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Speaking of scams....
Here's one that I am wondering about.... When I first joined MM, I received a Yahoo IM from some girl asking if I was interested in getting in connection with "her boss" who would pay big money for me to take and send more of my self-portraits (nudes)... I said thanks but no thanks and never heard from her again. Then last week, I get another yahoo IM (can't remember women's name other than Karen if I am correct), and she says she works for LA Models and is interested in having me work for them. She was willing to give me information over the IM conversation, but when I asked her to email me info as I was in a rush to go to a modeling shoot, she said it's easier to answer any questions via yahoo IM. She gave me the site for LA Models and when I went there, it clearly says that for any female models interested in applying, she needs to be 5'8 to 5'11 (if I remember correctly). When I told Karen I am 5'5", she said "oh, that's only for runway models". Being that I had to leave, we agreed to chat more on Tuesday morning (today), but my gut tells me that there is nothing official about this and that it is a scam/ring of some form or another. I called the number that LA Models has on their website several times since then but only get a message. Oh, I also asked her if she had an MM port and she said she didn't as agencies don't have them (nor the people who work for the agencies). Does this sound familiar to anyone, and also, how DO agencies work? Many thanks for any and all input! Caroline -225 lbs @ goal Sep 12 06 07:39 am Link Caroline Ann Martin wrote: The IM thing is almost ALWAYS a bad sign. Sep 12 06 07:47 am Link Yeah, it's a scam. As is any agency that contacts you through hotmail or aol. All agencies have their own .coms. They should also always be able to give you a land line number to call which you can check against the agency listing. I had one guy contacting a friend of mine telling her that he was THE photographer for IMG and he did ALL the photos that they had on their website. The girl half believed him, even when I showed her a close up of some of the pix showing different photographers' names. Always, always be sceptical. A genuine agency won't mind in the slightest. Sep 12 06 09:35 am Link The random instant message scam has been around for a while now. I know of only one real agent who uses an aol account and he NEVER randomly IM's anyone about work. He just likes using his aol account because he has had it forever and its what he is comfortable using. He also does castings and referrals for more thatn one company so having an email for each one is kind of inconvenient. Agents and agencies do not randomly approach people. You have to find them etc... Considering you dramatic transformation, it might be a good idea for you to try and get some representation. It's something that could lead to bookings on talk shows etc... Sep 12 06 09:46 am Link I received an IM on Yahoo a couple of months ago. She said she worked with Wilhelmina and was interested in me. She went on to explain that they were looking for new faces in NY. I told her of my height (5'7"), weight (120), and age (30) (which is not there requirements) and she didn't mind. That was a red flag. I knew it sounded wierd especially since it was done on IM and was done late at night around midnight. I contacted Wilhelmina in the morning and just as I thought, they had never heard of this person and told me it was a scam. Even though I knew this was a scam, I feel sorry for the individuals that find out the hard way. Always Always Always check it out first! You can never be too safe! Sep 12 06 09:52 am Link IM is a red flag. I do understand the agency has no presence on MM or modeling sites - I seriously doubt and have never heard of agencies like Ford online looking for models - but agencies like Ford do have their own websites. It sounds very sketchy and as such be careful :-) Sep 12 06 09:58 am Link |
