This is absolutely disgusting, and I know some agencies are very happy to go around ruining girls lives, even if they've done nothing wrong. If agencies are worried about the paying of commission then they should request the escort deposits it before it gets above a certain amount. They ask for personal details so they can threaten their escorts, no decent agency would ever ask. I would accept showing a form of photographic ID to prove date of birth, but obscuring the real name. The agencies I work for don't know, nor do they want to know, my real name. I've heard of agencies (and seen) that escort agencies get an escorts real name + escort as a suggestion on search engines (so when you type in her name on google top of the suggestions are eg. When you type in Jane Smith up will come 'Jane Smith Escort', and then a link to her escort page). A paranoid agency were convinced an escort had pinched a client, even though she hadn't, and did this to her. I've heard of agencies reporting escorts to HMRC (one did to me, they investigated me for 18months, but due to me declaring my earnings they found nothing, but still made me feel guilty and it was horrible), sometimes the inland revenue are more lenient on agencies who point them in the direction of their escorts, who many of aren't declaring.
Tell your friend to steer clear of these pimps and to find a better run agency. I am happy to PM suggestions of ones I know are well run.