You seem to answer all your own questions of why you shouldn't send a deposit. All of this has been discussed in great lengths on this board.
NEW, no history, minimal advertising, low rates - these aren't reputable individuals.
If they are new and requesting a deposit. They better have a website, multiple advertising platforms (bare minimum local board, leo, tryst, massagerepublic), Socials like X or bluesky, snapchat or IG. Bonus if they have OF or a fans page.
Otherwise they haven't built their reputation yet and shouldn't be getting a deposit. or you risk losing however much you put forth.
Low end sites - Remember they are in the marketing business. They do not care who is advertising as long as they are making their money. They are also good for having filler ads so those paying, have to pay more, more often to stay relevant. Verified on these sites are require before you can open an account and it's just a paper with a body. The low-end sites don't have the time to track or care about individual ads.
Better Sites - Lyla.ch , massagerepbulic, tryst.link - I just had to submit heavier verification for tryst so they can fight the scams on their site.
We don't need more overlords for how to conduct our businesses. We need people to remember it's a person on either side and go back to building our society with trust. When I started, I didn't need deposits. People would show up when they said they would 90% of the time. Now, IF I don't take a deposit they are 90% guaranteed not to show up. I take a "hefty" deposit as I have found anything under $100 is still 50/50 for them to show up or not. I've also had to up my deposits to 25% on longer bookings. I'm not stealing deposits. I want my time accounted for and respected like any professional.