Horrible harassment

[raulgmanzo]

This week I have had more harassment than ever. Tons of phone sex calls, BS email, noshows

and last night/today was the icing on the cake. I was tricked into renting a car two see two apparently ficticious clients on opposite sides of the city. Turns out at least one (if not both) were using a stolen cell phone. Well or so I'm told. Not sure what to believe now.

And when an actual client calls how will I know if the phone was stolen or it is some kind of prank?

Am at my wits end.

[+ deej]

There's a full lunar eclipse tonight.

 

I'm just sayin' ...........

[raulgmanzo]

A lesson I see here is that if one loses a phone then they really must immediately have the service suspended. A stolen/lost phone can be a pretty powerful weapon in ruining peoples lives, and causing considerable expense.

 

The prankster continued to bother me via other means so a whole lot of additional hassle happened because the innocent actual owner of the phone didn't have the courtesy/sense to simply call me or answer my text and say "hey don't know who you are, my phone was stolen".

 

Argghhh I'm trying really hard not to lose faith in humanity.

I have always been proud of how trusting I am, even after being

taken advantage. But never have I been pushed so close to the

edge of cynicism.

[Guest countryboywny]

So sorry this has to happen to one of the good guys.

[Diverdan]

Sorry to hear this has happened. I think there is a way to have the telephone company block calls to you from a number(s) and you can also file a police report of harassment, but that would require you to give some explanations which you may not want to do.

[Phil_musc]

So sorry, Raul. I've never met you but your posts indicate to me that you're one of the good guys. I would hate to see/hear that that has changed. Maybe you'll be due for some payback good karma soon. Here's hoping.

[raulgmanzo]

Sorry to hear this has happened. I think there is a way to have the telephone company block calls to you from a number(s) and you can also file a police report of harassment, but that would require you to give some explanations which you may not want to do.

 

Thanks Diver. Well it's not like there is any one number.

I mean the number last turned out to be a stolen/lost cell phone. There is no way I could have proactively blocked that number.

 

I believe the best defense against these is to not take appointments which don't seem right. The one last night gave me doubts from the get go. Really it did. And if business had been better lately then I would have politely declined it from frankly the first suspicious phone call. So I do blame myself, there are steps I can take.

 

But even when things are great I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, I try not to hold grudges and no matter how rude or wrong someone is my door is always open for communication and explanation. I don't write people off. I'm proud of myself about that though I think it is not widely appreciated. Worse there are far too many (even on here) who do not believe in communication and understanding. That hurts.

 

I'd accept it if the prankster called me right now and explained themselves and gave me a chance to explain just how awful, abusive and costly this was and believe me you all haven't heard the depths of how crushing and abusive it was. Really. I would maybe yell and scream for a moment, say something foul. But I'd get over it and could ultimately forgive and forget. I just need them to understand how hurtful it was to me and others like the poor innocent soul I woke up in the middle of the night. Man I felt AWFUL about that. That was worse than the considerable (to me) sum of money I am ultimately out.

[Guest Ace]

Hey Raul;

That BLOWS! Sorry to hear about the drama..

The tide WILL turn!! Wishing you a GREAT week next week.

[Guest Merlin]

I don't see any way to prevent it, but, if it is any comfort, it will not often happen that a cell phone will be stolen and the thief will want to harass you. Probably a one time only event.

[Michael Wayne]

I think as we rentboys are becoming more a part of mainstream society that this type of thing is becoming more and more common. I mean just watch JAY LENO and two or three times a week he uses the term, "Rentboy," on his show. Guys know we are out there and with this popularity and notoriety will come this type of thing. It is unavoidable. And: the better and more well known the rentman is the more you will be subjected to this. It is the price of celebrity. These types are jealous of you and how you look and what you got under those jeans. They wanna be you but cant so they lash out at you in various ways to get their rocks off. In their eyes you are a rock star and if they can't be you or afford you they will try to harrass and stalk you. I have been dealing with this for a number of years. Imagine how REAL celebs feel when confronted by the paparrazzi. no wonder they need bodyguards. anyway. cancellations, games, no shows, scams, frauds, freaks and liars are the price we pay for getting $150-$300 an hour just for being pretty and hot. Most guys would give anything to be us. The male escort/porn star has gone from being on the fringe, dark outside of the gay world to front and center primetime on stage- the star of the show. We are now the ENTRY LEVEL DRUG for straight and curious men who think they might be gay. They used to go to a bar or an adult book store but now they go to RENTBOY< RENTMEN AND M4RN.

[jjkrkwood]

I think as we rentboys are becoming more a part of mainstream society that this type of thing is becoming more and more common. I mean just watch JAY LENO and two or three times a week he uses the term, "Rentboy," on his show. Guys know we are out there and with this popularity and notoriety will come this type of thing. It is unavoidable. And: the better and more well known the rentman is the more you will be subjected to this. It is the price of celebrity. These types are jealous of you and how you look and what you got under those jeans. They wanna be you but cant so they lash out at you in various ways to get their rocks off. In their eyes you are a rock star and if they can't be you or afford you they will try to harrass and stalk you. I have been dealing with this for a number of years. Imagine how REAL celebs feel when confronted by the paparrazzi. no wonder they need bodyguards. anyway. cancellations, games, no shows, scams, frauds, freaks and liars are the price we pay for getting $150-$300 an hour just for being pretty and hot. Most guys would give anything to be us. The male escort/porn star has gone from being on the fringe, dark outside of the gay world to front and center primetime on stage- the star of the show. We are now the ENTRY LEVEL DRUG for straight and curious men who think they might be gay. They used to go to a bar or an adult book store but now they go to RENTBOY< RENTMEN AND M4RN.

 

Mikey, with due respect to your post and opinion, I dont believe MOST guys aspire to be rentboys. I am NOT in that group, have never considered it as a profession, even back when it may have been a possibility... And I am sure that the majority are like me. It requires a special mindset and attitude, and while you may present it to be a glamourous "Rock Star" profession, I think most guys see it as a profession where you are more or less forced to be available at ALL hours to have sex with people you are not attracted to in order to pay your bills, with no immediate benefit other than having sex.

I get that YOU love your job and are proud of what you do, but to project that most guys envy you is just a bit "overblown".... I Love MY Life !!!

[Michael Wayne]

no one FORCES me to do anything. just the opposite actually. Also, i certainly was not referring to you or to any other normal, well-adjusted and mentally stable person. But there is an element out there to whom my post applies. Also, despite your view of the job which you have EVERY right to, it is actually a profession these days and we make as much or more than guys who have masters or doctorate degrees. Now, our issue is this: YOU CAN'T DO IT FOREVER! or CAN YOU????? i WENT THROUGH the ads across america for an hour two nights ago and found dozen of dudes well into their 50's still doin it and obviously doing well. There seems to be a new niche market in the biz for DADDYS and MATURE escorts. Perhaps it truly is becomeing a lifetime career and profession. I know for me I NEVER would have thought that i would still be doing it but when each passing year brings MORE income than the year before it would seem a stupid business descision to retire. Also, once or twice a week I meet a client who says to me, "I would never hire anyone in their 20's!" Now, as a guy who loves, chases and adores twink boys (18 plus of course!) this statement baffles me- but, it is kind of good for me and other guys in their 30's or 40's. All my best to jj and every one else .

[Diverdan]

Raul,

Your second post on this subject again reflects what an incredibly great guy you are. I doubt that I would be so forgiving so quickly. Just know you have lots of friends here who are supportive and know that things will get better. Mickey has an interesting take on this situation, and I had never thought of it in those terms, but I think he is right on the mark... with fame comes some very unwanted experiences.

DD

[EZEtoGRU]

Wow. What an awful experience you've had. I cannot add any more words of wisdom beyond what others have said. Thank goodness this forum exists so that when we a bad day we can purge amongst people who will be understanding. Best of luck to you.

[JT Brooklyn]

Raul..

So Sorry to hear about this situation you found yourself in! I do hope that you do shortly enjoy the Holidays and remember the "Good Times" of 2011! JT

[nate_sf]

Oh that sucks so bad! Sorry to hear about it.

 

You're one of the good guys, so hopefully this won't wreck your faith in people too much. Just think of the people who do appreciate you instead and let this one go into the dustbin of bad experiences. The perils of being in a service industry is running into the occasional a-hole who pulls this kind of stunt, but hopefully they are few and far between.

 

So maybe you can combine your sorbet suggestion in your earlier thread with the cliche about life giving you lemons, and make lemon sorbet. I'd want some!

[raulgmanzo]

Thanks everybody for the kind words and thoughts.

 

Yes Merlin I agree that it isn't easily prevented and yes it is some comfort that it is not likely to happen often and also that the harassing thief will probably not call me again for fear that I would recognize his voice.

 

Also even in my most paranoid moments I do realize that these things are largely random. I seem to have a lot of good fortune in life so in balance I should probably not get too upset at occasionally taking a small portion of the misfortune.

 

An important part of my good fortune in life is having this place that Daddy and the rest of you have made where we can occasionally bitch. Thanks.

 

Oh and Nate, no matter how sour the lemons, my sorbet will always be sweet knowing that you want some!

 

I don't see any way to prevent it, but, if it is any comfort, it will not often happen that a cell phone will be stolen and the thief will want to harass you. Probably a one time only event.

[Pegasus]

Everyone who has met Raul personally knows he's a first-class professional. I'm sure he will learn something valuable from this negative client experience and chalk it up as a useful life-lesson. I'm glad he feels comfortable enough with this forum to vent his frustrations among friends. Handsome Raul, I sure hope the rest of your weekend was more productive and less stressful. You deserve nothing but the best.

[Steven_Draker]

Methinks you have a stalker who reads that Forum, my friend.

[BSR]

A lesson I see here is that if one loses a phone then they really must immediately have the service suspended. A stolen/lost phone can be a pretty powerful weapon in ruining peoples lives, and causing considerable expense.

Or the thief can run up a massive bill at your expense. A Las Vegas tourist told me that he once left his phone in a cab. He called his wife to ask her to cancel the phone (he was here for a convention and had work obligations), but instead of canceling right away, the wife waited until the next day. In less than 24 hours, whoever found the phone managed to rack up $2000 in international calls. With even a token effort of investigation, the police could have figured out who made the calls, but this guy learned the hard way that all that fancy CSI detective work is just for TV. Las Vegas police basically didn't lift a finger.

 

I agree with Steven, that it sounds like you have a stalker. Since I am neither a mental health or law enforcement professional, my knowledge of stalkers is limited. But I do know that every famous person has one, if not multiple stalkers, even if his/her "fame" is as a weekend weatherman. If this stalker persists in making your life miserable, search online for how to deal with one.

 

I'm sorry this is happening to you. I'm worried that some inquiries that arouse your suspicions might just be a terribly awkward first-timer or another legitimate possible client. In any case, best of luck with what sounds like a truly sh*tty situation.

[raulgmanzo]

Or the thief can run up a massive [international telephone] bill at your expense...

Yeah I myself have run up costly international bills when returning a call to a client without looking closely at the number. With "unlimited minutes" I forget that I get charged for international calls at a ghastly rate.

 

... it sounds like you have a stalker...

While I greatly appreciate your concern I'm not sure it is a stalker. It would appear to be a jerk or perhaps deranged asshole but the thing is that I know of at least one other escort who was pranked by a similar sounding person. Now I have also had a whole lot of other bullshit, flakes, noshows etc but in some of those cases I actually know that the individuals are different. So probably conicidence, bad luck, me being too easily misled or something so devious that it has yet to occur to me.

But personally I think fear of stalkers is overblown, anyway I can usually handle a stalker type pretty easily. Oooops did I just say stalker and overblown in the same sentence?

[video=youtube;F1isC_3Ehdo]

[Steven_Draker]

I'm glad to hear that it was not a stalker, Raul. Still trying to help here I remember that you posted something similar

 

"Plagued by flakes" http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?74513-HELP!-plagued-by-flakes

 

"312-416-7501" http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?74514-1-312-416-7501

 

Do you "screen" prospective clients at all or you just jump on the first call and most importantly any lessons learned that would profit others in the same situation?

[raulgmanzo]

Well I do refuse clients and appointments that I believe are bogus. So I guess you could say I do some screening. But there is only so much I can do since I rarely get advance bookings. The majority of my appointments are repeat clients yet they still tend to be last minute appointments. Of course those are almost always reliable and a good time for all involved. Still I need to take the new and vetted-on-the-fly callers to survive.

 

Until I become famous like you or learn how to live without eating and paying either rent or a mortgage then I don't see any alternative to taking just about any call that comes my way.

 

Sadly as this thread and my previous thread indicate, every now and then I get scammed. Of course I don't start a thread for every bogus call I get otherwise I'd be posting far more frequently.

 

Just about everyday someone calls and wants to have sexually explicit talk about what we will do in their appointment. So I might politely say that I am in the middle of something or someplace with lousy phone reception and can I call them back? Click. Or when I try to call them back it turns out to be a bogus number etc.

 

Apparently I have an excellent reputation among flakes, cranks, and people looking for free phone sex.

 

 

I'm glad to hear that it was not a stalker, Raul. Still trying to help here I remember that you posted something similar

 

"Plagued by flakes" http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?74513-HELP!-plagued-by-flakes

 

"312-416-7501" http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?74514-1-312-416-7501

 

Do you "screen" prospective clients at all or you just jump on the first call and most importantly any lessons learned that would profit others in the same situation?[/color]