a coordinator alone doesn't mean a scam. The same rule applies to them: pay when you meet.

• Stolen photos

  Scammers copy photos from real profiles and message people from their own accounts. If someone contacts you first using a profile's photos, treat them as a different person. Use the contact buttons on the profile itself.

• The deal that's too good to be true

  A very low price and someone free right now, close to you, is how these ads get your attention. Compare the price with other profiles in the same area. Be especially careful with a profile that has only one photo.

• Threats to expose you

  Some scammers threaten to post your chat or details on social media unless you pay more. Don't pay. Someone who got money from you once has every reason to ask again.

1. 1Start with verified profiles, and contact them using the buttons on the profile.
2. 2Agree the price, time and place in the chat.
3. 3Say you'll pay when you meet. If they insist on money first, choose another profile and report this one.
4. 4When you meet, check that they're the person in the photos, then pay.

A verified badge means TSG Sideline has vetted the profile, so it's potentially safer than a profile without one. The badge can't tell you how a booking will go, and someone else could still copy those photos.

The rule doesn't change for verified profiles: pay when you meet.

Stop sending money, whatever you're promised. Realistically, that money is probably gone, and a police report rarely brings it back.

If you still want to try, call your bank or the 1441 online scam hotline straight away, because the sooner you report it, the better the chance of holding the money. Keep your chat and transfer slip.

We can't recover your money because it never passed through TSG Sideline, but we can act on the profile, so please report it.

We don't tolerate scams on TSG Sideline. Report any profile that looks suspicious, asks for money up front or has already scammed you. Use the report button on the profile page (you need to be signed in) or our contact page, and include the profile link and any chat or transfer slip you have. Your report helps us stop the same scam reaching the next person.