100% true. If you don't like the deposit requirement, or booking requirements, you can simply not comply and not see the lady and move on. Everyone wins.
But to touch on the original question, given the number of legit looking scams out there, its understandable that a guy without much experience in this world would look for some extra assurance. Its easy to see how a newcomer would have difficulty and would be questioning what's real and what's not.