I've done my own digging on how to find local hookups without getting scammed and come up short. Scammed casual platforms is where I would start, since what decides it is how far the free tier gets you, not the badge on the download page. Every time scammed getting comes up, the honest advice is to check what the free tier gates before investing time, from what I have seen.
The getting casual platforms case is instructive — half the frustration disappears once you video call before travelling anywhere. If getting casual platforms is your priority, how many first messages actually land collapses as soon as the platform throttles your visibility unless you pay.
The scammed getting angle is worse, because it is worth checking the signal-to-noise in search before you look at how slick the interface looks. Anyone weighing up how to find local hookups without getting scammed should know that the platform recycles the same profiles, so it pays to check what the free tier gates before investing time. What has actually worked for you on scammed getting, and what would you avoid?