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Is this Job A Scam I Received
I received this email today after I reached out to this ad. However this sounds like a scam. I have posted the info below. Let me know what you think thanksGoogle+ Calendar Web more TrashDelete forever You reached out to on MM Trash Ryan Neiman Hey How are you doing You reached out to me on Model Mayem in regards to doing a shoot with you. I am very interested and I'd love to discuss this ... ITI Consults to me 1 hour agoDetails Hello, We went through your portfolio and have decided to consider you to be a model for the upcoming special fashion shoot of Yves Castaldi's 2017 spring collection launch in the US; no nudity, fetish, bondage, escort and other adult content stuff. The shoot would be held at a rented photographers studio close to your location, the shoot would be 2 hours daily, we would be responsible for your transport and feeding throughout the photo shoot.You have the opportunity to come with a family or friend, we would handle his/her expenses along with yours, just for you to feel comfortable throughout the shoot. JOB DETAILS: The shoot is scheduled for February 18th and 19th 2017. Outfits would be provided by Yves and put together by a US based wardrobe stylist on the day of the shoot and the shoot is just for 2 days and you would be paid $1200 for the whole project, the Job is Urgent so you are to get back to us as soon as possible so that we can arrange on how to get you the part payment, meet the stylists and other crew members. You would be paid the initial payment of $500 to guarantee your participation in the shoot, as part of our working policy and ethics of our company, we give part payment to any client before we proceed with any job and balance immediately after the work.As I told you earlier this project is very urgent, we would be taking care of your payment, accommodation and other expenses. The part payment would be mailed directly to you along side with the wardrobe stylist allowance, funds for hair and make up for the shoot.Exact Location and time would be made known to you soon, this is to ensure that we pick a convenient time and place for the shoot. NOTE: As soon as you get the payment, you would deduct $500 and wire the remaining balance to the wardrobe stylist. The wardrobe stylist will contact you as soon as she receives all your information from us, if you are interested kindly get back to us with your details as follows: MODEL'S INFORMATION 1. Name: 2. Studio name (optional) 3. Years of experience: 4. Phone#: 5.Address: 6. Cities: 7. State: 8. Zip Code PAYMENT INFORMATION 1. Name on check: 2. Complete Mailing Address: 3. Cities: 4 State: 5. Zip Code: REQUIRED EQUIPMENT: Feb 01 17 11:53 am Link Guaranteed to be a scam. The tip off is where it talks about paying you and having you forward part of that amount to a third party. Stereotypical Nigerian scam. Ask yourself, would YOU send that much money to somebody you've never met in hopes that (a) they'll forward any of it anywhere, and (b) they'd actually show up at the appointed time and place? Me neither. Look around here a little bit, you'll come upon many, many others asking about almost identical offers. You'll also find zillions of folks saying it's a classic scam, and even a couple folks admitting that they got taken in by such an offer and are now out their money. Delete it. It isn't worth your time doing anything else. Feb 01 17 12:05 pm Link Yeah -- if they are hiring you, you shouldn't have to pay anyone else. Feb 01 17 12:15 pm Link Thabjs Feb 01 17 01:15 pm Link No real company or business person in the real word ever pays you "extra" so you can then pay someone else. Feb 01 17 03:01 pm Link Well..... If it is too good to be true, it is, 100%. If the gig is real, they don't need to hire you. They will have models camping outside their door. Since you are new to MM, you are the target. We call it the new model curse. Just hang in there, the scams like these will subside.  Feb 01 17 03:21 pm Link Literally received the exact same email. Definitely a scam Mar 22 17 10:23 am Link Michael DBA Expressions wrote: The second tip off is that they will bring their entire crew and equipment to a location near you. Mar 22 17 10:29 am Link Whenever I look at one of these thread titles, I automatically think 'yes'. Never been wrong. Mar 22 17 01:51 pm Link The scum are scamming. Mar 22 17 02:06 pm Link Eagle Rock Photographer wrote: Is this what Modelmayhem has become? A haven for scammers and spammers? Mar 22 17 02:46 pm Link Today's mark has 9, count 'em, 9 friends. Which means it is one of her current or former friends, or the scammer has VIP. Mar 22 17 04:12 pm Link Mar 23 17 01:14 am Link Received a similar message on 03/19/2017. Does anyone know if Flaunt is a legit magazine? If so, I want to let them know that someone is using them to perpetuate a scam. "Dear Mmer, My name is Gary Smith, I am the project director for Flaunt Magazine. We acknowledged your interest in response to the message you recently received via ModelMayhem. We are extremely confident about the potential results of our collaborative efforts as it would be an honor to capture your beauty, poise, elegance, and sensuality. Flaunt Magazine; What distinguishes us from other magazines is that, our focus mainly lies on upcoming artists in the fashion & entertainment industry. We are interested in the daily life of the upcoming model/artist. Flaunt Magazine, you can also read about fashion, beauty and interviews with upcoming models,photographers, actors, designers, DJ’s etc. And here we are again, calling for an upcoming commercial products ad shoot to market and Bags, Purses, Wallets and Gift items nationwide for our client. The Shoot Is For What? This is a Catalog Photo Shoot assignment for our client's NEW BRANDS. The assignment is to showcase different brands of Hand Bags, Purses, Wallets and Gift items. It intends featuring a large collection of new products from various sources and manufacturers to 'be displayed in an online Classified ad, Pamphlets, Billboards, Handbills, Calendars and also our magazine. Our obligation in respect to this piece of project is to generate some marketable images to feature these items, where a model will pose with the various products and sizes to exhibiting a photographic character/language able to attract and call consumer's attention. It is very simple and works the same as any typical promotional or commercial photo shoot. The end product from the photo shoot is an online classified ad, Pamphlets, Billboards, Calendars and our magazine that would convince the public to make these collection a choice among others. Event Date Notice: you're to check your availability and choose the best date feasible for you between April 1st, and 2nd of April 2017, which is the idea shoot date scheduled for your State. Please note that any day you pick between two dates cannot be changed later on except the changes is made a week before the shoot. Location/Venue of event: we're making an arrangement for a suitable Studio/arena within your City for the event and you'll receive the location detail and driving direction as soon as the venue is confirmed. Our crew and I will tour your locality for the shoot so you need not to travel far from your base.Compensation: Paid ($250.00/hr.), a duration of four (4) hours shoot/gig plus free lunch and models will receive copies of photo shoot via Dropbox or on CD. * Time of Event: 10:00 A.M - 2:00 P.M * Nudity: No * No level of experience is required. NOTE: We'll be responsible for your hair do, lunch and transportation, except for your wardrobe/costume that will be shipped to you directly from a contracted Designer in charge. You'll be paid $250/hour, of which payment for 2 hours advanced deposit of $500 shall be mailed upfront to you BEFORE the shoot to ensure your engagement on the upcoming project with us in line with our business ethics. Meanwhile, the balance of $500 will be paid at the shoot venue as soon as the shoot is done. More so, Your wardrobe bills will not be from your personal pocket, in view of this; YOU WILL NOT ONLY RECEIVE A CERTIFIED PAYCHECK OF $500 but also with an ADDITIONAL amount that you will use to pay for your wardrobes bills which you will forward to the Designer in charge of your Wardrobe after processing the check along with your measurements. As time goes you will receive more info regarding the wardrobes. The payment for your wardrobe and clothing measurements has to be forwarded to the designer by you, reason being that, the payment for your wardrobe has to be made or billed to your Name/info as requested and acceptable business terms by the Designer, to ensure a tallied customization and label to be printed on your costumes. Therefore, you must have an active Bank Account to deposit the check you'll be receiving, all you need to do is to go to your Bank and deposit the check yourself to your account to take care of your wardrobe/costume bills and upfront payment. I hope this is clear? Models/actors may attend the shoot with their choice of escort (maximum of two) and should not arrive location later than 9:30 a.m. to commence make-ups and attend a brief introductory class about the proposed project and shoot starts by 10:15 a.m. You will be given a Model Release Form to fill at the Venue just before the shoot commence. This shoot is going to be fun as different acting characters maybe involved, which is the real sense of this project. Take the courage to participate in this paid and legit opportunity as we look forward working with you soon. Final Note: we recommend that you read the content above over again for proper understanding and do not hesitate to ask questions. Below are the required Payment and Sign-up detail you are to forward to us for filling and to mail you the aforementioned Paycheck for your Upfront and Wardrobe bills: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name in full for the check:- Home Mailing Address: - City:- State/Zip code:- Mobile/Home Phone#:- Age:- Sex:- Stage Name: - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do not hesitate to ask any question if any concerning the detail above. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible and we look forward to work with you on this project . Warmest Regards, Gary Smith 213-261-3420 www.flaunt.com" Mar 29 17 10:13 am Link Meghan McCarter wrote: One word :SCAM Mar 29 17 11:29 am Link I RECIEVED THE SAME EXACT MESSAGE?!? SCAM?!? On Sun, Apr 2, 2017 at 2:28 AM Gary Smith <[email protected]> wrote: Dear Mmer, My name is Gary Smith, I am the project director for Flaunt Magazine.We acknowledged your interest in response to the message you recently received via ModelMayhem. We are extremely confident about the potential results of our collaborative efforts as it would be an honor to capture your beauty, poise, elegance, and sensuality. Flaunt Magazine; What distinguishes us from other magazines is that, our focus mainly lies on upcoming artists in the fashion & entertainment industry. We are interested in the daily life of the upcoming model/artist. Flaunt Magazine, you can also read about fashion, beauty and interviews with upcoming models,photographers, actors, designers, DJ’s etc. And here we are again, calling for an upcoming commercial products ad shoot to market and Bags, Purses, Wallets and Gift items nationwide for our client. The Shoot Is For What? This is a Catalog Photo Shoot assignment for our client's NEW BRANDS. The assignment is to showcase different brands of Hand Bags, Purses, Wallets and Gift items. It intends featuring a large collection of new products from various sources and manufacturers to 'be displayed in an online Classified ad, Pamphlets, Billboards, Handbills, Calendars and also our magazine. Our obligation in respect to this piece of project is to generate some marketable images to feature these items, where a model will pose with the various products and sizes to exhibiting a photographic character/language able to attract and call consumer's attention. It is very simple and works the same as any typical promotional or commercial photo shoot. The end product from the photo shoot is an online classified ad, Pamphlets, Billboards, Calendars and our magazine that would convince the public to make these collection a choice among others. Event Date Notice: you're to check your availability and choose the best date feasible for you between April 15th, and 16th of April 2017, which is the idea shoot date scheduled for your State. Please note that any day you pick between two dates cannot be changed later on except the changes is made a week before the shoot. Location/Venue of event: we're making an arrangement for a suitable Studio/arena within your City for the event and you'll receive the location detail and driving direction as soon as the venue is confirmed. Our crew and I will tour your locality for the shoot so you need not to travel far from your base.Compensation: Paid ($250.00/hr.), a duration of four (4) hours shoot/gig plus free lunch and models will receive copies of photo shoot via Dropbox or on CD. * Time of Event: 10:00 A.M - 2:00 P.M * Nudity: No * No level of experience is required. NOTE: We'll be responsible for your hair do, lunch and transportation, except for your wardrobe/costume that will be shipped to you directly from a contracted Designer in charge. You'll be paid $250/hour, of which payment for 2 hours advanced deposit of $500 shall be mailed upfront to you BEFORE the shoot to ensure your engagement on the upcoming project with us in line with our business ethics. Meanwhile, the balance of $500 will be paid at the shoot venue as soon as the shoot is done. More so, Your wardrobe bills will not be from your personal pocket, in view of this; YOU WILL NOT ONLY RECEIVE A CERTIFIED PAYCHECK OF $500 but also with an ADDITIONAL amount that you will use to pay for your wardrobes bills which you will forward to the Designer in charge of your Wardrobe after processing the check along with your measurements. As time goes you will receive more info regarding the wardrobes. The payment for your wardrobe and clothing measurements has to be forwarded to the designer by you, reason being that, the payment for your wardrobe has to be made or billed to your Name/info as requested and acceptable business terms by the Designer, to ensure a tallied customization and label to be printed on your costumes. Therefore, you must have an active Bank Account to deposit the check you'll be receiving, all you need to do is to go to your Bank and deposit the check yourself to your account to take care of your wardrobe/costume bills and upfront payment. I hope this is clear? Models/actors may attend the shoot with their choice of escort (maximum of two) and should not arrive location later than 9:30 a.m. to commence make-ups and attend a brief introductory class about the proposed project and shoot starts by 10:15 a.m. You will be given a Model Release Form to fill at the Venue just before the shoot commence. This shoot is going to be fun as different acting characters maybe involved, which is the real sense of this project. Take the courage to participate in this paid and legit opportunity as we look forward working with you soon. Final Note: we recommend that you read the content above over again for proper understanding and do not hesitate to ask questions. Below are the required Payment and Sign-up detail you are to forward to us for filling and to mail you the aforementioned Paycheck for your Upfront and Wardrobe bills: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name in full for the check:- Home Mailing Address: - City:- State/Zip code:- Mobile/Home Phone#:- Age:- Sex:- Stage Name: - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do not hesitate to ask any question if any concerning the detail above. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible and we look forward to work with you on this project . Warmest Regards, Gary Smith 213-261-3420 www.flaunt.com Apr 03 17 10:11 pm Link I got the same thing. Kinda want to try to contact catfish about it xD Apr 07 17 07:42 am Link Meghan McCarter wrote: Flaunt is a totally legit magazine. This offer is a total scam and has nothing to do with that magazine. This is the Nigerian Scam. Please don't send them any information and have nothing to do with this. If the offer came via MM then contact the Mods on this site. Apr 07 17 01:42 pm Link A blind, deaf and dumb monkey could see this was a scam, lol Apr 11 17 09:31 pm Link The first hint it was a scam was it their willingness to throw money at you and pay for all your expenses, including the expenses of your escort. But this is essentially a money laundering/cheque cashing scam. You get sent a fake cheque of a significant amount, you immediately send them some cash in return (taking out your cut) to the 3rd party, the cheque bounces and you're now out of pocket and probably in trouble with the bank. Apr 14 17 09:16 pm Link Hubris, and desire will always trump dispassionate common sense. It is these characteristics of human nature that allows the Nigerian scam to be so successful. Nigerea's scam is now worth about 30% of that country's GNP. Apr 15 17 07:34 am Link JordanTaylor25 wrote: Yes. Apr 15 17 07:41 am Link I received the same message  and definitely a scamApr 26 17 01:30 pm Link This scam is also for photographers. I knew it was a scam but wanted to see how far it would go. Basically it is a check fraud scam. They write checks that are from real accounts. The money never goes through because these idiots don't realize that the banks verify everything. The first check never made the deposit. The second check was so sketchy that it made me laugh. I felt like a high school kid was trying to scam me. The best part was the contract I had them send me was pretty legit. It took 2 days for them to get it to me. Yeah because they needed that time to search the web to craft a legit sounding one. LOL!!!! Through the whole process I did what I normally do and did no work until the money cleared. It never cleared so I did no work other than some e-mails t see how far this scam would go. BTW, here in NYC a group of gang members are indicted on checking fraud. Article here: http://nypdnews.com/2017/05/39-members- … -indicted/ This is the letter I received: Hello there, We are looking for an experienced photographer to work with us on ongoing blogging and articles. We blog for various online platforms and would love to collaborate with photographers on genre such as beauty, vintage, art, lifestyle, urban, and outdoor. West Coast Flex is dedicated to Street and Urban fashion. We are compiling shots for hypebeast.com “Featured Styles” segment and we’ve decided to use new themes, style, faces, and people. Looking for professional and reliable photographer who wants to create stunning images- we’re particularly looking for a photographer who is capable of delivering something street/outdoor and urban. If you’re interested this project, it is important to understand few details about the project. These are: You will be required to work with two models. There will be 3 outfits per model, 5 looks for each outfit, which totals 30 looks/images. Outfits/Wardrobe will be supplied by us. Location, date, and time will be fixed by you. We want 30 professionally taken pictures in High Res Digital Copies. Delivery date: May 8. Compensation: $2000 $(500 upfront and $1500 final payment). Please note that I will not be present at the shoot. Photographer will have to handle all aspect of the shoot. Images must be on certain topics and themes so I will provide the artistic direction. An agency will provide 2 B-list models, makeup and hair stylist. Total budget for the project is $5300 (photographer gets $2000 and $3300 for the talents). Photographers we hire usually take on the responsibility of coordinating the shoot, selecting location and date, and disbursing fees. Your upfront fee will be issued prior to the shoot; this covers your upfront and models’ fee to be paid to their manager. I reckon I should stress this aspect before talking further about the job. I will forward a contract to be signed by you and I. If you can handle this, please reply with your full name (Business name), phone number, and address (to be written on your check and contract). Regards, Philip Nade May 07 17 09:48 am Link I've gotten the exact same email but from someone named "Martin Broad" He uses the same phone number as on the rest of those emails May 26 17 12:16 pm Link Emma Hodapp wrote: The names change but the scam is always the same. May 27 17 06:20 am Link Emma Hodapp wrote: If you got it through an MM profile, please contact a moderator so the offenders profile can be shut down. May 27 17 06:48 am Link House of Indulgence wrote:
May 27 17 12:13 pm Link I got the same scam email from Michael. Good thing these post were here to save me! Thanks. Here is my letter. Hi Jodi Thanks for the response .. I’m Michael and I have a photo shoot project you might be interested in. West Coast Flex is dedicated to Street and Urban fashion. We are compiling shots for our “Featured Styles” segment and we’ve decided to use new themes, style, faces, and people. The idea behind this is to offer our followers a different view of street-wears; instead of studio theme photo shots, the new theme is “street”. We are looking for a photographer who is capable of delivering something street and urban. If you’re interested in this project, it is important to understand few details about the project. These are: 1. You will be required to work with two models. 2. There will be 3 outfits per model, 5 looks for each outfit, which totals 30 looks/images. 3. Outfits/Wardrobe will be supplied by us. 4. Location, date, and time will be fixed by you. 5. We want 30 professionally taken pictures in High Res Digital Copies. 7. Delivery date: 20th of July OUR OFFER: 1. Your pay is $2,500 $(1,000 initial payment and $1,500 final payment). 2. Full credit for the pictures. 3. You will be allowed to use the pictures on or after 30th July. Does it sound like what you can handle? Please reply with photographer’s full name and phone number. Regards NB: You can also check the links below for some of our past work and sample images: https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/10-deep-20 … delivery-2 https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/kiddil-201 … collection On Thu, Jun 1, 2017 at 3:32 AM, Jodi Jacobson <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Michael You would need to tell me more about yourself and your company. I am a stock photographer. Jodi -----Original Message----- From: Michael brownell <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, May 31, 2017 8:14 pm Subject: Inquiry to photography from PhotographerCentral.com Hi, I saw your profile on PhotographerCentral.com and would like to learn more about your services. We are looking for an experienced photographer to work with us on ongoing blogging and articles, we’re particularly looking for a photographer who is capable of delivering something street/outdoor and urban. You can contact me for more details.God bless Sincerely, Michael. Jun 02 17 04:27 pm Link I got the same message a couple days ago, sounded to good to be true. Thankfully this page reviled the truth. Thank you guys for warning everyone. Jun 03 17 12:37 pm Link Was this a scam, got it today? Jun 03 17 01:55 pm Link
Post hidden on Jun 04, 2017 06:02 am
Reason: not helpful Jun 03 17 02:52 pm Link MSquarebymy wrote: Yes %100 SCAM Jun 03 17 06:48 pm Link One easy way to spot something to avoid is if it would cause legal problems in terms of taxes. The hallmark is scams is "we pay you $1,000, you then pay $800 of it to a third party". The original check is actually bad, but your $800 check is good, so now you're out the $800. I could imagine a very lazy and negligent person trying to pay for a shoot this way -- but consider the tax issues: Who paid the third party? You or the scammer? Who has to report this to the IRS (or other regional tax authority), and what do they report? Remember that what a person pays you for their business is a deduction to them, and depending on the amount, they're required to report it as income to you. So even if they were legitimately lazy and just trying to write a single check, they've screwed up on the tax side. Do you report the full amount as income and then the amount you paid out as a deduction against income? You get the idea. No legitimate business would intentionally put themselves into this kind of "please audit me" situation. In this case, it is a pretty easy call to see that it is a scam, but for better disguised scams, the "does it totally screw somebody on tax reporting" question is also helpful. Jun 05 17 05:45 pm Link For those with short Attention spans    Jun 05 17 06:16 pm Link I am from Baltimore Maryland and was contacted this week from the same email address with the same email content!!!!! I googled the email address and your post popped up. Could anyone tell me how I can re-post to other models in my area just incase?? To all new members never put your email address in your profile as some stranger could scam you!!!!! IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD...INVESTIGATE FIRST!!! BECAUSE 99.9% OF THE TIME....IT IS!!!! thank you all so much!! Jun 30 17 11:52 pm Link Yep definitely a scam and I unfortunately had someone hack my account, sending out a very similar message. It's been hell and back trying to recover my whole port and account. Please be careful and report such scams. NEVER agree to Skype interviews or paying parts of shoots in advance. Jul 08 17 10:39 pm Link Hello group, I need help! I got this offer about 2 weeks ago and play along till now and am not sure how to handle it. I have seen lots of scam but just want to see where this is going. I can't locate these people's website or business. Now they sent me a cashier check with $3800 and asking me to wire $3300 into someone account. It's just as fishy as anything can be. I normally need my contract to fill out a W-9 over $600. Obviously, these people won't do that. Not sure how am I suppose to handle it from here. Please advice, Tommy. PS: I am not spending any money at the moment. _________________________________________________________________ I saw your portfolio on Photoserve.com and would like to learn more about your services. I’m looking for an experienced photographer to work with on an ongoing blogging and articles. I blog for various online platforms and would love to collaborate with photographers on genre such as beauty, vintage, fashion, lifestyle, and outdoor. I am compiling shots for hypebeast.com “fashion page” segment and the online fashion magazine is looking for professional and reliable photographers who want to create stunning images..hypebeast is particularly looking for outdoor and urban looks. If you’re interested in this project, it is important to understand few details about the project. These are: You will be required to work with 2 models. There will be 3 outfits per model, 5 looks for each outfit, which totals 30 looks/images. Outfits/Wardrobe will be supplied by us. Location, date, and time will be fixed by you which should be convenient between both parties. We want 30 professionally taken pictures in High Res Digital Copies. Delivery date: August 18. Compensation: $2000 ($500 upfront and $1500 final payment). You will hold full image right (Licensor) As the photographer we want you to handle other aspect of the gig and dictate the creative direction. If you can handle this, please reply with your full name (Business name), phone number, and address (to be written on your check and contract). So i can forward a contract to be signed by both parties if the description is satisfactory. Regards. NB: You can also check the links below for some of our past work and sample images: https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/10-deep-20 … delivery-2 https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/kiddil-201 … collection ____________________________________________________________________________ Aug 10 17 12:23 pm Link Connor Photography wrote: Well unfourtunetly I fell for it and have out my address so idk what to after this now Aug 10 17 10:03 pm Link Stachr37 wrote: If you have sent anybody a check, call the bank, cancel it. IF it is too late, you bought a very expensive lesson. Aug 11 17 09:12 am Link |
