How do I screen clients

I've been closely following the case of Rex Heuermann, the Long Island serial killer. A seemingly decent architect with his own company in Manhattan, has recently been charged with the murders of six women, all of whom were escorts. However, he is suspected of having killed more than ten people and is still under investigation as police search for more evidence. You never know the true heart behind a gentleman's face.

Another example is Philip Markoff from Boston. A medical student with a promising future and a pretty wife, he robbed a few escorts and was eventually arrested for murdering one. He committed suicide in jail while awaiting sentencing.

These cases highlight the complexity of human nature. Some individuals show their worst side to escorts because they think escorts are less respected and believe their behavior will go unnoticed.

Now, back to my topic: how do I screen clients? I've referred to the screening methods of several predecessors and typically offer three options: photo ID, LinkedIn, and references.

References tend to be the most reliable form of verification, but they're the least used. If a client is nice to me, I’d gladly be his reference and say some nice things about him.

I've received fake IDs, LinkedIn profiles with zero connections (likely newly set up), and fake references (where the provider told me she had never met the man before).

I understand clients might have their reasons. Some have told me they've been blackmailed by providers who later demanded large sums of money under the threat of revealing their secret to their families. Most clients just want to be discreet. In that case, if the client believes his social standing is much higher than the escort’s, I would recommend signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Even with a signed non-disclosure agreement, some clients may still feel insecure. In former President Donald Trump’s hush money case, the porn star who claimed to have had sex with Trump filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she had signed with him. However, most of us are just normal people, not political stars or super-rich individuals. The chances of being blackmailed are very small yet still exist. For a blackmailing escort, it requires significant effort, intelligence, and risks her long-term revenue. If the possibility of obtaining a large sum of money is low, there is little motivation for the escort to blackmail.

And one more thing, in my experience, honest people usually don’t notice dishonest behavior. If a client doesn’t trust an escort and keeps questioning her, he is probably the dishonest one.