About a month ago I came across a site called backpage. WOW! what an eye opener! Having never done any "hobbying" and only one visit to a strip club in my 53 year old life, I really had no idea what I was in store for. I really wish there was more info on sites like BP that could help us newbies. I have spent the last two days (probably about 12 hrs total...lol) just skimming and reading after finally being told by a provider about these sites. Probably could have saved myself about $1800 or given to a provider who deserved it and I got what I wanted. Outta 5 providers I have yet to find what I wanted but I am now equipped with the knowledge to find it. ALL NEWBIES...listen to the hobbyist out there who tell you NOT to jump in with both feet! Yeah, your horny and want some now, but please please listen to the advise and READ first! Thanks Skylar for all your help!

I'm not 100% clear on your bottom line, so I just want to add a few points and some advice for you newbies:

#1 and most important, BackPage is a VERY dangerous place for newbies (this from a guy who uses backpage all the time, read my reviews). You can absolutely find real providers and lower-priced gems there. But more often than not, you will also find:
- "real" providers using fake pics (bait and switch)
- "real" providers charging much higher than advertised rate (upsell)
- "real" providers who "provide" shitty (or no) service
- "real" providers who are drugged-out ho's, barely above street level
- fake providers setting up cash-and-dash ripoffs
- fake providers with pimps who will rob you, beat you, or break into your car
- fake providers just trying to lure you to pay websites, or worse, sites that might steal your credit info
- fake providers setting up an LE sting.
and probably more, that's all I could think of at the moment.

If you live in a small market area as I do, then BP may be one of the only advertising options you have to find local girls, but doing your research includes looking for reviews, googling images and phone numbers, asking questions on local boards, and just using your brain. I'm always amazed when a BP woman posts pics that make Jessica Alba look like a homely pig, and offers to suck your dick, take it up the ass, and paint your house, for $150 - and there are guys posting somewhere "hey, is this girl for real?"

No, she isn't, you moron

If you decide you are going to be the guy to TOFTT, at least do your best to protect yourself. Do not carry anything that you don't want stolen. Unless you are Chuck Norris, don't carry a weapon, the bad guy will just take it away from you and kill you with it. Stretch your legs before your session (if the session turns out to be real, you don't want a charley horse to interrupt you - and if it's a ripoff, you want to be ready to run) Don't give out any personal information (small time BP girls rarely screen). Prepare yourself mentally beforehand for a bad session, and you won't cry about it so much when it happens - and if it turns out to be good, you will be pleasantly surprised.

If you have not read the self help center, DO IT!!!!  Get VIP, even if you have to pay until you write some reviews.  You can also get 2 days for each approved problem report that you submit.  You need to do your research on any girl you want to see.  Check pics, phone number, and above all look for reviews somewhere.  It sounds like you have learned some lessons that hard way, but at least you learned.

Backpage does have a questionable reputation, but it also depends on the area.  I know a very well-reviewed provider that uses it, and several others that I know do also.  You will find bad apples on every site that escorts advertise on along with some really good ones.  I would also suggest you join one or more of the verification sites, DateCheck, Preferred411, or RoomService 2000.  That will help you get in the door with some quality providers.

Good luck,
Swim

Ocassionally TER reviiewed girls advertise there.  Go to My TER on the left near the bottom you can get add -ons for foxfire and IE browses.    These add-ons allow you to highlight the phone number of any girl on any forum right click your mouse and your taken directly to her TER profile page, if she has one.

My strong suggestion is if she doesn't have at least 5 reviews look elsewhere.  Friends, other providers, special arrangements could have been made for the reviews.

Thanks good advice!

Always copy and past phone numbers from BP into Google and 9 times out of 10 another picture will show up from the same number, which is a dead giveaway that these are fake pictures. Another site I use to copy and paste phone numbers is Escortphonesearch.com which will show all of the ages, postings, and photos that a provider has used, if you see different pictures of the so-called same person then its a fake, or if you have the same number with the same pictures, but with different names then you a fake.