Tutorperch has automatic protections. We auto-redact contact details and external links until the unlock fee is paid, and we manually review safeguarding submissions. But no automatic system catches everything, so here's the short version of what to watch for.
The patterns
Real scams we've seen on this platform tend to follow the same shape. If a conversation fits one or more of these, slow down and consider reporting.
1. Pushing the conversation off-platform. "Can we discuss this through email?" "Let's switch to WhatsApp." "I prefer a Zoom call before I commit." Real students happily message on Tutorperch while they're deciding, because they understand auto-redaction is there for everyone's safety. A scammer's first move is almost always to get you onto a channel where our redactor can't see what they're sending you. What you'll see: a redacted phrase like [contact details hidden, unlock to view] near the start of the conversation, often after a sentence or two of small talk.
2. Fake meeting links. Real Zoom links look like zoom.us/j/<numbers>. Real Teams links are teams.microsoft.com/…. Real Google Meet is meet.google.com/…. Anything else dressed up to look like a Zoom link, domains such as joinlivemeet.es, zoom-meeting-join.com, or secure-zoom.app, is a phishing page that captures your password or installs malware. Our redactor catches these and replaces them with the contact-details placeholder. If you ever see one slip through, do not click it.
3. Manufactured urgency. "I'm waiting for you to connect." "I need to schedule this today." "My daughter starts on Monday." Real parents are willing to take a few days to evaluate a tutor; scammers want to keep you moving fast so you don't stop to think. If a new conversation feels strangely time-pressured, that's the signal to pause.
4. Generic "I want to hire a tutor" boilerplate. Word-for-word identical opening messages sent to many tutors at once are a red flag. Lines like "I came across your profile and I'm interested in hiring a tutor for my daughter", with no mention of subject, level, exam board, or the child's current attainment, usually mean the sender doesn't have a real student in mind. Real first messages name a specific subject and level and say what the child is struggling with. If the message could have been sent to any tutor on the platform, it probably was.
5. Asking you for your contact details. "Could you share your best email so I can send the meeting invite directly?" "What's your phone number?" The unlock fee is how Tutorperch works. If a parent wants your contact details, they pay the £9.99 finder's fee, which unlocks the thread so you and they can share contact details directly. Anyone asking you to type your contact info into a message, rather than paying for it, is trying to bypass the platform. One side note: your own phone or email typed into a message gets redacted too. The system blocks contact details going either direction until unlock.
What Tutorperch does automatically
Auto-redacts phone numbers, emails, URLs, and chat handles for services like WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, and Instagram, in any message until the unlock fee is paid.
Catches lookalike domains and obfuscated formats, like
name [at] domain dot comor defanged URLs, not just plain text.Manually reviews every safeguarding submission (DBS, PVG, AccessNI) so the badge on a tutor's profile is something we've seen with our own eyes.
Logs everything, so when admin investigates a reported conversation we have a complete transcript.
What we don't do: put a person on every conversation. Messages run through automated checks, and the human judgement step is yours, plus the report queue.
If something looks off
Don't click external links. Even if they look like Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet, double-check the domain. Redacted links are redacted because something about them tripped the filter.
Don't share your contact details in response to a request before the other party has paid the unlock fee. Genuine students pay; scammers ask.
Report the conversation. Every thread page has a Report button in the top-right corner. Admin reads every report. If in doubt, report it. We'd rather see ten false-alarm reports than miss one real phishing pattern.
If you've already engaged
Clicked a redacted link, or one you've now realised was suspicious? Run a virus scan, change passwords for any account you signed into recently, and watch your bank statements for unfamiliar charges.
Shared your contact details before the unlock? Block the number or email on your end. The scammer can't reach you on Tutorperch once we suspend their account, but they may still try via the channel you shared.
Been drawn into a payment arrangement you now doubt? Being paid for lessons directly is how tutoring works, so an off-platform payment isn't by itself suspicious. Money moving the other way is: a request to refund an overpayment or send funds onwards, or a demand to pay a registration or DBS fee to details sent in a message. If that's the shape, don't send anything, and report the conversation so we can suspend the account and check for other targets. More in Staying safe with payments.
If you suspect actual fraud, also consider reporting to Action Fraud, the UK national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.