A few years back, I sent a $30-$50 Visa gift card as a deposit to a woman whose ad I found on a popular website. She also had Instagram, Snapchat and OnlyFans accounts linked to her ad, which I followed. When I inquired about meeting her, her rates started at around $140. She suggested I could either send a deposit or subscribe to her OnlyFans since she didn't know me well. After receiving this message, I ceased communication but continued to follow her on Instagram, where she occasionally posted photos and IG stories, pictures of her dog.
Eight months later, I decided to proceed. We planned to meet in Nassau, Long Island, at a hotel. On the day, I bought the gift card and went to the hotel's parking lot. She asked for the gift card numbers to verify before giving me the room number. Skeptical, I asked her to describe the parking lot and how many vans were parked to prove she was there. She did, so I sent the card numbers and received a room number. Upon knocking on the door, an elderly man, seemingly confused and disturbed by my presence, answered. I realized then that I had been scammed. She had blocked me on all platforms, leaving me with a valuable lesson.