Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

It's been a while since I've received a modeling scam email so I felt pretty special about receiving this one earlier this year, mainly because I felt it would make for a good blog post.  I meant to post about this sooner but it happened in March and COVID decided to hang out so...you know the rest. I've written about modeling scams in the past but because they tend to change over time I figured why not see what this latest fraudster has to offer? Below are the telltale signs that immediately signaled to me that this clown was one to add to a long list of shady individuals looking for a gullible model to take the bait:  FORMATTING ISSUES You know when you copy and paste text from different sources into the body of an email or a program like Microsoft Word and the result is a bunch of text of varying sizes and font styles? Super annoying, am I right?  So why on earth would anyone in the professional realm of the fashion/modeling industry send out an email where none of the...

I'm often a broken record. I repeat a lot of the same things over and over and over. That's usually because I find that it drills important info into people's heads and helps them remember things more easily. Referring to modeling agency websites is one of the most common things I repeat constantly and with good reason--many questions and concerns can be answered by visiting an agency's website. Period. These days agencies take great time and care to post content on their websites to help models with everything from how to submit themselves for representation, reference photos for snapshots and--in recent years--vital information about warnings and scams to be on the lookout for. Modeling recruitment scams are prominent and with technology making it easier for people to stay anonymous and/or pretend to be someone they're not, agencies are very aware that there are individuals posing as model scouts and preying on unsuspecting newbies. Because a lot of pe...

(Please refer to my other post " Modeling Scam Alert Update: They're Getting Smarter " to get caught up on what this latest update is all about.) For the past two months I've been playing along with a modeling scam that has been a bit more "sophisticated" (I'm using that word VERY loosely) compared to the modeling scams I've come across in the past. I realized that since these scammers are getting a bit smarter, it was even more important that I string them along to see what their operation was all about and hopefully get them shut down. After a lot of back and forth emails and a supposed "Model Release Form," claiming they'll be hiring me for a photoshoot for a well known designer, a money order containing my "upfront/advanced payment" for my services arrived in the mail. I have no banking experience but I could tell right away that the money order from Citibank was a fake--heck, even a monkey could tell! Not only d...

(If you haven't done so already, PLEASE read my blog post " Modeling Scam Alert " first, which will put this modeling scam alert update into better perspective for you.) Boy, I tell ya, these scammers are doing everything they can to entice gullible and naive models into bad situations. If you read my post about the Modeling Scam Alert, you'll know that these guys will do whatever they can to convince models that their assignment is legitimate, will give them tons of exposure and a huge paycheck. Well, they've stepped up their game--how do I know this? They "almost" got me. By that, I mean, my scammer spidey sense started tingling but I pursued the opportunity a bit further to make sure I was right. What really confirmed my suspicions was that the dummies actually tried to scam me twice...after receiving the first "reply offer" via email, a few days later I got another offer for a different modeling assignment BUT the body of the message...

Needless to say, Craigslist continues to dwindle when it comes to the caliber and quality of the modeling assignments/projects posted in "Gigs" under the "Talent" section. However, there are still a few legit gems to be found, which is why I still use this site when freelancing. But in recent months, I've noticed a few trends that--to me--are red flags of scammers, shady individuals and/or gigs disguised as modeling assignments but are actually for adult modeling/pornography related stuff. The types of postings in the Gigs section may vary from city to city but here are some red flags/types of posts that I would warn others to stay away from if they are looking for modeling gigs in the San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist: - Repeat Posts/Posters: If months have gone by and the same ad is still being used over and over, this likely means it's bogus and the person posting the ad has yet to find anyone dumb enough to take them seriously. - Similar forma...

It's unfortunate that there are many agencies out there that would rather make profit for themselves than book legitimate work for their models. I've talked rather extensively about how legit and reputable modeling agencies operate and what signs people should be on the lookout for to tell the difference between a real opportunity and one that is a scam. However, I've yet to talk about portfolio mills and the "agencies" that run them. Also known as "photo mills," portfolio mills are businesses run by people passing themselves off as a legitimate modeling agency. BUT what makes these types of "agencies" different from the ones that are the "real deal" is the fact that they use the loopholes in the industry (or downright just break the rules and hope not to get caught) to focus on getting money out of its models for expenses related to photography and portfolio images. They choose this route because it's a faster, easier way to ...

Modeling scams have been around forever but being an avid Internet user I have noticed that certain ones tend to come in waves--they disappear for a while then all of a sudden pop back up. For models searching for work using sites like Craigslist, I just wanted to point out a recent scam I came across in the hopes of preventing anyone from falling prey. If you're already familiar with this particular scam then you're already ahead of the game but if not, please check out this post and be on the lookout (also let your other fellow models know in case they aren't aware). Needless to say, Craigslist has gone downhill pretty fast over the past few years. Although there are still a few legitimate modeling opportunities to be found in the "Talent" section under the "Gigs" category, many are simply crap disguised as a potential modeling assignment. Perhaps what I dislike the most about searching for modeling gigs on Craigslist lately is the huge amount of...

I happened to be watching one of the Dateline programs, which wasn't (for once) about "To Catch a Predator" and the topic was about a reality television show that was actually a scam, unbeknownest to the contestants. Well, this particular show was a modeling reality show so that got my attention. I watched in amazement and disgust as the "host" of the show, which never got a TV deal and never aired, used the naivete of the contestants to take advantage of them, sexually molest/harrass them and basically falsely lead them to believe they were going to be the next "it" model. Needless to say, I just HAD to write a post about the topic. When it comes to reality television and modeling, there are tons of shows that millions of male and female aspiring models hope to make it onto. If you're planning on pursuing this avenue in an attempt to get your foot in the door, please, please, PLEASE take note of the following suggestions to keep yourself saf...

The great thing about being in the modeling industry for so long is that I can usually spot a scam a mile away. But the scammers are slowly starting to learn from their mistakes. So I just wanted to tell you about a recent scam I avoided and am hoping to exploit. This particular scam has actually been around for a while but it's been some time since I've seen it, which means it must be back in season or something haha. While I can spot the signs, sadly, not all people can or will and I really want to save as many people as I can from falling prey. As you may well know, I'm pretty easy to find on the Internet. I have profiles on a lot of online modeling community sites in order to expand my exposure as well as my networking opportunities. This has led to clients finding my photos and information and offering opportunities for me to work with them. While this works out most of the time, there are those that will try to scam me. I recently received a message via one of ...