I'm going to be in Los Angeles in the near future and I'd like to see a porn star who's listed on a well-known porn star escort site.  But to do so you have to fill out an application form that's as onerous as a mortgage application:  name, address, contact info., place of business, etc.  I'm surprised they don't demand a credit check and a face-to-face interview.

not just with porn stars but with providers in general... at least here in Las Vegas it is ... and I get inquiries from all over the country asking for refs for clients I have seen so I assume its like that in other places too

I'm not sure which agency you're dealing with, but the ones I've dealt with will let you book with them if you have one PSE reference.  

You hit the nail right on the head, not sure what your interests are, but there are a lot of porn stars not affiliated with agencies with much less stringent screening processes.  Either that or really top tier providers that are not porn stars that I have found really easy to book with.  Hit me up if you need some names.

Over the last 10 or so years, it has become more and more frequent that providers, unless you're finding them on backpage, will ask for references.  The reasons are fairly obvious.  Some of the providers and agencies are more, um, intrusive (for lack of a better word), then others but, aside from all the obvious reasons you can think of, there's one more that you might not have thought about: the lady has to feel comfortable with you.  And each lady will have a different standard for what information she needs from you to feel comfortable alone in a hotel room with you, a stranger.  

About 20 years ago or so, I paid for an escort with a credit card.  About a year later, I got a call from someone saying she was from a new agency and she asked me to use their service.  Not surprisingly, I was completely freaked out that my info was being passed around.  So the idea that an agency doesn't keep a paper trail but keeps it "in their heads" isn't reasonable at all.

I've happy to provide proper photo ID, prove of finances etc but i would draw the line at providing any info about where i wor

First of all, credit cards are a different matter.  Secondly, as I think I said in my message, things have changed over the last 10 years or so so what happened 20 years ago isn't entirely relevant.

This isn't any different than non porn stars.  If you don't like what an agency does, try an independent.  It's downright stupid and begging for bad things to happen if I don't do proper screening.  Personally I require 2 provider references OR one of the 3 screening sites I use.  I always, without exception, run their info through a website that checks black lists, criminal records and sex offender registries. Neither I nor any of the websites I use safe any info I enter into them for verification. When I arrive I check your driver's license to verify you are the gentleman I screened.  

Its a fucking epidemic where porn stars are berated and bashed by other porn stars for escorting. Ridiculous, right? Especially because all of these gals do it, in one form or another. Whether its porn, a sugar daddy, a client - its all the same. So there are few independent and open girls in porn.

You have to realize, we have a lot of stalkers... this is already a dangerous biz but when u add in the stalkers it creates an environment where girls demand a more secure environment.