It started like this, i got an email on escorts.com from someone calling themselves “providers voice”. telling me not to use escorts.com. Escorts.com was one of the companies owned by A-1 advertising and A-1 got raided recently. they also own HotMovies among others no one really knows what the men in blue were looking for or which company they were going after but it was best to be real careful when booking off that site for a while.
I tried to look up providers voice, no history. I asked around, no one ever heard of them. The person mailing left a name i couldn’t find no info connected. No website, No profile No trace. Okay noted. Ignored.
Today i get an email to my email address unsolicited with no opt out and i sure as hell didn’t opt in. This one was waring “ladies” against giving their CC information to escorts.com who is now requiring it as an age verification mechanism. Yanno like CL, Back-page, Eros, City-vibe, That Mall, and pretty much any other legit business endeavor that caters to sex workers. Now some of those require even more to protect themselves legally. It appears to me in light of A-I advertising’s recent raid they are now putting a policy into play to shield them from the charge of “Underage” which is the route LE has taken up against so many when trying to bring down business support services to escorts, providers voice is waring people to not comply.
No complying will get your profile taken down. If you’ve ever been a Escorts.com VIP (like i have) well then they already have your info and you likely didn’t get the email but because e.com is one of those sites that lets you put up a profile without being a VIP anyone can do it, now a CC will be required. Want the profile, then give them info. I know its scary with the recent busts but that’s a choice you will have to make for yourself, if you are comfortable with that or not.
What i am taking exception with is some entity no once can verify doling out advice to sex workers… AGAIN. Didn’t we jut go though this. Before you take any advice from anyone on the real business of sex work check them out. See that they are legit, vet them and then listen and use your critical thinking skills to see if what they are telling you makes sense to you. Though this group or person might be trying to do some good, they are already hading out bad advice they have no website and their domain is less then one month old. They can be ANYONE. Would you take advice from a stranger on the street about escorting? Of course not, so why would you listen to an anonymous email? I know you dont when Nigerian banker tells you you’ve won a million dollars and all you need to do is give then 2k in a money order and your will be rich.
I’ve asked around, to long time women in the business those that do outreach and run and participate in safety sites, NO one knows who this outfit is… i mean NO ONE.
In light of recent events both in MD,VA, DC, PA and in the blogosphere, you need to take a LONG HARD look at who is telling YOU whats safe and best to do.
I wrote back providers voice and i have yet to head from them, i may be waiting a very long time.
UPDATE: 11/16/20- Providers Voice got back to me and didn’t give me any information as to who they are. They clam to be a legal and political advocacy group HOWEVER their website went live today and they are trying to get ladies to sign up for some $99.00 program of theirs.
I’m still trying to find anyone who may have any idea who they are. I’ve asked around to advocates, activist, escorts, blacklist groups and so far no one has any idea. They showed up out of nowhere with no credentials of any kind. They are unwilling to provide anything that will show their legitimacy to members of the community (and numerous people have asked them who they are). They are operating completely anonymously.
No credentials, no transparency, trying to collect money.
Yeah good luck with that.
My reply to Providers Voice:
Provider’s Voice,
As a Sex Worker and an activist AGAINST trafficking, I am VERY offended that you would send this message out via a mass mailing. What measures have you taken to verify that I am over 18?? that I am an independent provider and not someone “posing” as one in order to exploit someone else.
I, for one, applaud Escorts.com for attempting to be proactive in their attempt to ensure that only CONSENTING ADULTS are utilizing their website. I think the fact that “dummy credit cards” are being accepted is a glitch within their system that I trust they will rectify that soon.
The offense I took is that you are ENCOURAGING providers to be deceptive in who they are. Providers Voice just sent out a mass mailing to some who may be traffickers and told them how to avoid verifying age. Providers Voice is promoting using a dummy card that my 13year old son could pick up at Kmart. Do you really think the attached disclaimer would make someone so evil dismiss your advice??
For years, Eros has required a legal name and age verification…have you noticed they haven’t been under any scrutiny??
Escorting IS LEGAL. Providers who are afraid of law enforcement knowing their name and place of residence must be doing something they need to hide from. If law enforcement came knocking at my door because they found out I advertised on Escorts.com, so what?? do we not still live in a country that is protected by the US Constitution??
♥Brooklyn VIceroy
P.S. I honestly considered signing this message using my legal name to prove that I don’t have any reason to hide. However, I know I have had friends that have asked Providers Voice for some proof of legitimacy to no avail.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jenny DeMilo and Dakota Koxx, Rachael Benedict. Rachael Benedict said: RT @jennydemilo: New blogpost up "WHO THE FUCK IS PROVIDERS VOICE" http://bit.ly/awuqri Ladies have you been contacted? Go read! Please RT […]
I received the same email from them, among others. The fact that I’m somehow on their mailing list when I didn’t request to be is annoying. What’s worse is that they sent this to my private email, NOT thru e.com site. Grrrrr….
I emailed them back once asking who they were, and actually got a non-stock response telling me they were a women’s interest group, etc. That was before I tried to get info on who runs the “group”. So far, nada. I suspect that is because its really just some hack trying to force my VIP business elsewhere. Boooooo.
The response I received from Providers Voice
Our job is not to fight child trafficking. It is to help ADULT providers protect themselves. We are not God. We are advising providers of a legal age on how to stay out of LE’s database. This is simply advise. Take it , or don’t. And, if your job is legal, then please start using it on credit applications. As well, be sure to let your son and all of his friends know what you do. It is legal, right? No. It’s not. That’s why we exist. To help make what YOU do, legal. If you don’t want to be a part of this very important movement, then move along (Escorts.com executive). Thank you.
I then asked them AGAIN who they were to which I got a message saying their website is up but they are unwilling to help me any further (I didn’t ask them for any help~LOL)
Wishing them luck!!
definitely screen like crazy. Anyone that asks you to wire money is definitely sketchy. “provider’s voice” sounds sketchy enough.