Exposed: Backpage’s Own In-house Email Details Their Complicity
The Backpage syndicate behind bars
On May 15, 2015, a Company B employee posing as a Backpage employee sent an email to an apparent prostitute. The subject line was “ Offering Free Advertisement from Backpage.com” and the text of the email sought to persuade the prostitute to “ upgrade your ad with sponsor placement or automatic repost.”
In response, the prostitute wrote back that she had “ managed to activate my ad and could buy credits as well. thanks for your help. I’m traveling today to [London] how can I change my location.” This email exchange was later forwarded by Dan Hyer to Carl Ferrer with a cover note stating: “ [I]deal scenario for [Company B] agent – user activates ad, user purchases credit.”
On December 14, 2015, Carl Ferrer was part of an email exchange concerning an ad that had an IP address associated with Company B. It shows the coordination and the level or premeditated scheming Backpage’s own CEO was actively engaged in.
Not only did the email show Backpage complicit in the “Company B” scam, but it went into great detail describing the process by which it was to be incorporated. In fact, documents obtained from the court filings contain the following description of Company B’s process for creating and selling prostitution ads on Backpage:
- “Staff found lead in assigned area”
- “Staff entered all relevant into [database] (phone/email/etc.)”
- “Staff called lead to discuss creation of free ad”
- “Staff created free ad for lead (verification email sent)”
- “Staff followed under with an email reminding lead of phone conversation and detailing verification of ad.”
Not content with being the largest child sex trafficking organization in America, Backpage pushed its way into international markets using highly developed schemes like this.
Was it Backpage’s driving corporate greed or the hubris of its leadership which lead them to believe they could continue to cheat, lie and, and manipulate the system to their advantage?
Tony ortega
Was it because weak-willed defenders like Tony Ortega offered an illusion of immunity from any legal repercussion to Backpage’s largely criminal user-base?
Whatever the reason, for years Backpage and its dubious associates believed they were somehow above the law and that their ‘get-out-of-jail cards’ extended world wide.
By the close of 2015 it was becoming clear that Backpage’s perceived immunity was in reality little more than smoke and mirrors propped up by obscene profits on one side and the even more obscene pro-sex trafficking propaganda pushed by Tony Ortega on the other.
As we shall see, it was all about to come crashing down around them…