October 2026 Study: What I Found Reviewing 39 Escort Sites in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil

Between August and October 2026 I tested 39 escort sites that I picked for the Don Catador list. It's not a census or a representative sample of the whole market, but...

In the 30 sites of the main analysis, including 15 from Mexico, 14 from Colombia and one that operates in Mexico and Colombia, I was able to confirm full identity and age verification in 11 of 30 (37%). Ten had it in part, eight showed no controls I could confirm and in one I didn't get the data.

I'm talking about what I could check as a user from the outside, with the same criteria I use to award the seals on each scorecard. I didn't audit personal documents or internal processes.

Who Verifies the People Posting?

Bars at 100% for four groups. Mexico: 6 verify, 5 in part and 4 no, over 15 sites. Colombia: 5 verify, 4 in part, 4 no and 1 without data, over 14. One site operating in Mexico and Colombia verifies in part. Brazil: 6 verify, 2 in part and 1 no, over 9.

In Mexico I found 6 sites with full verification out of 15 (40%). Another 5 verified in part and 4 showed no verifiable controls.

In Colombia, 5 of 14 reached the full level (36%); there were 4 partials, 4 without confirmed controls and 1 without data.

The site operating in Mexico and Colombia landed in the partial category. I count it within the 30, but I don't add it to either country when comparing their figures separately.

Verification got the lowest average score of the six criteria I rate: 5.3 out of 10. Ease of use reached 6.7. I saw it again and again when entering: navigating, filtering and finding a contact is usually straightforward. Figuring out what controls exist behind an ad takes more work.

In Mexico, verification averaged 5.8; in Colombia, 4.9. When comparing those two countries, Colombia had the highest scores in ease of use (7.2) and price transparency (6.6). Mexico recorded the lowest in transparency (5.3) and coverage (5.5). Among the 30 sites, total scores range from 4.0 to 7.8, with a median of 5.8. Ten fell below 5.5 and only two exceeded 7.

What Is Easy to Find and What Costs More?

Percentage of the 30 sites from Mexico and Colombia where the feature shows as Yes: free for users 97%, usable without signing up 97%, direct contact 80%, identity and age verification 37%, report button 37%, moderated reviews 30% and verified photos 10%. The In part answers are not added.

On almost all sites I could browse profiles for free and without creating an account. In eight out of ten, contact with the advertiser was direct. When checking the control tools, the results were different. This is the full count of the seven characteristics with enough data to compare:

Characteristic	Yes	In part	No	Without data
Free for users	29 (97%)	1	0	0
Usable without signing up	29 (97%)	1	0	0
Direct contact with the advertiser	24 (80%)	2	4	0
Verifies advertisers' identity and age	11 (37%)	10	8	1
Button to report profiles	11 (37%)	3	16	0
Moderated client reviews	9 (30%)	8	13	0
Verified photos (badge, selfie or video)	3 (10%)	14	13	0

The contrast doesn't prove by itself that a site is safe or unsafe. It does show which functions I could confirm.

In 12 of the 30 sites, neither identity and age verification nor the button to report profiles are complete. Only four have both things complete.

In 16 I didn't find a button to report profiles, and only three fully met my criteria for verified photos.

The scorecard has an eighth characteristic, 'no obvious fake profiles'. I didn't include it in this table because in 16 of the 30 sites I don't have the data. I prefer to leave that space without a percentage rather than present as general an observation made on less than half.

Where Do the Alerts Appear?

Alerts by main reason in 30 sites from Mexico and Colombia: 5 for advances or extortion after contact, 3 for fake profiles or photos that don't match, 1 for investigations or complaints mentioned in the press and 1 for low score in a scam detector. In total, 10 sites with alert.

I recorded some alert in 10 of the 30 sites (33%). In Mexico there were 6 out of 15 (40%) and in Colombia, 3 out of 14 (21%). The site operating in Mexico and Colombia also has one. Each scorecard identifies its reason; here I count one alert per site according to the main reason:

5 for complaints about advances or extortion after contact.
3 for fake profiles or photos that don't match the advertised person.
1 for investigations or complaints mentioned in the press.
1 for a low score in a scam detector.

An alert can come from complaints or reports from third parties about that site, from an observation I made during the test or from an automated score. They are not evidence of the same type nor do they carry the same weight.

A complaint is not the same as a sentence, and a score from a detector doesn't prove a scam occurred. That's why it's best to read the source and context in the individual scorecard before drawing conclusions.

I checked whether alerts only showed up where verification was missing. That didn't hold. Four of the 11 sites with full verification still have an alert; 5 of the 10 with partial verification do too, and 1 of the 8 without it. The site without data has none. Verifying identity and having alerts can coexist, just for different reasons.

My advice for anyone contacting from an ad remains not to pay in advance. I explain that precaution and other signals in how to avoid scams.

What Distinguishes Directories from Classifieds?

I separated the 30 sites from Mexico and Colombia according to the categories I use to organize the list. I was interested in seeing what happens when comparing formats, in addition to countries.

Type of site	Sites	Verify identity and age	With alert	Average score
Escort directories	11	8 (73%)	4	6.1
Classifieds	10	1 (10%)	5	5.6
Escort agencies	5	2	1	5.7
Forums and client reviews	3	0	0	6.1
Clubs and private venues	1	0	0	4.8

The clearest difference appeared in identity and age verification. In the directories I could confirm it fully in 8 of 11 sites. In the classifieds, only in 1 of 10.

Alerts were also more numerous in the classifieds, but the distance is much smaller: 5 out of 10 versus 4 out of 11 directories.

There's no basis to say that one format is riskier across the whole market. The sites weren't chosen at random and a recorded alert doesn't measure by itself the real frequency of incidents.

And What Did I Find in Brazil?

I reviewed nine Brazilian sites and left them out of the main analysis. Six verified identity and age (67%), two did it in part and one didn't. In eight I didn't observe obvious fake profiles, and none had an alert recorded on their scorecard.

The average score for verification was 6.8 and for safety and privacy, 7.7. What I found hardest was knowing the rates before contacting: price transparency averaged 4.8 and I found many ads with the amount 'to be agreed'. Total scores ranged from 4.3 to 8.7.

That's a clear difference in these nine tests. It doesn't mean Brazil has fewer scams or that its whole market verifies better.

How I Did This Study

I chose 39 sites for Don Catador's list: 15 from Mexico, 14 from Colombia, 9 from Brazil and one that operates in Mexico and Colombia. I reviewed them between August 19 and October 18, 2026; the data cutoff is October 28, 2026.

I entered as a user, browsed profiles, tested filters on phone and computer, observed contact channels and reviewed visible control measures.

Each site has its last test date and follows the same methodology.

I score six criteria from 0 to 10: verification (weight 2), profile quality (1.5), safety and privacy (1.5), ease of use (1), price transparency (1) and coverage (1).

Verification is the criterion with the most weight on the scorecard. The total score is a weighted average.

I also record eight characteristics with 'Yes', 'In part' or 'No', note when data is missing and add an alert when there's a reason to flag, whether from an external source, my own observation or a reputation detector.

Not all of those evidences carry the same weight.

This work describes a selection I made. The tests are a snapshot of a specific period; sites can change. I also didn't gather the rates into an average, because they're expressed by hour, encounter or agreement, and in different currencies. The scores and alert reasons can be consulted in the scorecards, along with the sources when identified.

Don Catador runs on ads and affiliate links, but none of that stuff moves the scores, I lay it out in transparency. If you need a cut by city, criterion or category for a news piece, email [email protected] or use the contact form.

If you cite this study, link to doncatador.com/estudio-octubre-2026

The 39 Scorecards from the Study

These are the included scorecards, in alphabetical order. Each one shows its score, characteristics and sources where applicable.