The biggest red flags to look out for when finding a sugar momma
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano. Aly Rusciano is a Creative Writer based outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She has over ten years of experience in creative, academic, and professional writing. Aly’s writing has been nationally recognized in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and featured in Blue Marble Review, The Sunshine Review, PopMatters, and Cathartic Literary Magazine. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with a BA in English, focusing in Creative Writing and minoring in Theatre.
There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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A relationship with a sugar momma can satisfy your urges and fill your wallet—what’s not to love? Sugar mommas are generally wealthy, older women who exchange money for companionship or intimacy with someone younger (a sugar baby).[1] Finding a legitimate sugar momma, however, can be a bit of a challenge in today’s scam-filled world. Luckily, there are quite a few pressing signs and ways to tell if a sugar momma is real or not. From red flags to common social media scams, this guide will teach you everything you need to know.
Things You Should Know
- Reverse search a sugar momma’s profile pictures to see if she’s who she says she is. It's a red flag if the photos show up with a different name or profile.
- Scroll through her social media accounts to see if she posts candid photos of herself and has friends, which is a good sign she is being honest.
- Avoid giving your financial and personal information to a potential sugar momma at all costs—she could be trying to steal your identity!
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
Spotting a Fake
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1Reverse search her profile pictures. Fake sugar mommas are excellent catfishers. They’ll steal other people’s photos to pretend to be someone else. Check to if her photos are hers by reverse image searching her profile pictures. If nothing comes up, she’s real! If the search reveals another social media page or website with a different name, she may be fake.[2]
- Notice if all of her profile pictures are professionally taken. This could be a sign she pulled them from a stock image website.
- Study the pictures for warping or missing shadows, as a sugar momma could easily edit her pictures using FaceTune and Photoshop.
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2Look up her contact information online. A sugar momma’s profile usually lists her name, age, and contact information. Check to make sure she’s the real deal before becoming a sugar baby by looking her up online. Put her name, email, and/or phone number into Google and see what pops up.
- If your research only shows things of her likeness, she’s probably legit.
- If most of the search results are of someone else, she may be faking her identity.
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3Check her social media accounts. Not everyone has a social media presence, but it’s extremely rare to not have any online presence at all. Look up her name online and scroll through her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook profiles. A real profile will most likely have candid photos or selfies and comments from friends.
- See if she’s been tagged in any photos, as this is a good indicator that she’s a real person with real friends.
- Click on the profiles interacting with her. Do they seem legit?
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4Double-check her messages for grammar mistakes and misspellings. If every other word is misspelled or her sentences are hard to understand, she’s most likely a scammer. Many internet scams originate in foreign countries, and use translators to communicate with victims worldwide.
- Notice if the language is too robotic or her responses don’t make sense.
- Broken English isn’t always a sign of a scam, but if she doesn’t say she’s from another country, it’s a telling sign she’s lying about something.
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5Look for inconsistencies in her story. If she’s truly who she says she is, her occupation, relationship status, and living situation won’t change. As you get to know a potential sugar momma, ask yourself, “Does this all make sense?”
- Scammers will most likely forget what they’ve told their victims, especially if they’re scamming multiple people at once.
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6Notice if things are moving too fast. Professional sugar mommas will be attentive and appropriate when setting your arrangement. On the other hand, fake sugar mommas may seem too eager to start a romantic companionship. She may be intimate, start sexting, or say “I love you” right away.[3]
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7Be skeptical if she immediately sends you money. A real sugar momma won’t pay you until you’ve met in person or satisfied her needs. If someone offers to give you money before you’ve come to an arrangement or formally met, it’s probably a scam and they’re trying to get your banking information.
- Never give away your personal information for a potential sugar momma to send you money, especially if you haven’t solidified an agreement.
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8Leave the conversation if she starts asking for money. A sugar momma pays you, not the other way around. It’s a major red flag if the person you’re communicating with says they need money ASAP, especially if you don’t know them well yet.
- A scam artist may make up a story about how someone they know is dying, they have to travel somewhere on short notice, or their bills need to be paid.
- Remember, a real sugar momma has the wealth to make you her sugar baby. She wouldn’t need help paying the bills.
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Section 2 of 5:
Signs of a Scam
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1She sends money that never arrives or her checks bounce. If you’ve hooked up with a sugar momma and there are problems with your payments, she may not be who she says she is. Real sugar mommas have the money to pay you. Although mistakes happen, they should be able to pay you the amount you’ve agreed upon.
- Rub the MICR line (the line of bulky numbers) at the bottom of a check with your finger before cashing it. If the line or numbering smudges, the check is fake.[4]
- Never deposit a check and refund a sugar momma the money if they claim to have overpaid you. This is a common check scam that tricks you and the bank out of money.[5]
- Notice if your sugar momma keeps making excuses for a payment not arriving (got lost in the mail, a technology glitch, etc.). Mistakes happen, but they don’t happen consistently.
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2She doesn't seem wealthy or keeps asking for money. Sugar mommas should have the funds to support themselves and your companionship. If you’ve been hooking up for a while and notice she doesn’t live a lavish, upper class life or asks you for financial support, she’s probably not legit.
- Pay attention to the quality of her clothes and jewelry, the car she drives, and where she eats.
- Be wary if she flaunts her money too, as this may be a method to try and trick you into thinking she’s wealthy.
- Suggest that lessening or stopping your services may help her save money.
- Offer to continue being her sugar baby once the time is right financially.
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3She avoids questions about the future or her life. A fake sugar momma won’t want you to know about her. It isn’t uncommon for a sugar momma to hide parts of her life, but it is a red flag if she shares nothing at all. Notice if she dodges questions about your next meetings and/or keeps talking to a minimum.
- Do your best to schedule a time to meet her again. If she continues to make excuses, it may be time to find a new sugar momma.
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Warnings
- Having a sugar momma and being a sugar baby is legal until money or material compensation is exchanged for sex, as it can then be considered prostitution.[10]⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Make a specific agreement with your sugar momma on what your relationship will entail to avoid potential legal trouble.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Use Congress.gov to find the current prostitution laws in your area.⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References
- ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sugar-mama
- ↑ https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/guidance/step-1-screen-every-profile-image-using-reverse-online-image-search
- ↑ https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/17012-bbb-tip-romance-scams
- ↑ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2020/fake-check.html
- ↑ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2020/fake-check.html
- ↑ https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/24089-bbb-scam-alert-romance-scam-dupes-daters-with-the-promise-of-a-sugar-momma
- ↑ https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/guidance/step-5-organise-face-face-meeting-within-first-few-weeks
- ↑ https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams
- ↑ https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams
About This Article
Aly Rusciano
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano. Aly Rusciano is a Creative Writer based outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She has over ten years of experience in creative, academic, and professional writing. Aly’s writing has been nationally recognized in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and featured in Blue Marble Review, The Sunshine Review, PopMatters, and Cathartic Literary Magazine. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with a BA in English, focusing in Creative Writing and minoring in Theatre. This article has been viewed 15,812 times.
Co-authors: 3
Updated: January 5, 2023
Views: 15,812
Categories: Relationships
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