Well, the first thing you have to do is remind or acknowledge to yourself that this hobby is not without its risks.  So bad things happening are always possible.

That said, the same is true for most of regular life.  In about 10 minutes, I'm going to run across the street for lunch.  There are vehicles moving at about 60 MPH on that street - so I technically could be hit and killed.  So what should I do?  Not eat lunch?  Or take enough precautions so that the odds decrease significantly in my favor...

In my opinion, The Hobby is too much fun to give up just on the chance that LE (the police) are waiting on the other side of that hotel or apartment door.  So here's how to decrease the odds in your favor:

(1) Use TER.  That's presumably why you're here.  Find providers in your area that offer the services you want with the appearance you want that are well-reviewed and that have multiple reviews.  TER lets you click on a reviewer's handle to see who else he has reviewed.  Make sure that at least a few of the multiple reviews are from experienced reviewers - thus lessening the chance that the provider has posted them herself or that it's some kind of sting.  This also has the side benefit of ensuring that you spend time with an honest and enthusiastic provider.

(2) No matter what, never engage in discussions about how much for what service in e-mail or phone conversations before meeting the provider.  In fact, there's really no time that this should be a discussion.  If what she will and won't do isn't clear from the TER profile and reviews, at some point during the session it will be ok to ask - but not before and certainly not in a service-for-money type of discussion (at best, such a practice is called an 'upsell' and is typical of less-reputable providers).  

(3) Be as discreet about your payment of the donation as possible.  Most providers will take care of this by telling you how they prefer to receive the donation.  It's rude, in any case, to count out a bunch of cash or toss some on the bed after your session is over.  So this is pretty much common sense.  In absence of other instructions, leave the donation in an unmarked, unsealed, envelope somewhere in plain view but without discussing its contents, that's generally the best practice.

(4) Pay attention to the regional board for the area you intend to find a provider - paricularly if it's not your hometown.  Often, information about new efforts in the LE community to put their grubby hands into our personal lives and 'crackdown' will be passed along on those boards.

Finally, just be smart.  If a situation 'feels wrong' just walk away.  Better to live to play another day than to walk into something you always suspected wasn't on the level.

Finally, don't worry too much about it - in the range of bad things that are possible in this hobby, it's far more likely that you will at some point be disappointed with a provider's performance or appearance, rather than having to worry about being caught in a sting of some kind...but be careful, be safe and be smart.  Good luck!  -PV

Well reviewed providers and agencies with a consistant record of customer satisfaction.  When I say well reviewed, I mean the quality, not quantity of reviews.  However, please remember one or two bad reviews when all of the others are good doesn't make the lady is suspect, it just means that a not everybody clicks with her.

Now, if want to ensure what your doing isn't illegal, go to NV.  Sexual services are legal in all but Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno).

-- Modified on 10/4/2005 2:30:34 PM