So, you practice convenience and the reputable professionals who are known as safe individuals will leave ya to it.
Originally Posted by MaxiMilyen
Really.... Safe for who?
I view anyone who would request personal info as a major risk for me. I have personally seen cases where providers had viruses on their notebook PCs (I am still getting spammed as a result of that) and read about cases where jealous boyfriends became a problem. How are they going to screen without using a computer?
I have also personally seen a provider send a broadcast email and include all her clients in the TO and CC fields instead of using BCC. As a result, everyone who got the email got all the other's email addresses. Some idiots had given her their WORK email addresses or personally identifiable email addresses. This provider wasn't stupid by any means, just not careful in this instance.
If personal info gets out - something like associating a real name with an online userid - it will be impossible to clean up. That could come up in background investigations for employment, security screens etc.
I occasionally do not have refs within the last 6 months. I have not been asked for personal info before, and to assume that everyone I have seen is not reputable or safe is unfounded.
In addition, while ECCIE may not make up the majority of clients for many providers, it seems like the shutdown of MyRedBook did create a problem for many on the west coast. It does look like there are providers who do not have as diversified as web presence as others. I would not assume that ECCIE isn't a major source of clients for some.
As for the mention of Eros, one way I avoid risk is by not using Eros, which has been the source of many bait and switch and ROB situations.
There is just too much generalization in this thread. One size doesn't fit all.