From my point of view:
1) I've had multiple potential clients make up fake provider ads and use them as references
2) There are providers who don't screen or have different boundaries or are careless or are doing a favor to a friend by giving references
3) If you know that the provider knows who you are you're less likely to be an asshole
None of this is foolproof. There's an infamous millionaire client who has tried to scam so many ladies in comical Rube Goldberg type ways that I can't give a single detail without identifying him to every high end provider who reads this. Another guy who's a known billionaire with a B is banned forever. The single best client I've ever met is a self-employed tradesman.
Clever providers will find ways to make sure the person really is who they claim to be. Early on in my booking career, a well-spoken client sent a link to a company bio page and a LinkedIn profile and when he walked in he looked exactly like that guy. But he left a blank envelope and was not the same person. Kudos to him for doing the research and finding someone that he could impersonate. He's still around because he emails from that same email address whenever a new provider posts an ad.
But like the good guys in a popular movie franchise, we don't deal in absolutes. We do what we can and hope that the person who walks through the door knows that if he tries to murder us he'll get caught.
So your concern might be not getting that long list of acronyms fulfilled and not getting value for your money, but providers are worried about their safety or getting stiffed (no pun intended) entirely, and references are not enough.
If someone is asking for information you don't wish to provide, or charges higher rates than you're willing to pay, move on. There are so many other beautiful, nubile, willing providers who have screening criteria or rates that better fit your needs.
A friend of mine charges a *very* high rate and requires clients to write an essay on why they would be a good match. She keeps making it harder for clients to get through just to minimize demand and she still can't meet every client who does all that. (Granted, she's extremely low volume, but the point remains.) On the other hand, the two of the most beautiful providers I know are Octavia Lexa and the now retired Angel Exxotic. They both have reasonable rates and pretty relaxed screening.
