No you are not being overly cautious.
AW is proliferated with scammers and traps for the unwary, and I think many an experienced punter, myself included, would not see a girl with a zero feedback. Yes, they need to start, but let someone else have the problem.
That said, there can also be situations where profiles are 'passed on' from girl to girl, usually by pimps, so a higher feedback figure can be no guarantee of a potentially successful punt either. Look at the feedback for the guys who have seen the girl. A lot of 1s or 2s is suspicious and suggests possible feedback manipulation, but if lots of punters with double figure have visited, then you are at less risk.
I base my selection on watching possibles for several months (does their feed back increase?), looking at which guys see the girls being watched, have these guys seeen ladies I've seen, and generally getting a gut feeling if she's a good 'un or a bad 'un. Also steer cleer of Romanians - too many sob stories on this forum of being scammed, robbed or left very disappointed.
It's an imperfect art, but it works for me.
The secret is to play the waiting game, dont rush dick first, and look at comments from other guys on the forum. And dont be afraid to ask for opinions.