Originally Posted by
Bronwyn_Grey
Hey ladies!! My name is Bronwyn. I am twenty years old, and I'm kicking myself for my naivety and stupidity right now! Here is my story of how I got screwed over and scammed.
I also have a few questions in regards to what I am about to tell you, and they are posted at the end of the story.
Anyhow, here it goes... Recently, I moved out of my parents house. In an effort to make some decent money for a transsexual girl of my age who has just began living on her own, I began searching Craigslist for camming jobs, as I had a few acquaintances who are also TS and young and made quite decent money camming. They told me Craigslist was the place to go to get hired on a cam website. Anyhow, I found one... or so I thought. The add I answered claimed that he was a rep. from Streamate. He informed me that he was sent to recruit attractive females for the website. In his add on Craigslist, he stated that one could respond to the add by emailing the email he provided or by texting the number he provided, saying too that texting was the more efficient way of contacting him. So I texted him in response to the add. he answered me back quickly that same evening, requesting pictures of my naked body and face. After sending those, he requested pictures of me standing and bending in sexual positions. Figuring that this was just protocol, I sent them, though the flirtatious tone of his text messages betrayed his attraction to me regardless of weather it was protocol or not. I flirted back, figuring that having a boss with the hots for you probably isn't the worst thing in the world in this industry.
Later that evening, he sent me a picture of his hard cock. This should have been my first (extremely obvious!!) sign that the guy was a scam... after all, what kind of professional person does the kind of shit he did?! But I was desperate, and I wanted to believe this would work out, so I brushed it off, thinking to myself "men will be men!" Anyhow, he sent me a link via text to where I could sign up for Streamate. He told me that "he had already prepared most of my account" but that I need to fill out the "about me" stuff for the account. He also told me that I could start working after I filled out my account info. He never made me sign any contract or anything of the sort to him personally. He only made me sign Streamate's contract. Nor did I sign any studio contract.
So I hopped on the profile after I filled all the info out and posted my profile pic. I cammed for two weeks on this account. I made TONS of money (or so I thought!) immediately. I was personally making about $100 a night working for 2-3 hours a night according to my "recent earnings" tab. I was overjoyed!! I knew that once I was settled in to my new apartment and all done moving, I was going to make tons of money working this job! I also have tons of fun doing shows.
A few days into working, my so-called "boss" told me that I was doing far better than he imagined I would be, and instructed me to set my rates at $5.00 a minute exclusive chat and $4.50 a minute Private chat. I was having no trouble reeling in customers even after this, however. But he started to become very pushy. He told me in my second week (I had only worked 4 days by this point. I started on a Saturday evening and worked 16 days until the following Monday when I figured out I was getting scammed) that he wanted me to make $1000.00 that week. However, I was exceedingly busy moving in and taking care of a mentally ill friend of mine, and I frankly just didn't have the time to spend as much time working as he wanted. After all, part of the reason I wanted this job was to be able to make exactly what I need, taking the time I needed to do that. $100.00 a day with two days off was plenty for me at the time.
But he continued to press me to make a grand that week. When the first Sunday came, I asked how I could collect my paycheck, as I had not filled out any banking information of mine. he told me that he would pay me next Sunday, because Streamate takes two weeks to pay you your first paycheck (which, I learned, is in fact true) and I could give him my direct deposit information at that time.
Anyhow, long story short, when the next Sunday came around, he just disappeared. Turned off his phone. Stopped responding to emails. I emailed Streamate several times naively thinking that he was somehow connected to them, or employed by them. Every message I received in return directed me to speak with my "studio manager" or "account manager" regarding the issue, even when one of my messages was a message stating that I cannot get in contact with my account manager and receive my payment.
Anyhow, I wound up COMPLETELY broke and screwed. I foolishly waited a week, in denial that I had been scammed, thinking that perhaps something terrible had happened to my "boss" and he just couldn't get back to me because he had died of a heart attack or something. Well, now I wish that fucker WOULD die from something terrible! hahaha. The week I waited dug me into a deeper hole. I ran out of a few of the medicines I take, one of which I require to function. I ran out of food. Had to borrow tons of money from friends. It was awful.
Anyhow... HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT WISH TO READ MY ENTIRE STORY: I am trying to avoid making the same mistakes doing this the second time around!!! I still wish to pursue this career, though perhaps a bit more cautiously and gingerly this time. The account I have with Streamate is still up. However, I have recently messaged the company itself and requested that it be deleted. Needless to say, I need a clean start! The 100 or so guys who favorited me are worth the new start. Lol.
1.) Because I am currently in the "extremely financially fucked!!!" situation currently, I am seriously in need of money ASAP!! Is there a company that allows you to hook your cam account up to your bank account, and the money that you make on the cam site goes straight into your account?? It would be fantastic if there were such a thing.
2.) Do you girls have any tips to avoid getting scammed?
3.) Do you think, after hearing my story, that there is ANY chance I could possibly still get the money that I worked for over the last few weeks?? I made $600.00. If so, how would I go about doing that??
4.) I never signed a studio contract or ANY agreement with the Streamate employee imposter. The only contract I signed was with Streamate itself, who never holds models to a time restricted contract. Am I still required to wait six months before I make a new account after my old one is deleted? If I cannot, could I sign up with another account on a different website legally?
5.) Current Cam Models, what are your recommendations for which websites to model for? Which website or websites do you have the most luck with?
Also, if any fellow TransGendered girls are reading this, I would especially appreciate your insight here, as I would imagine certain sites are better for us than others!
Thanks so much in advance!! ~Bronwyn