I'm new to this as well and went about finding a Bengal kitten in a similar way. I did try to weed out the less reputable breeders but also stumbled across many scammers. It was amazing that on at least 2 occasions a site had photos and looked legit, and when i inquired the response was "we'll ship the kitten to you". When I suggested that I visit to pick up the kitten, there were excuses and i eventually called them out.
I found a breeder that I'm fairly certain is legit, but the experience has left me feeling cautious. I paid a $300 deposit in mid-December based on a picture. The breeder I'm working with is listed on TICA and even had a show winner. The kitten was born October 20 and is getting fixed on January 18th. I'm picking him up on January 25th. All shots, chip, etc.
So it all seems legit, but I'm still a bit uneasy because unfortunately scammers are very good these days. The breeder is a few hours from where I live so I haven't actually been to the location. Until I pick up the kitten and see that it is what I expected and everything goes well, I'll be a little on edge.
Last week i tried emailing/calling a few times over a 4 day period to ask a question and got no response. Finally I called from another phone they picked up on the first ring. I haven't been a constant nuisance since the last communication was mid-December when I left the deposit. Probably a coincidence or they were just busy, but given what's out there I got suspicious. Anyway, i'll know in 2 weeks and hope all goes well.
Maybe I'm just a worry wart.