I'm always amazed at the providers who want you to give your real name and place of work.  There is no way I'm going to do that.  No provider in her right mind is going to give you her real name so why would they expect you to do so.  Now I've missed out on seeing some really hot providers but there are lots of fish in the sea.

I rather talk about great Greek providers but let me provide some tips for the super paranoid who stilll want to engage in this hobby:

1.  Create a separate email account just for TER and your hobby activities with a bogus name.

2. Buy a prepaid cell phone and plan using cash.  You don't have to provide your name or address.  If you get a phone call from a person you don't want to know, you can just toss it in the trash and buy another one.  

3.  If possible, don't provide your real name or work info to a provider or agency.  Try to get screened through other means that cannot be traced back to you.  If you already have references, this is easier to do.

4.  Discard your TER name every 6 months and start a new one.  You can't build up street cred but it'll keep you under a lower profile.  

Just trying to help.  Now we should probably move on to great Greek providers!

I'm not super paranoid so I don't follow all these rules.  I'm just giving advice to those who want to be super cautious.  I've stayed with this handle because I don't fear anything from my TER handle.  My TER name is connected to a standalone email address which has a bogus name and no other personal info, further, the website is based overseas.  But I do have another TER handle when the provider/agency may know my handle and I want to be slightly critical without getting backlash.

That is exactly what people are doing now. See BP ladies with reviews. As we learned many guys got outed and once the information gets out there it never goes away.

The DC hobby industry will suffer permanent damage because of peoples agendas of fighting each other. LE is having a field day with the wars going on between people and agencies.

You only lose your review history if you cancel one account and open a whole new one.  If you contact admin to request to change your handle, you will keep your review history.

You can opt out of the top 100 reviewers nationally or in your city, but anyone who buys VIP can read you reviews.

Yes I know that access to reviews is what TER is for....

but the "fantasy" disclaimer is  not going to do much good if the wrong people get enough information to start connecting the dots.  And there is no way to keep LE from purchasing VIP.

Absent some sort of control being made available to the reviewer with respect to limiting who can read his reviews, I am strongly considering "retiring" my username at this time, abandoning the many, many "VIP" days I've accumulated and either starting over or moving on.  Just don't need the drama....

I can appreciate that a provider wants to stay safe, we all want that.  If you go through the effort to get screened on sites like p411 and dcheck the provider has to respect your privacy too.   I missed out on seeing a real sweetheart due to her probing for personal information.   Yes there is many fish in this sea.

I've had more cancellations due to this line of board posts. These boards have done more to curtail the industry and one week then LE in DC, MD & NOVA has done in a year. And I'm not just talking about new hobbyists. I have been canceled on due to these posts by guys with 20+ reviews.

I agree with you not wanting to provide your real name. That is totally understandable, but if that is the way you go you will need to have some sort of verification such as white listing here (which you have) or verification on another site. I could care less what anyone's real name is as long as I am able to verify that there is no danger to me. The ones that are run into problems are both the hobbyists and provider that refuses to be screened or doesn't screen. So keep seeing the girls that can only be found on BP and you don't know who she is, but don't be surprised when her friends come in through the adjoining door to either cuff you or rob you.

But nevertheless it would really be great if this whole thread can be put to bed for a while. I am 100% certain that LE is sitting back laughing their asses off while you guys and gals do their work for them.

The computer you are using has a unique IP adress.  It is very easy to physically find you with or without the bogus email account.  You can be IDed to the keyboard based on your entry point. You are not paranoid enough.

Well, if you're super paranoid, use a second cheap laptop just for hobby purposes and then connect to the Net only through public WiFi locations or go to places where you can access the Internet for free on public computers such as public libraries.  But you should ask yourself whether LE would go through the time and tremendous effort to try to track down the email user of a john when there is so much bigger fish to fry.  Unlikely to say the least.

Well, this thread is really to assist hobbyist who want to continue the hobby without fear of bad things happening.  I am trying to get guys to understand that it is not as scary as they think but if they are scared, then there are steps that they can take to minimize risks.  I agree with you that LE must be laughing about all the misinformation going around.

I am friends with another provider that knew the people running one of the agencies that were targeted. And from what I understand from talking to her is that they had one house with four or five girls working out of it. So just based on that information it would appear to be pissed off neighbors. Would you want to be would you want to be living next door to this? With this number girls in a residential location there had to be at least 10 guys conservatively coming going every day.

Look it up.  If you're not hiding your IP/MAC identity then you're not paranoid enough, IMHO.  You'll find all the info you need on TER's security board FAQ (Oh damn, that's right, there is no TER security board).  It's out there on the Internet.  Look for Hide My IP, Hide My Ass, etc.

DAYDREAMER's suggestion for open WiFi is also a winner.