Is there anything that one can do to make sure that a
provider isn't a police decoy ? I have no experience
so far so any insights would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

Here is one of the reasons why all those pesky questions asked by providers in their "Screening" of you actually protects you.
When LE wants to set up a “sting” to nab hobbyists; the last thing they want to do is impede a potential collar by making it difficult for a caller to book an appointment.

 If the lady has a respected review history on TER there is little chance of you walking into a sting. If you are calling a "Craig's List" advertiser with no accountability and you no sooner say "hello my name is......" and she is cooing for you to come over; then bubba you're asking for your name to be on the police blotter...Or worse!

Two ways. The 100% sure fire never miss way is to not get in the hobby. Since that is no fun and it will still leave you with the same issue you had prior to looking into the hobby let's examine #2. The best way to tell is if you can look at a respectable board like this one and find a provider with numerous reviews, at least in that case you know that both the TER has it's staff checking certain things and that some of your fellow VIP members have written about the individual. Also check out some of the reviewers send one an e-mail. Most will respond and give you some insight into the person in question. Never count a review that was written by a person who has only written that review. It sounds complicated but it isn't. Use common sense and if you get that gut feel that something isn't right back off. This can be fun and really is no intrusion on any community. Just pick providers that appear to be real. Have fun.

Spend the $20 and get a VIP membership so that you can do thorough research.  An educated client is a safe client.

a solid review history. As a newbie, you should stay away from ladies that have no reviews. You may want to try those with only one or two if the reviews were written by hobbyists that have done sevaral on real providers.

thank you all for the very valuable feedback.