I have a link to someone's escort ad and we have swapped a few emails but I want to be sure she is for real.  Plus, she wants to have me join a 'free' site in order to vreify who I am.  And of course, I need to post a CC number and then call her with the confirmation info.  sounds fishy....(help)

That doesn't sound right at all.

You know an ad is for real if the provider is for real.  Does she have reviews from reputable reviewers?  A board presence?  It's not hard to tell.

not been trading emails with a provider, but that you have been trading them with a con artist who wants to steal your money and possibly your ID information (probably some guy sitting in a basement).

Simple formula:

Newbie + No Reviews For Provider = Stay Away

Newbie + Multiple Reviews By Reputable Reviewers = Happy Newbie

Some providers don't like to be reviewed...That does not make them a con, however-you should NEVER give your credit card information just for contact information-There is a scam website called legalescortcash.com that has people pretend to be various escorts and they have websites-you just can't get info unless you sign up for the verification service- The service would be great, but once they have your CC you can't navigate the site.  I only know this because I was looking for affiliate programs and this one seemed to be great, but I realized that it was too good to be true.
Verification is an important part of this business for the safety of the provider and gentlemen-
date-check.com and roomservice2000.com are legit companies that a lot of providers use.
Even as a massage provider I screen all new clients, however I never charge to screen.
Be careful and play smart!

TER has reviews for thousands of legitimate providers.  Why take a chance on someone who is already raising your concerns (with good reason)?

Look, I am no authority: I have not begun hobbying.  But as I scan the ads and reviews for providers in my area, the problem isn't finding a good provider: it is looking at 50, all of whom would be excellent, and saying, "Which one would I want?"  Why would I say, "There are 50 great ones.  So I'll go with #51, who is raising all sorts of red flags?"

There are a few dating sites like that -

Depends on the site she want's you to join.

P411
Date Check
RS2K

I know there may be others but those three seem to be the industry standard.

You can always post a link to her ad in your local forum and see if any of you fellow hobbyists had seen her or have info on her.

Just a thought.

You catch on quickly.  Good call.

wow.  thank you all for the great responses.  I certainly stayed away from her.  I used the old axiom - go with your first instinct.  you all just confirmed be me.
cheers!