|
Forums >
Newbie Forum >
NEW MODELS; Learn about scams
How to search: Press "Ctrl" and "F" key buttons Enter a keyword Introduction How does a scam work? How to recognize scams? How / why did scammers contact you? How to report scams to MM? Our suggestions Google tags What do scams look like? Spoofing the MM email address What to do if you get halfway through a scam? Web-cam interview Third parties Official Words List magazines / companies / agencies that scammers often claim to be from Bogus scout Spoofed MM Sites Scammer access Apr 02 10 07:43 am Link Introduction Congratulations! Welcome to Model Mayhem. This thread is a guide to help you recognize scams. A scam is a fraudulent scheme for making money. References: The New Model's Guide to the Industry and Scams Western Union: Online Fraud Learn more about general scams http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams http://www.phonebusters.com/ http://www.419eater.com/ http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm http://www.modelingscams.org/ http://www.hotscams.com/blogs/learning- … d-way.html http://www.fakechecks.org/ Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:45 am Link How does a scam work? Often as not it involves bogus cashier's checks made out for far more than the agreed amount. Once a scammer sends a check, a victim deposits it in his bank account. The victim thinks the check is good. What happens to the check is that the victim sends the scammer his "change" from the transaction and then later finds out that the original check was declined by the bank. Money orders can also be fake. In reality, it can take 15 business days for your bank to determine that it is a fake. At this point, your bank will hold you responsible for this check. You will have to pay your own bank back for the full amount. It is not their liability. It is yours. The overage amount is sometimes to pay a third party such as an MUA etc. who is part of a scam. It is best not to reply to such emails. That will let them know that your email address is valid and they will then share (or even sell) your email address to other scammers and you will likely get more scams sent to you. Please do not deposit checks at all. Tear up the checks if they arrive at your home or office. If you are overly concerned about your safety, you may go to a local police. If you gave them your bank account information or social security number, you are at risk for identity theft. If you've experienced something similar to this, call the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 438 - 4338. Additionally, be sure to contact all 3 Credit Bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) -- at least to protect your identity. If a scammer uses a website (company name) in the scam email, please contact the owner of the website or company customer service to let them know of the scam. Send the full header of the email, so they can do their part in stopping the scammer. Because confirming the scam, usually the business owners that the scammer is using their information is not aware of it. They would be very happy to hear about it, so they can help fight the scammer. If you or someone you know have been scammed, you can report it to FBI. Their website will warn the public of scams being reported to them. You must have a copy of the email, full header and details of scam. If you did not get scammed and still want to report a possible scam, you may blog it or report it in scam-related threads like here at MM. You may report scams to Institute of Modeling. DO NOT waste your time in reporting something to the police or the ic3.gov site if you were not a VICTIM of a scam. It will just get tossed out because they get 1000's of reports and it will take them longer to get to the real issues from people that got scammed. If you are interested, you may trace the full headers of scam emails to find an IP address where the email is from. IP Address Tools http://whatismyipaddress.com/staticpage … /lookup-ip http://www.geoiptool.com/ http://www.hostip.info/index.html http://www.ip2location.com/ Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:46 am Link How to recognize scams? - Different names; different email addresses You might notice that some scams have different names, email addresses, or company names, but they do not matter. They are basic templates, but they are same procedure. They ask you to email them. They then ask you for your full contact information, so they could mail you a check prior to a promise they mentioned in the scams such as catalog, runway, and magazine. - Poor grammar - No sincere / personal / individualized message It is a numbers game. If they send out enough messages, a certain number of uninformed people will respond. - Location status Why would someone in England contact someone in Atlanta, GA for a shoot? There are plenty of models in England. - Asking for a full contact address to mail you a check beforehand Why would someone hire you sight unseen and offer to pay you up front? - Using non-legitimate email address such as Yahoo and Gmail Most legitimate company representatives have legitimate email addresses. A casting agent at Playboy, for instance, will have [email protected]. He will not ask you to send mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:46 am Link How / why did scammers contact you? 1. Scammers browse the default profile search on MM. Model, US, New to MM The place way to avoid these scams is to be well informed about how they work, and these scams are not only directed at models, but photographers, MUA's, Stylist or any of those that work in the industry. Apr 02 10 07:46 am Link How to report scams to MM? If you ever get a scam(s) through MM, please report it to us using CAM (Contact-A-Moderator) system as soon as possible. Select "Report Abuse." Post their MM numbers or link MM profiles for us. Copy / paste the messages there. For future reference, the link to contact us is found under the info tab. Thank you. Example 1. I received a scam from a scammer through MM.  2. I reported this user using CAM system  When someone contacted you, his / her MM account is no longer active anymore. It may be a scammer. Contact a moderator if you are unsure. Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:46 am Link Our suggestions We would suggest you to get a new email address. Please do not post the new email address visible to public unless you educate yourself to weed out scams. Because... by replying to the scammer's email, you confirmed your email address, which the scammer will sell to many, many other scammers. We encourage members to keep initial correspondence here on MM, at least until have gotten enough details to be reasonably certain you are not dealing with a scammer. Once you've gotten enough details from the person you are dealing with it is generally fine (and oftentimes expected) for someone to ask for an email address as a second means of communication. It is good to be informed, but there is no need to be paranoid if someone asks for an email address or phone number once some details are discussed. Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:47 am Link Google tags Most reported scams are easy to be found on Google or MM Forum Search. Google "professional photographer/Manager.I've a client who wants to update her Catalog with her new year Fashion outfits release & I'm interested in you for the shooting.your pay for the job will be $2,500.If you're interested get back to me asap via." It would just show up results with same / similar scams. Some scammers have made some changes in their scam to make people believe that they are legit. Tags (easy to help you Google tags): scam, scams, scammer, scammers, Nigerian scam, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Back to the top Apr 02 10 07:47 am Link What do scams look like? Hello More scams posted at http://stampedscams.blogspot.com/ Apr 02 10 07:47 am Link Spoofing the MM email address Someone has been spoofing the MM email address and probably trying to get a webcam show or something. [email protected] is fake. 1. No MM moderator will ever tell you not to use our CAM (Contact A Moderator) system (CAM is found under the info tab). 2. Emails that are sent from the moderators come from "[email protected]". Any email coming from "[email protected]" and "[email protected]" come from our automated system that sends out notifications. No live person ever uses that email address. 3. If you get an email that seems to come from MM but you are suspicious of it, ask that person to provide a link to his/her MM profile and then see if that profile is in the moderator team list (list is found under the info tab). To further confirm that you are actually talking to that moderator, go to the profile and send them a PM (private message) and see if they can confirm whether or not they have been communicating with you. From: Model Mayhem Apr 02 10 07:52 am Link What to do if you get halfway through a scam? It's not too late. If it involves Western Union, Rule of thumb: DO NOT give the scammer the Money Transfer Control Number. You can still get ALL your money back. 1. Call up the Western Union 1-800 number (1-800-325-6000) immediately! 2. Tell the call center representative that you feel like you are being scammed, and ask to refund the money. The representative will take your information and the Money Transfer Control Number, go into the system and change the recipient's name to the sender's/victim's name. The refund is available within 30 minutes, and can be picked up. Preferably go back to the Western Union you went to. It takes a while to process. There will be a combination of checks and cash. The checks can be deposited at your bank. 3. Ask for the service fee back. It is worth it. Even if you were scared and just grateful to get the bulk back, you can still call after a week and ask for the service fee mailed back to you in a check. You tell them it was dishonest activity. Be polite. Remember if this scammer never contacted you, the service fee would have never occurred. A company should not be charging you a service for someone else's criminal behavior. 4. Go back to your bank. Put a stop on the counterfeit checks or money orders. Tell them it was a scam and that you are catching it in time. The bank manager will talk to you. You will not be charged a fee for the bounced checks/money orders because you took action. 5. Contact the police, and file a report on http://www.IC3.gov. It is a site for reporting cyber crime. It is user friendly. If you wish to, contact your attorney for legal advice and maybe he/she can add to your IC3.gov case. 6. Don't feel bad for yourself. It is embarrassing if you accidentally fall into a trap or even halfway. Not everyone knows about every kind of scam. Know that you can take action, because hiding humiliation won't help you. Take action, and don't shy away from speaking out. Just know you have gotten all your money back, and the scammer did not get a dime. If it makes you feel better, know that the scammer most likely had to pay for the nonrefundable plane ticket to go somewhere other than Africa, and they had to pay cash to stay night after night at a hotel awaiting money from Western Union that never came. Remember you are a better person than a scammer. Back to the top Apr 02 10 03:53 pm Link Web-cam interview Another fairly common scam is being asked to do a "web-cam interview." This scam does not attempt to get your money. This is meant to get you naked on camera for their personal pleasure. If you are asked to do a web-cam interview through MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Skype, and any kind of messenger form, it is most likely nothing more than an attempt to get you out of your clothing. You should cease all discussions with this person. If you are asked about this here on MM, please report it to us using CAM (Contact-A-Moderator) system. For future reference, the link to contact us is found under the info tab. Generally speaking, before they ask to see you on web-cam, these people will attempt to make themselves appear legitimate. They may claim to be an agent of some sort, and will "tempt" you with the hope of being signed to an agency. Be assured that no legit agency will ever ask for a web-cam interview. Back to the top Apr 16 10 05:48 pm Link Third parties I got an e-mail saying that I've been chosen by Model Mayhem staff for a possible modeling job. Is this a scam? MM is not affiliated with any agencies. We do not perform any type of screening or referrals to any third-party organizations. If any e-mail claims that they got your name from us, then it's a sign of scam. Some scam e-mails will drop names in order to gain a sense of validity. Here's is an actual example of a scam that's currently running: Hello, Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:29:30 -0700 Apr 24 10 09:00 am Link Official Words We have received this from the following companies: To whom it may concern: Jan 23 11 12:49 pm Link List magazines / companies / agencies that scammers often claim to be from GQ FHM Trump Models Rocawear Cafe Press New Faces Back to the top May 15 11 09:42 am Link Bogus scout We have recently been alerted by legitimate agencies that individuals have been falsely promoting themselves as model scouts. You can check if someone is a real modeling scout through the following methods: - Check the scout's website for modeling requirements. - Call your local agency or walk into an agency to see if they know this "scout" - Check with local city/county departments to certify whether or not the individual has a scouting business license. - Check through Yellow Pages If you want to know more information about model scouts, check out http://www.modelingscams.org/modelscouts.html If you want to know more information about signing with an agency, check out good resources at http://www.models.com and http://www.modelwire.com Back to the top Jun 05 11 08:34 am Link Spoofed MM Sites Recently several members here have unfortunately fallen victim to the same scam. As such, it is important you are careful when receiving any messages or e-mails like the following example: Do not click this link. Do not sign in there. This site is fake. It is set up to gather your ModelMayhem login information. The person who set up this fake website will be able to see your e-mail and password and hack into your MM profile. Jun 05 11 08:34 am Link Scammer access How do I know if a scammer has access to my MM account? 1. Someone, without your knowledge, has filled in the credit card information on your MM account 2. Someone has sent members messages offering "job offers" 2a. Check out the messages in your Outbox folder 2b. You have been receiving replies from members inquiring for more details about "job offers" that you had no prior knowledge of. If a scammer does have access to your MM account, please go to your settings and change your password immediately here. Also, please report it to us immediately via the CAM system so that we can investigate the scammer's credit card information left on your MM account. In some cases, the scammer has used this card while hacking multiple MM accounts and with this information we can recover these profiles. Back to the top Jun 05 11 08:35 am Link Watch out for private messages like the below, especially from new accounts: Hello, This same template - where the wording is the same but the names change has been sent by scammers for years. Jan 05 22 01:51 pm Link This line is the prevalent line used by scammers for the past few years I join a new team that is currently in need of high spirited, active and good looking Models (Male and Female) for ...... If you receive a PM with this line or any other PM you feel is suspect please flag the message that was sent to you, and share the contents so we can investigate? How to flag a Private Message on Model Mayhem. Oct 05 22 10:23 pm Link ALSO Look for this: "Location:- Multiple Location Mostly within your state/ City" If there isn't an actual location stated - BEWARE (and SHARE with the mods!) Aug 24 23 11:09 am Link |
