
WOMEN flooding into Inverness offering “escort” services have been caught up in a row over the use of allegedly fake pictures. Websites promoting them have come under fire for including photos of international glamour models. One occasional client said: “Obviously this goes on but recently it’s been more blatant than ever. ”
The number of females “on tour” in Inverness has risen to upwards of 100 at any one time in recent months.
They advertise widely on the internet, but in most cases there is no verification of the photos they use, although several websites do insist on the pictures being genuine.
Critical comments on fake pictures are posted by irate clients online.
However, one told Inverness news and views: “Whether it’s right or wrong the fact is that this is a city now and it’s going to attract women presenting themselves as escorts whether people like it or not. It’s a city like any other place and that’s just how it is. It’s a business for them and they come here independently and individually to make money, and it seems they can make plenty or else there wouldn’t be so many of them. Word obviously gets around.”
The man, who did not wish to be named, told INV: “A couple of weeks ago there was a picture on a website of a young woman in her 20s called ‘Anna’. I emailed her asking her to send me a photo holding up her left hand to show the picture was genuine. When I received no reply I looked at a few of the pictures, and saw in one she was holding up a phone with an inscription on the back. When I keyed that in I discovered it was the website of a Canadian glamour model called Natalie Gauvreau, who has millions of social media followers. And ‘Anna’ was in fact a set of pictures of Natalie Gauvreau. The same day I found out Ms Gauvreau was sending out messages on Twitter with greetings to her fans from Toronto. Ok, sometimes photos posted are genuine, but this was beyond a joke.”
He said he emailed the website pointing out the deception but received no reply, and the pictures remained online.
Escorts “on tour” in Inverness charge up to £150 an hour for their services, which may include having a meal with a client as well as less innocent activities.
They arrive and rent flats or houses in the Highland capital, usually for two or three weeks. In recent months they are said to have been based in streets including King Street, Greig Street, Glenurquhart Road, Caledonian Road, Lombard Way, Holm Farm Road, Baron Taylor’s Street, Church Street, Portland Place, Upper Bridge Street, MacDonald Street, and they have also offered services from several hotels in and around the city centre, presumably unbeknown to hotel staff.
Meanwhile “Anna” has apparently since moved on.