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How to spot fake adult events and ticket scams

Adult events are a favourite of scammers because victims are embarrassed to complain. The tricks are predictable once you know them.

By the Go Dogging editorial teamUpdated · 6 min read

In short

Fake adult events usually share a few signs: no named venue or business behind them, payment by bank transfer, gift cards or crypto, the address revealed only after you pay, and pressure to decide fast. Check that the venue has its own website, business details and a phone number. Go Dogging lists only venues we have checked, with the date.

Key facts
Report fraud (England, Wales, NI)Report Fraud: 0300 123 2040
Report fraud (Scotland)Police Scotland: 101
Report fraud (US)FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Report fraud (Canada)Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501
Report fraud (Australia)ReportCyber if you lost money or data; otherwise Scamwatch
Check a call is really your bank (UK)Dial 159

Why adult events attract scammers

Scammers like the adult scene because people who lose money on a sex party rarely tell anyone. Embarrassment does the scammer's work: victims don't report, don't warn friends and sometimes pay again to make the problem go away.

A fake adult event is any party, club night or "meet" that is advertised to take money or personal information, with no intention of it taking place as described. Most are run entirely online, using stolen venue photos and invented organisers.

The five scams you're most likely to meet

Most adult-event scams follow one of a handful of scripts. Knowing them makes the first message easy to recognise.

Scam How it works The giveaway
The phantom party A slick listing or social media page for a party that doesn't exist. You buy a ticket and the organiser vanishes. No venue or business you can check independently
Deposit for the address The location is "secret" and will be sent once you pay a deposit or registration fee. It never arrives, or the fees keep coming. Payment demanded before you can check anything
The fake invitation Someone you've chatted with online invites you to a party, then asks you to pay the "host" or buy a gift card first. Money requested by a person, not a venue
Verification fees You're told to pay to be "verified" before you can attend. Genuine venues check photo ID at the door, not by gift card
Sextortion A new contact pushes for explicit photos or a video call, then threatens to send them to your family or employer unless you pay. Fast escalation, then threats

Sextortion is blackmail using sexual images or video. It often starts on dating apps or social media and moves quickly to a private messaging app.

Warning signs

Any one of these should make you stop and check. Two or more, walk away.

  • There is no named venue, company or organiser you can look up independently.
  • Payment is by bank transfer to a personal account, gift cards, cryptocurrency or a money transfer app, with no card option.
  • The address, the guest list or the "real" price is only revealed after you pay.
  • You're told places are almost gone and you must decide now.
  • The guest list sounds too good: lots of single women, free entry for you, nothing asked in return.
  • The person you've been chatting with won't speak on the phone or meet briefly in a public place first, but is keen to take payment.
  • Photos of the "venue" turn up elsewhere online under a different name.

What scam messages tend to look like

These are made-up examples of the patterns to watch for, not real messages:

  • "Only two couples' places left for Saturday. Send the deposit today and I'll text you the address on the night."
  • "Our venue requires all new guests to be verified. Buy a £50 gift card and send me a photo of the code."
  • "I loved our chat. Before the party I need to know you're real. Send me a photo first."

Genuine event or fake? A quick comparison

Item Genuine venue or organiser Likely fake
Who runs it Named business with its own website First name only, or a social media page
Contact Phone number you can call, published email Chat app only
Address Published (clubs) or sent to confirmed guests from a checkable organiser (parties) Withheld until you pay a stranger
Payment Card through a checkout, or at the door Bank transfer to a person, gift cards, crypto
Age checks Photo ID at the door "Verification fee" paid in advance
History Months or years of events Page created recently

How to check an event is real

  1. Find the venue's own website, not just a social media page or a listing on someone else's site. Established clubs publish their address, opening times, entry rules and prices.
  2. Check there is a real business. Look for a company name, a business phone number and, for clubs, an address you can see on a map.
  3. Call them. A genuine venue or organiser will answer questions about entry rules, ID and what happens on the night.
  4. Look for a history. Real venues and long-running parties leave a trail over months and years, not a page created last week.
  5. Pay safely. A card payment through a proper checkout gives you more protection than a bank transfer.
  6. Start with our listings. Every venue in our city guides has been checked against its own published information, with the date we last checked it. Our editorial policy explains how.

For private parties, a genuine organiser may well send the address only to confirmed guests. That on its own is not a red flag. What matters is whether you can check who they are before you hand over money. If you're new to all this, our guide to your first club visit explains how a genuine booking normally works.

How you paid decides what you can get back

The payment method you choose is your main protection if an event turns out to be fake.

Payment method What you can usually do
Credit card Ask your card provider to dispute the payment. In the UK, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 can make the card provider jointly liable for purchases over £100 and up to £30,000.
Debit card Ask your bank about a chargeback; it isn't a legal right, but card schemes run one.
Bank transfer (UK) Most victims of authorised push payment scams, where you were tricked into sending the money yourself, must be reimbursed by their bank, subject to conditions. Tell your bank straight away.
Gift cards, crypto, money transfer apps Very hard to trace or recover. This is why scammers ask for them.

If you've been caught out

  • Stop paying. Scammers often come back for "one more fee" or a "refund charge".
  • Contact your bank or card provider straight away. In the UK you can dial 159 to be put through to your bank's fraud team safely.
  • Keep everything: messages, profile links, payment receipts, phone numbers.
  • Report it to the official service for your country:
Where Report to
England, Wales and Northern Ireland Report Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040
Scotland Police Scotland on 101
United States Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Canada Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501, or the national Report Cyber and Fraud service
Australia ReportCyber if you lost money or personal information; Scamwatch otherwise

Reporting feels awkward when the event was a sex party. Fraud services deal with scams of every kind, and you are reporting a crime against you, not explaining your social life.

If someone threatens to share images

Don't pay, don't send more and don't negotiate. Stop all contact, keep screenshots and report the account to the platform and the police. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner can help remove images and stop threats; in the US, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs a 24/7 Image Abuse Helpline on 844-878-2274. Our privacy guide explains how to get images blocked and removed in the UK and elsewhere.

If you find a fake event using the name of a venue we list, or a listing of ours that looks wrong, please tell us through the contact page. For safety on the night itself, see our safety guide and getting there and back safely.

Questions people ask

Is it normal to pay before getting the address?

For some genuine private parties, yes: organisers send the address to confirmed guests shortly before the night. The difference is that a genuine organiser can be checked before you pay, takes payment through a normal, traceable method, and never asks for gift cards, crypto or a transfer to a personal account.

How can I tell if a swingers party is real?

Look for a named organiser or venue with its own website, published house rules, a way to contact them by phone and a history going back more than a few weeks. Pay by card through a proper checkout. If the only trace of the event is a social media post or a chat with a stranger, treat it as unconfirmed until you can check who is behind it.

Someone is threatening to share my photos unless I pay. What should I do?

Stop replying, don't pay and don't send anything else. Keep screenshots of the messages and the account, then report it to the police and the platform. Paying rarely ends the demands. Specialist services in the UK, US and Australia can help get images removed, and our privacy guide explains how.

Will my bank refund a scam payment?

It depends on how you paid and where you live. Card payments can often be disputed, and in the UK most victims of bank-transfer scams must now be reimbursed, subject to conditions. Gift cards and crypto are rarely recoverable. Contact your bank as soon as you realise and report the scam to the official fraud service.

Will reporting a scam get me in trouble for going to a sex party?

No. Going to a private adult event as a consenting adult is not what the fraud services are interested in. You are reporting a crime committed against you, and fraud teams deal with every kind of scam. Your report also helps them spot patterns and warn others.

Keep reading

Sources

Checked 18 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.