How to know if a client is sketchy?

Unfortunately there is no sure fire way to know who is a legitimate client and who is a scammer. Follow your gut, but also recognize that the Rover platform may be confusing for owners, especially those that aren't technologically savvy.

You can host your meet and greets in a public place regardless of the service you're offering. Maybe a dog park, a coffee shop, etc. That way you can get a feel for the person and their dogs before being alone with them.

For house sitting (or drop-ins, or any service in a client's home) many people have a friend or spouse stay in the car out front while they go inside. That gives you (the sitter) an out if you feel uncomfortable or need to end the visit - "I've got to go, my friend is waiting for me in the car". I've also given my boyfriend the name and address of the person I'm meeting, and asked him to call me a set number of minutes into our meeting. That way if I'm uncomfortable I can use the call as an excuse to go (or he'll know by my non-answer that something is wrong).

For boarding (or daycare, or any service in your home) I try to schedule M&Gs when my boyfriend will be home. If he can't be, I again advise him of who/when I'm meeting and to ask him call me if he hasn't heard from me by a set time. I also will leave the front door and windows open (weather permitting!) and close the doors to the bathrooms or bedrooms to make it feel like as 'public' of a space as possible.

If this request doesn't feel right to you, don't feel bad turning it down. But there is no harm in continuing a conversation through the Rover platform to get to know more about it first! If owners request you email them personally, or text their cell phones instead, you are within your rights to insist the conversation stay on Rover (blame Rover and say you have to keep conversations on their site). If the owner would rather have a phone conversation, that's fine too, but I always send a summary of the conversation via the Rover system so it is documented.

Just trust your gut. If you feel something off DO NOT go. I had a request recently that was very strange they wanted me to walk their dog for 9 hours. I asked and he said he wanted me to watch it. It was fine until he didn't respond for hours and then I woke up to very weird and confusing messages about someone name Tyler. And then something about "imay already live inflorida" and they sent me the same, one pic of the dog that was on their profile. It immediately alerted some red flags and I reported them to rover, I'm hoping they actually do something. The last thing I want is not only for me but for anyone else just looking to help walk a dog to be in danger.

Hi Laura, Below are two links to similar questions where multiple answers were given. https://www.rover.com/community/quest... https://www.rover.com/community/quest...

I understand your concerns. Sometimes people rush and don't completely fill out profiles. After contacting sitters, we need to ask the person to complete their profile first (and refer them to Rover support if they need help doing so) , and ask any questions to determine if the booking would be of interest. Also, you can reach out to Rover support and ask if they see anything concerning on their end. It's recommended to meet outside in a publicly visible area, like a sidewalk etc. I'd suggest that you may consider having a friend go with you and wait for about thirty minutes while you meet with the client so you can form an impression... Or tell someone where you're going and all the details, and tell them when you'll check in with them (approx. 30 minutes after arrival) to let them know you're all right. And use Rover to document all of your communications, including meeting times & locations.

Red flags include: people that immediately want to move discussion off of Rover to private email (don't) and people that ask to pay cash outside of Rover (which is a violation resulting in getting banned).

I would first try to keep an open mind because for some people, especially older people, Rover can be confusing to use. And sometimes people sound weird in text because it's just not something that's second nature to them. So keep an open mind but I agree with the commenter who said that you should have a friend or family member waiting in the car to give you an out. For this guy, it's very possible that since English is maybe not his first language he's awkward in text.