This may or may not be a new way for LE to catch you or just a provider playing games.  Recently, I saw an ad for a very attractive FS provider and decided to inquire about her services.  It was advertising a special, which is usually music to a hobbyist's ears.  Unfortunately, the ad has been taken down or else I would have posted a link.  The ad said "text ok" so I sent a text message asking about her special. Needless to say, less than 30 minutes later, I get a response that read "This is the Downers Grove Police Dept. How may we help you."  I immediately froze and started thinking what do I do next.  I just deleted the text and felt fortunate that this didn't go to a MN Police Dept., as Downers Grove is in Iilinois.  

So, is this a new tactic for police to get numbers or contact info of hobbyists or a provider's attempt to mess with us?  Either way, I'm glad I now use a no-contract phone instead of my personal cell phone.  Hobbyists Beware!!!

BE SAFE OUT HERE!!!!!!!

The cell companies know your location within 3 feet.  Federal law requires the phone locations to be recorded.

So if you were sitting in your house or office when you made that call, and if it did go to the police,  they have no problem at all identifying you.   If you were not at home or work, but had your personal cell phone turned on and both phones have the same location coordinates at the same time -- they still know who you are.

Burner phones only offer protection if you never have your personal cell turned on at the same time and never call from a location such as work or home.

Being it was presumably out-of-state, you're probably okay though they certainly could let local LE know of your activities.

Be careful folks...

Though in this case I don't believe it was the police at all. -- Modified on 11/4/2015 3:15:15 PM

Anywhore, that's not typical police work but it is typical immature provider behavior, uncle Leo won't ever reveal themselves via text lol at least until you have their fancy bracelets on first.  

I am wondering if the provider didn't put the correct number down.... IE: transposed numbers or something like that.    or like ms d said.... immature provider playing a game.

Fear-mongering.

The only way the cell company could  have precise location info is if you have geo-location turned on. And I have not heard of a federal law that requires geo-location information to be recorded by the cell company. LE can get it from your phone once they have it in possession. Or if you are using some app that monitors and records it, maybe. But I truly, seriously do not believe the cell company has it for every phone call made by every cell phone.  

Geo-location requires internet access. If you keep data streaming and/or geo-location turned off in your phone, or if your burner is an old flip-phone like mine with no internet capability at all, then the closest they can come to locating you is by cell tower. Cell companies do have tower info and In urban areas they may be able to triangulate with precision down to 50 meters. That's a long, long way from 3 feet.  

The suggestion that LE can ID you if the burner phone and personal phone are both turned on is equally frivolous for all the same reasons.  

Assuming he had geo-location turned on, you still face the question whether any police department has the budget to initiate that kind of investigation because someone asked a question. Asking a question is not illegal. Even if it were, the crime we are talking about, at least in Minnesota, is a misdemeanor. Does anyone really think the Downers Grove PD is going to do the work to get location information just so they can call the Minneapolis PD and say "Hey, someone at a specific location asked a question that indicates he might at some unknown time in the future commit a misdemeanor somewhere in or near your jurisdiction."??? Get real.

The only thing correct in this post is that it probably wasn't LE. Best guess is tomthumb812 texted something the lady felt was indiscreet and this is how she blew him off.  

None of this is to say we shouldn't all be careful. We should. But fear-mongering is not a productive way to encourage useful caution.  

Sorry, that's not entirely true.  When a cell phone talks to 3 towers your location is triangulated.  It has nothing to do with any setting on the phone.   It has to do with the time it takes for the signal to travel between each tower and your phone.  The time difference pinpoints your location and its plotted and recorded.  Whether the accuracy is 3 feet or 50 feet its close enough.  If you're in your home, your neighbor's home is likely more than 50 feet away.

As far as your personal cell and burner...you need to use a little logic here.  If the locations of your personal cell and the burner match up within 50 feet or even a 1000 feet on 3 or 4 occasions that's enough to identify you.  Either that...or someone with that burner phone is following you around!  LOL!

You can choose to err on the side of caution and be smart and think about these things or you can be ignorant and throw caution to the wind and say it will never happen to me.    Instead of citing fear mongoring you ought to encourage people not to be stupid and be extra cautious.  You are, after all, doing something illegal.

 

-- Modified on 11/4/2015 6:39:16 PM  fixed typo

-- Modified on 11/4/2015 6:52:57 PM

Yup, agreed

But a local PD is very unlikely to go to such lengths for a misdemeanor.  It's a waste of their resources, particularly when they can get a lot more busts with a fake ad on BP.  I'm under no illusions; anyone can arrested if they decide they want you badly enough or if you just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The likelihood of what you describe is too small to get that concerned about.

They want enough evidence to justify an arrest and a simple text message isn't enough.

We were just fucking with you.  Looks like it worked too.

once, when i was a newbie (before i had a hobby phone), i received a cell phone call (9:15am or so) and a male voice said " this is Agent Ramerez with the DEA. Two of our agents will be stopping to interview you at 10am. The screen displayed a providers name i had met. I pretty quickly theorized her boyfriend was calling numbers he'd found. I was somewhat amused and responded. "That'll be fine. Come on over. Work's not going well & I could use a beak about then.  Later that day I called a friend who's LE, described the call to him. He asked for the number to Reverse Lookup on his work computer and put me on hold. Couple mins later he said "that number traces to a "burn phone",  then chuckled and said " Law Enforcement never calls ahead; we just show up & ruin your day.

Use Google Voice, easy to setup, easy to delete from your phone. It is my de facto way of contacting ladies I've met at m&gs. The ladies who have my real number are trustworthy ones.  

With a VoIP number it is a tad more difficult to track, but not impossible. So unless you have outstanding warrants the size of a small book, I doubt LE would show up or call you back.  

Cell triangulation works, but if you're in a building with 100 others... plus why are you doing with your hobby phone turned on at work, unless it is stowed in desk drawer at ALL times and is on to make the call / text. (LE can remotely turn it on if it isn't off and in a lead lined case.)  

 

-- Modified on 11/6/2015 2:29:41 PM

"The ladies who have my real number are trustworthy ones."

Everyone can mentally masturbate over the prospect of being smart enough to stay ahead but the fool proof option is to say fuck it and prepare for the potential but do what you can to mitigate the "unfortunate"

The number of ladies whom know my real number has diminished as they retire from this.  (I call or text them and number comes back as disconnected.)

not going outside for fear of getting hit by a car.  Just follow the basic precautions.  If the cops really wanted us that bad, they could definitely figure out who we all are.  HOWEVER, it is not worth the effort when what we ALL agree on is illegal human trafficking.  I would bust myself to save a girl from being trafficked if I could.  Most of us are quite appreciative of the police.  Sadly, only the bad ones are making the news.  The majority are great people who don't give too much of a shit about weed and high-end escorts.  With the shit they have to put up with, they probably wish they were both required during time off!

ooxx,
TL