Escort Privacy in Melbourne for Your Name, Photos and Phone

Picking a working name

Your working name is the one clients see. Pick a first name that is common enough to blend in, and not linked to you anywhere online.

• Avoid your middle name, a nickname your friends use, or your pet’s name.
• Search the name with "Melbourne escort" to check that no one nearby already uses it.
• Use it everywhere for work: your profile, your messages and your work email.

At Ruby, a Melbourne escort agency, your legal name is never published. Only the recruitment team sees it, for the ID check.

Blurring your face in photos

Some escorts show no face at all. Others show part of it, or use a soft blur. It is your choice, and you can change it later.

Faces are not the only giveaway. Before a photo goes up, check it for:

• Tattoos, birthmarks and jewellery you wear every day.
• A window view, a street sign or a landmark that shows your suburb.
• Mirrors and glass that reflect your face or your room.
• Location data saved in the photo file. Most phones add it unless you turn it off.

The Ruby site can blur a face and stamp a watermark on each photo. Nothing goes up until you have signed off on it.

A watermark does not stop a screenshot. It does make a stolen photo easier to trace and report.

Use different photos for work and for private accounts. Never reuse a picture from Instagram or a dating app.

Before a photo goes up, run it through a reverse image search, such as Google Lens. If it matches a private photo online, a stranger can link the two.

A second phone and separate accounts

Keep work on its own phone, or at least its own number and apps. A second phone stops a client message lighting up your screen at a family dinner.

• A work email address that shares nothing with your legal name.
• Social apps set up with the work number only. Turn off contact syncing, so the app does not suggest you to people you know.
• A payment name that does not show your legal name. Many bank transfers display the account holder’s full name.

Never tell a client your home suburb, your day job or the name of your gym. Small details add up.

Your ABN, bank and tax details

An ABN can give you away. The public ABN Lookup shows a sole trader’s legal name, so never give a client your ABN.

A registered business name also goes on a public register. If you pick one, make sure it hints at neither you nor the work.

Be plain with your tax agent about the work. A registered tax agent must keep your details confidential under their code of conduct.

What to say when a client asks about you

Clients often ask friendly questions. Have short answers ready, so you never have to think on the spot.

• Where do you live? "Not far from the city."
• What else do you do? "A bit of this and that."
• Can I follow you online? "I keep work and life apart."

Then turn the talk back with a question of your own. Most people are happy to talk about themselves.

If you meet someone you know

Melbourne is a big city, but it can still happen. Decide on a plan before it does.

If a booking turns out to be someone you know, you may leave. Tell the agency it is a personal conflict. You owe no one more detail than that.

If you see a client out in public, act as if you have never met, unless they greet you first.

If your photos are stolen or shared

Run a reverse image search on your work photos every few months. It shows you where they appear online.

If a site uses your photos without consent, ask it to remove them. Keep screenshots and links as a record.

In Victoria, sharing an intimate image of someone without consent is a crime. You can report it to Victoria Police, and to the eSafety Commissioner.

Keeping your home address private

Do not work from your own home unless you have planned it. Victorian planning rules allow home-based sex work with conditions, but your address then becomes part of the job.

For outcalls, get dropped off and picked up near home, not at your front door. Clear your ride-share history if others can see your phone.

Send work parcels, such as outfits, to a post office box rather than your home.

Check what your phone shares. Turn off live location in maps and social apps, and remove location tags from anything you post for work.

Telling people, or not

Who you tell about the work is your choice. Some escorts tell a partner or a close friend. Others tell no one.

Telling one trusted person has a practical side. They can be your safety contact, and they can cover for you if a client ever reaches your private life.

If you do tell someone, pick a calm moment and keep it simple. Explain that the work is legal in Victoria, and what you do to stay safe.

Peer workers at Vixen Collective have had this talk many times. They can help you plan what to say.

Taking a profile down

You can leave escort work at any time. When you do, ask the agency to remove your profile and photos, and to confirm in writing when it is done.

Search engines can keep a copy for a while. Google lets you ask for an outdated page to be removed once the site has taken it down.

If someone posts intimate photos of you without your consent, the eSafety Commissioner can help get them taken down.

Your rights in Victoria if you are outed

The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 protects you from discrimination because of your occupation, and that includes sex work. It covers work, housing and services. Our guide to escort rights in Victoria explains how to complain.

Privacy when you work with Ruby

Your application goes only to the recruitment team, not the booking line. You decide how much of your face your photos show.

Read more about working with Ruby, or call reception with your questions first.