When I travel to different areas of the US, especially the larger cities, tryst will frequently have 1000+ listings, with a lot of fakes. I've never run into a fake on p411. An active p411 + at least a few positive TER reviews has been a good screen for me. Every provider I've asked about p411 said it works for them too - they know the chance of a no show or a problem is very low.
P411 is a pain to join for both parties, which helps weed out most of the bad actors on both sides. Yes, p411 asks for a lot of your personal information but it does for the provider too. And either side can report a problem with a visit (which can lead to getting kicked off), so the relatively simple ok system works pretty well. The biggest shortcoming is there are no details about the visit, so you have to come here to TER or another review platform to get more information.
So yes, giving a provider your p411 id gives them some information about you. Once you give a provider your p411 id, they can look up your profile on the p411 site, with details you provide a long with the providers that have given you an OK. If you wish to remain 100 percent anonymous, p411 won't work for you.
Is it worth it? Maybe. Depends on how many providers are in your area or visit your area that are are on p411. Is it possible you find your next favorite on p411? Absolutely, there are at least a handful I have found that only list on p411 (and not on tryst). Is it possible there is no one you don't already know about on p411 in your area? Yep, that's possible too, especially if you are in a smaller area. I think that's why they offer less expensive shorter memberships to try it out.
