|
Forums >
General Industry >
Western Union deposit for testing.
I do understand that a photographer would ask to pay him for testing when he is traveling, renting space and etc... But it looks a bit suspicios when they ask to send a "deposit" by Western Union ONLY. Have anyone heard of this before? Jan 09 07 07:01 pm Link I heard a minor variant. One of my models (the guy sitting in the dirt in my portfolio) received an e-mail that read a lot like the Nigerian Oil Scam. Something about "a top designer from Nigeria" needing him for a fashion show in NYC, etc. Just send some Western Union money and/or provide a bank account number for deposit transfers.... Actually, I think that one was, "We'll give you $1000." The designer's name was legit, but there was no listing for addresses, location for open call, etc. He was 19 and very excited, and was ALMOST going to go through with it. It was supposed to be a runway gig. They never met him. NO ONE hires a runway walker without seeing him/her walk, first. What amazed me was that he received an e-mail like that only 3 months after announcing to the world of the internet that he is a model. The scammers definitely do their homework. Another one of my models? (The Goth looking guy.) He got an e-mail through Onemodelplace.com that explained that if he didn't hire them to shoot his portfolio, he wasn't going to get any work. Unfortunately for the scammers, he already did a lot of work. It's the old "put the newbie into a panic" routine. A vampire clutching for your neck because he/she is so untalented that he/she couldn't get any money without suckering a newbie on his/her dreams. It's reprehensible and ugly. If it smells bad, don't do it. Personally, I find that desperation ruins the final product. Jan 09 07 07:24 pm Link Yes, one MM member at least does this. He's an excellent photographer, and I have no reason to doubt his sincerity. But he took a lot of flak on the forum for this practice, and I thought he was going to quit. If you know for a certainty who you are going to be shooting with, and have every reason to trust them, I don't see anything wrong with it. But if there are already doubts, WU requests just magnify them. Jan 09 07 07:25 pm Link Dobias Fine Art Photo wrote: Makes me mad that there people who do these things, looks like there are a lot of them... ugh.. Jan 09 07 07:33 pm Link Now that I require a deposit (or *excellent* photographer references) for TFCD, I take PayPal or personal check. The few times I've used Western Union or money orders it was a PITA. Have you checked out his references? Ask the models he has worked with recently--if they paid a deposit and got it back, there's no reason to think he's going to treat you any differently. Jan 09 07 07:44 pm Link Julia wrote: I know who you are talking about. He has been discussed in the forums before and he has proven himself to be legit and a GREAT photographer... Jan 09 07 07:51 pm Link |
