But seeing one is definitely TOFTT and should not be done by a newbie.  If it's a scam, you won't know until it's too late.  I am not at a point where I'll do this, and stick to well reviewed girls.  There are guys who like doing it and have developed ways to have good success, and TOFTT is an important way to keep new blood flowing into the system.

Ask if anyone has seen her, and include the link to one of her ads.  As previously stated, being a newbie, it's not a good idea for you to TOFTT.  Also, like previous poster, I am not trusting enough to do that myself, and I have seen many girls.  However, I only see well-reviewed ones, or ones recommended by trusted hobbyists.  Thus far, I have avoided being ripped off in any way.  I will say, not all my encounters have been top-notch, but that goes with the territory.

As far as other steps to avoid being scammed, there really is not much you can do, but keep looking.  Do your research.  Look for newbie-friendly providers.  Read reviews, back-channel with other hobbyists about ladies.  Join a verification site as well.

Swim

Remember everyone, starts off as a newbie, even escorts. And you're correct, just because an escort doesn't have reviews, means she's a scam. I am one of those, adventurist types. I have TOFTT many times, but I have a checklist that I use. While I won't go into details, it pretty much works for me most of the time.  As a newb, I would recommend you DON'T even consider TOFTT.  If you're dying to see an escort without reviews, my advice is to move on, and see someone who is well reviewed. Leave TOFTT to the veteran hobbyist.

Any time you're interested in a girl's ad, you should use Google to check out where else she turns up online. Google her phone number in ###-###-#### format, which in addition to any TER reviews if she had them, might turn up other reviews or board discussions. More often, it will show ads from other websites. Look for inconsistencies, e.g., other names, other pics, different far-flung cities on the same day.

Try googling her name in combination with her city, "escort" and other keywords. If she has changed her phone number, this might uncover past ads or reviews. Also google some text from her ad. Select an unusual phrase or something with typos and enclose it in quotes.

Finally, use Google Images' reverse image search see if her photo has been stolen from some internet model, etc. Don't waste your time using Tineye for this. Google does a much better job.

If none of this turns up anything, that doesn't prove she isn't a ripoff. However, you shouldn't even consider going further until you've run these checks. And I bet it will eliminate more candidates than it will clear. I'd venture to say that most ads that get newbies excited are quickly shown to be scams by googling either the phone number or the pics.