New SB in Melbourne — would love some honest advice on getting started

Hi everyone,

I’m 20, based in Melbourne, and brand new to the sugar lifestyle. After a long time single I’ve accepted this is something I want to explore, mainly for financial support while I’m studying. I’ve made free accounts on Seeking and sugardaddy.com.au but I honestly have no idea how this all works yet, so I’d really appreciate guidance from people who’ve been doing it a while.

A few things I’m trying to figure out:

1.	Getting started — Are those two sites a good place to begin, or are there better ones for Australia/Melbourne specifically? Is it worth paying for a membership, or is the free version fine at first?  
2.	Spotting scams — What are the most common scams targeting new SBs, and what are the red flags? I’ve heard about fake “first gift” offers and verification-fee tricks but I’d love to know what else to watch for.  
3.	Payments — How do allowances usually work (per meet vs monthly)? What payment methods are safe to accept, and which ones are red flags I should refuse?  
4.	Vetting — How do you check that someone is genuine before agreeing to anything or meeting in person?  
5.	Safety — For that first meeting, what precautions do experienced SBs swear by?  
6.	Online-only / findom — I’m also curious whether an online-only arrangement (like a pay pig / findom dynamic) is realistic and safe for a beginner, or whether that space has even more scammers. Honest takes welcome.  
7.	Discretion — How do you protect your identity and privacy, especially as a student?

Anything else a beginner should know but probably doesn’t think to ask? Thanks so much in advance 🙏