The practice of references and reviews is indeed questionable. The great majority of reviews written by hobbyists are explicit, though many make an attempt to mask the reality by using commonly known terms in the adult business world. Newsflash – the terms are so common that law enforcement officers would have to be buried in sand to not get it. I have known some stupid cops in my time, but none that dumb. The references system began innocently enough with providers exchanging references for clients to avoid arrest and to at least feel safe from harm when with a new clients, but later escalated to operations like Date Check.
The Erotic Review has reviews by city and state that are sorted by the date posted. The last time I looked there were over 800 posted in Orlando area. Both hobbyists and providers seem to believe that they are anonymous, with all the aliases; however, TER has been under investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies for too many years. They kid only themselves. To read the explicit reviews one must be a member of TER, and otherwise can't read "the juicy details". Only post reviews there or join if you really do not care about arrests or the exposure of your "hobby".
Date Check is another crazy operation – let's not pretend that law enforcement officers can't create their own references. The minimum amount of information for hobbyists/clients includes first name, last name, and middle initial, the last four digits of a social security number or driver's license, an employer's name and location, and a direct line to reach you at work. They also want a list of providers that will provide references, whether members of Date Check or not. At the end they offer a "this is for entertainment purposes only" disclaimer. No kidding, right? What a database/client list this must be, right? It sure wouldn't surprise me to hear the feds were/are involved in this operation as it sounds like it could be far more successful than the credit card sting operations.
Anyway, my point herein is that having reviews plastered all over the internet or allowing anyone to verify information for you can end negatively. Don't believe me? Read the farewell statement from John St. Marie and the ABC News article about the situation in Minneapolis in the Nice Guys investigation. You can also read about the Mississippi cardiologist charged with Mann Act violations in Mississippi Cardiologist Won't Go to Prison for Online Dating. Mann Act violations and touring prostitutes is a topic that I will post on in the next few days.
