Sex for Sale: 'Any man will pay for it if he sees what he wants'

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BOISE, Idaho - The Boise Board is part of the website called "The Hobby."

Instead of heading to a street corner, dozens of local women are listing sex services on the Boise Board - and hundreds of men are answering their ads.

Tami Tremblay has been looking into the site for months after a woman contacted KBOI 2News worried about her friend who was advertising sex on the Internet. After digging into the website, she uncovered some startling details.

We connected with three prostitutes after setting up an account on the Boise Board. "Secret Liliana" and "Kiyera Amour" stood us up. Finally, an appointment with "Becca" in Caldwell panned out. She agreed to talk as long as we keep her identity secret.

"It started out because I needed money," Becca said. "My life was going downhill, and a friend told me about this site."

Becca is in her early 20s and going to school. She says being a prostitute is how she survives.

"I think if it's just a single girl trying to make a few extra dollars it should be OK," Becca said. "I meet them at the door, ask how their day is going, and then we go upstairs. The first client I had it was really traumatic for me because I was raised to think sex stays between married people. You don't do it unless you're married. You just become numb, and it just becomes what you do."

Becca says making appointments online is a lot safer than walking around town looking for clients, but police say that's not true.

"You don't know who you're dealing with inviting someone into an intimate situation," said Deputy Chief Tracy Basterecchea, with the Meridian Police Department. "They know where you live and it's much easier to track you then the street."

Basterecchea said the Boise Board is dangerous but legal. It doesn't become a crime until money's exchanged. Recently, detectives conducted a sting using the website and arrested 12 "Johns" and prostitutes.

Basterrechea said there's an obvious demand in the Treasure Valley.

"We've found it difficult to set up some of the appointments because they are so busy," Basterecchea said.

Becca is one of those busy members. On a good week, she will make $2,000 in tax free cash. However, she admits bad things can happen.

"I've been locked in people's houses and they've refused to let me leave unless I do what they say," Becca said.

Basterecchea says there are more victims in this prostitution circle than people want to admit.

"A lot of these 'Johns' are married and have kids," Basterecchea said. "These females are victimized on a daily basis and the "John's" are victimizing their families. It's very similar to the cycle of domestic and drug abuse. You mirror what your parents have taught you in many of these cases."

Becca plans on leaving the Boise Board when she graduates in May. She will have been a member for less than a year, but she does have a strong message for anyone thinking of following in her footsteps.

"I just think there are better ways to get money and get help then this... by far," Becca said.

The Hobby website, containing the Boise Board, is run by a Montana company called Lush. We contacted them, but have yet to receive a response. Again, the website is legal. What happens when the meetings take place is what's not legal.

People who sell or buy sex are charged with misdemeanors in Idaho. It becomes a felony if it happens three times.

Pocatello and Twin Falls have their own boards. Six other states also carry the Hobby website, and that includes Washington and Utah.