Escrow

What is it

Escrow is a blocked bank account used to secure temporary amounts. This account is held with a neutral and financially reliable third party. That third party pays out the money in the escrow account only when there is an agreement between buyer and seller, in this case between a client and a sex worker. The sex worker then already knows that the money is there and the client knows that it will be paid out after the service is rendered. In fact, this is what Markplaats calls 'equal crossing'. In the Netherlands, escrow is called a 'third-party money arrangement'.

 

What it can mean for a sex worker

A sex worker explains, "I didn't even know what the word meant until recently, but I was reading an article about the Darkweb, and I saw a screenshot of a page, and I saw a box there called 'escrow - yes or no'. I thought what is that. Turns out it's a third-party money account to park your money, so both parties can be sure of delivery or payment. I thought, if they can set up something like that in the Darkweb world where there is undoubtedly a lot of distrust and at the same time a great need for anonymity, then it must also be possible in our industry, right?

It would create the possibility of charging (part of) a fee up front to fish out fakers for the independent sex workers. In addition, it also gives clients an advantage because sometimes they too are at risk of being scammed. I think the sex industry can use escrow."

 

What can you do

So currently it does not exist in the sex industry. How something like escrow should be set up is unknown, it has to be an intermediary party that we can have industry-wide trust in.

Tighter measures have recently come into play around a third-party money account. A third-party money account is now only reserved for special professions such as lawyers, notaries and bailiffs. Should you want to open such an account with a bank you should avoid using the word "third party money".

 

Continue reading

https://www.stichtingderdengelden.nl/oprichten/