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The Nigerian Scam
In the beginning it was all about money.� Right out of the
blue, people would get an email promising to make them rich.� Various versions
of the scam have existed since the 1920s, but they became ubiquitous once
Internet email was so widely available.� For an interesting history of these
scams, see www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/nigeria.asp
So what does that have to do with modeling?� For the last
couple of years, the scammers have branched out, targeting people based on
known affiliations with the modeling world.� Various versions have been sent to
models, photographers, makeup artists and other professionals in the industry.
The latest versions promise work somewhere that the scammer
isn�t, and the victim isn�t.� At this writing, the claims seem to mostly
involve alleged fashion shows or commercial modeling jobs in the UK or
elsewhere in Europe.� The scammer says they have found the victim on one of the
Internet listing sites, and they would like to hire them for the upcoming show
or event.� Huge modeling fees are promised.
If they get a positive response, the scammer sets the hook.�
It could be based on the Nigerian scam:� they say they will send a portion of
the promised fees and expenses by certified check.� The victim is then asked to
deposit the check in his account, and use the money for various purposes
(booking airline tickets to the event, for instance).� But the amount sent is
much larger than what is needed for the tickets, so the victim is asked to
return some of the money to the sender.�
When the scam works, the victim sends off a refund of the
�excess� payment, only to find later that the �certified check� they got from
the scammer was a forgery.� When it bounces, the victim is out the �refund� he
sent to the scammer.
Another version is simpler:� they ask for lots of information
about the victim, and then use identity theft to charge the victim�s accounts.
So how to avoid getting taken?� You need to understand some
painful facts:
- Major fashion and commercial clients don�t go cruising
around the Internet looking for models.� No matter how much you want
to believe it, it�s not true.� If someone says they found you that way and
want to give you lots of money, it�s a scam.
- No magazine is going to pay you
a lot of money for anything.� Doesn�t happen.� Even for top agency models,
magazine rates are very low. A typical fashion editorial rate is $150 per day.
The highest rate I've ever heard of is $500 per day, and that is very unusual.
- If you aren�t with a major
agency, nobody is going to fly you thousands of miles and pay you
thousands of dollars for a mainstream modeling job.� Doesn�t happen.�
For the kinds of money they offer, there are plenty of agencies with
qualified models, right near where the job is � or willing to send their
models to where the job is.� Clients with big bucks aren�t going to take a
chance on an unknown when they can get the guarantees of working with an
agency.
- Nobody is going to pay you
thousands of dollars for a shoot they set up near you.� Doesn�t happen.�
For the kinds of money they offer, there are plenty of agencies with
qualified models who are willing to send their models to where the job is.�
Clients with big bucks aren�t going to take a chance on an unknown when
they can get the guarantees of working with an agency.
- Nobody will send you large
amounts of money up front for a modeling job.� If a miracle strikes
and you do get hired for a job you have to fly to, they will make the
reservations and buy tickets for you.� Same for the hotel.� They certainly
aren�t going to send you the money and then cross their fingers and hope
you show up.
- Nobody overpays up front, and
then asks for a refund up front.� Again, if in some Alice in
Wonderland world someone were to send you money up front for a trip, they
would just collect the overage when you arrived for the job, or take it
out of your modeling fees after the job was over.� They certainly wouldn�t
ask you to send it to them before the trip ever began.
- Nobody will ask you to pay
them for a service as part of getting the job.� If they
want you, for instance, to purchase a �modeling license� that they claim
is necessary, and happen to know an attorney who can get it for you, it�s
a scam.
- If they can�t spell, it isn�t
real.� These scammers aren�t unemployed grammar teachers.� They almost
always write offering letters that are full of obvious errors.� Real
international companies with the kinds of money they claim to be able to
throw around can hire someone who speaks your language well to communicate
with you.
- Never withdraw money from a
deposited �certified check� until your bank confirms that they have
collected the funds.� Normally that takes a week or so.� Ask your
banker, and they will be happy to tell you the status of the deposit.
Then wait another two weeks - banks have been known to say bogus checks
have been cleared when they have not.
If you get an offer from someone far from you who wants you
for a job that pays a high fee, and somehow none of the above red flags seem to
apply, you have a source of help:� the best modeling agency near you.� With
that kind of money at stake, if it�s real you just got qualified to be an
agency model.� Yes, they will take a commission � but they will also do the
research, understand what is real and what is not, and stand behind you if you
do end up thousands of miles away where you don�t know anyone.� So take that
offer, or that check, down to your local agency, tell them you want to give
them a piece of it, and see what happens.� If the job is fake, 20% of nothing
is nothing, so that�s what it cost you to find out.� And if it happens, against
all odds, to be real, the money to find that out will be well spent.
Want to learn more?
If you find the articles here helpful, we urge you to purchase our book: The Professional's Guide to Modeling .
Copyright newmodels.com 2006.
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