I think the post from yesterday got us all Riled up, but the good that comes out of a bad situation is that there is always a lesson to be learn and through that others learn as well.  

So what do you(Provider/hobbyist) do to protect yourself from being scammed?  

what do you do if you are scammed?  

My answer:  
I personally get on the boards and tell everyone. I have not had an incident (at least not on TER) where I have gotten scammed out of money. Have certain men tried to be stupid and short change me or haggle with me? Yes, However, once I tell them I will make sure I was the last provider they saw they always give in and make an excuse. Need be, I could always go to the screening website and report them on there so when others look for them they will see their name and incident.  

Always remember that just because this is illegal it doesn't mean that our conduct should betray what society and the movies do/think of us. Be good to others, you don't know anyone's story and/or where they have been. Remember that we all have a male and/or female figure(Mom,dad,sister, brother,son, daughter, best friend, a dog named skip, ect..,) in our lives that we adore and what you wouldn't want others to do to them you shouldn't do to anyone else.

In my early days of hobbying, I'd always want to believe that the ads that sounded too good to be true were.  Almost without exception, they weren't.

I never got into a dangerous situation but I lost a fair amount of money and pride along the way.

It's part of the school of hard knocks that we all must except if we are going to do this for any amount of time; but the smart ones will heed these cautions and avoid the worst of it

END OF MESSAGE

Do NOT reward bad behavior and staying silent after getting ripped off is the same as rewarding that behavior.

We all have a soapbox here with which to be heard, suffering in silence does not have to be the only option. Bad behavior will not survive the light of day, shining a bright like on the scamsters, both men and women alike is what this site is all about, Roxy kudos for reminding us of this.

Ladies, if a guy shorts you, beats you, or just plain flakes out on you, your sister providers deserve to know. Guys, if a woman pulls a B&S, is a ROB or pulls a NCNS, don't simply take it, post a warning on your regional board and don't be afraid to NAME NAMES, it does no good to simply say "PM me for details" that's the coward's way out and does nothing to help the community. The same goes for the ladies, but within TER rules of course.  

This is an "us against them" situation, but it's not a "guys vs girls, hookers vs johns kind of thing, it's honest guys and girls against the scammers on BOTH sides of the equation.

ok, stepping off my soap box now.

 
that felt pretty good.lol

For reminding everybody that it's not an us against them, it's the honest people against the scammers. That type of thought process allows us all to stay safe and enjoy this a lot more

This is about good people uniting against bad people and that's when this place truly works for all of us.

BTW... This gal is good people and I'd like to be united with her!

amen, brother!