Hey,

I'm a BBC journalist - looking into male escort scams.  I've done a bit of 'undercover' work speaking to a company called Golden Knights.  After various phone calls with a woman called 'Chloe' I've now reached the stage where she's asking for a payment into a bank account of about ?300.  Naturally, this is before I get any bookings.

I don't doubt this is a scam but on searching your site and Google generally, I can't find any mention of it.  Is anyone aware of it?

Any thoughts very welcome!

Hey,

I'm a BBC journalist - looking into male escort scams.  I've done a bit of 'undercover' work speaking to a company called Golden Knights.  After various phone calls with a woman called 'Chloe' I've now reached the stage where she's asking for a payment into a bank account of about ?300.  Naturally, this is before I get any bookings.

I don't doubt this is a scam but on searching your site and Google generally, I can't find any mention of it.  Is anyone aware of it?

Any thoughts very welcome!

I think I vaguely remember passing this one the other night when I was ploughing through Google looking for something else . There is a scam agency called Cavendish Knights too which could be linked.

I believe that these places advertise in mens mags too - you could try contacting FHM and the like. To be fair, you won't have to look far - these scams are ten-a-penny as you will know from reading this site. There is a good section on the main site about spotting them - and anywhere that asks you for cash upfront definitely meets the criteria.

If you do a programme can you get those two blokes from Wakefield (I think the 'agency' was called Rebeccas) to be in it? That should demonstrate beyond doubt for anyone watching why these places are talking bollocks and will also be funny as f*ck for the rest of us  

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I guess it depends.  What do you hope to gain from her?  I image if you just tell her you wont have the cash till next week or so it will atleast keep her in dialouge for a while. if you tell her your on to her she probably wont call you again and i assume she hasnt and wont give you her contact number so that will be the last you hear of her. 

I had one of these people call me last year but i didnt trust it so luckily never handed cash over.  Couldnt you keep us all amused at there expense for a while and keep them strung along.  just keep telling them you will have the money next week and see how long it takes before they get sick of you.  It would serve them right for ripping people off.

Like i said, i suppose it depends on what you want from them.  What is it your doing that got you interested in them in the first place? if you dont mind me asking? (if its top secret stuff we promise we wont tell  )

which is very likely to happen to you, now you have given so much detail on here.

Nahh, the scams use the same lines on everyone so they wouldnt know who bootcamp is from any of the other poor sods they are trying to scam cash out of (as long as you havent been silly enough to tell them your working name is bootcamp!!).  i think it depends on what bootcamp wants, what kind of story s/he is after and where it is leading.  I cant imagine its a tv thing because most people couldnt give a toss if escorts are being ripped off or not.  I suppose it depends on the angle you are going for.  I hope its a good one though and you get the bastards proper.  

And why only Male escort scams?  they work just as hard at getting women.

Why have you called yourself bootcamp by the way? it doesnt really go with the mission if im honest!!?  On a much less serious note we could start a thread on a more appropriate name.  Im going with  miss marple (actually we already have one of those )

Wish I was doing a big expose but you're right, most people aren't that bothered about these scams...the reaction tends to be: "Well if you're thick enough to get caught out then it serves you right."

Not sure what I think about it but, in my experience of various scams, the players in this one are particularly good at what they do.  The 'models wanted' scams tend to be pretty shoddy and the fake restaurant with ridiculous wine bills scams in Europe have some very clever girls working for them.  The soho clip joints one is crude but frighteningly effective.  But this Golden Knights one is up there with the best, I'd say. 

It's been fun playing them at their own game for a while but I do feel bad for the guys getting conned, even if it is playing on their egos.  I admit it openly, I got scammed years ago, and it still pisses me off how gullible I was!

Well I ignored the calls last night and was treated to a number of increasingly angry voice messages.  I have really let a client down apparently.     I always end up feeling a bit sad that these people I speak to are such good actors, such clever, quick minded people and they're spending their lives doing something so cruel and empty and pointless.  But if there's a cross-over between journalism and escorting, I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) it's that you learn how pathetically shallow and desperate people can be sometimes.  You can really see the gloomy, lonely side of humanity.

I picked up a copy of The Star in a coffee shop this afternoon....bit of light reading after The Guardian. Anyway, fast track to the 'personal/sexy' ads page. Guess what? At least half a dozen box ads "Earn ?1000s, no escorting experience needed", "Gigolos required", "Male escorts wanted"...........

How about some pressure on the advertising media? They seem to respond instantly when certain ministers implied they could be seen as supporting criminal activities by allowing girls and agencies to advertise for trade!

I missed this - they look like yet another new name for the lot in Spain where what you're doing is paying hundreds of quid to advertise to yourself.

Someone in BBC Cardiff did a good job on them, but the stream of names is never ending because people keep falling for it. (The most I heard about was five or six times!)

What would be interesting would be getting someone hired by them to work on the phone lines. They'd need to be female...

lol been  called   over last month or two asking hey when i going to join got 2 bookings 1  dinner date other is a  sexual encounter   emily screwed up this time lol  she wants only ?235  to take the booking which will be  on thur next week offering a income of ?700 - ?900 she recons its a american bitch wanting a wellendowered massive donkey dick to ride but  the dates before she expects payment in full via  her natwestbank goldenknights promotions limited acc number  77114639  sort code 60 03 25 i have idea seeing as how all these big scam bankers rippped of joe blogs tom harry and now this birds trying to rip of  DICK  WHAT ABOUT THEM BANKERS VERIFYING IF GOLDEN KNIGHTS IS LEGIT  THEY ADVERTISE IN NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS TOO

 WHILE ON SUBJECT OF BEING RIPPED OFF 

 ANY 1 ELSE FOUND WHEN U TRY TO  LOCATE MEET SOMEONE VIA ON LINE  NON ESCORT SITES JUST SITES OFFERING M ATCHES TO PEOPLE  THEY ALSO ASK FOR REDICOULAS PAYMENTS THEN WOW  YOU HERE NOTHING OR THE MESSAGES YOU RECIVE SAYING TRYING TO CONTACT YOU VAPOURISE INTO THE EBIZ WHEN YOU RESPOND VIA PAYMENT NOT AS MUCH MIND AS GOLDEN KNIGHTS BUT A SCORE ?20 IS STILL ALOT TO GO +*+*+* UP IN SMOKE FOR NOTHING +*+*+*

wah...?