Saturday, October 27, 2012
Actors told to beware fake casting scams
News - The Stage: Equity recently issued safety guidelines via its website and told performers to beware of casting directors whose information could not be checked through the Casting Director’s Guild or official sites.
In the case that sparked the warning, an email account and Facebook page was set up in the name of a high profile casting director, and used in an attempt to lure actresses to auditions. One actress was asked to provide nude photographs after she responded to an advertisement for a lead role in a film.
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14 comments:
I know that con artists and such exist and so things like this every day. It doesn't make it right but still. These things make me angry because it is really easy to say things like 'they should have known better' or its 'their fault' or other judgmental things. But sometimes its just too much, people don't always have a chance. Or they get taken advantage of and its not okay. Like I said, I know this and other scams that are just as bad and worse happen every day. The only thing that we can do is try to be aware and always do our homework on the stuation.
What's sad is that the scams get better and better as technology advances - it sounds like this guy went through pains to develop a plausible story and back it up with official looking casting breakdowns, web presence, even flight planning. We can fight back, though, by being diligent. It's really important when job-seeking to check for duplication of the info - look for the job being posted on multiple websites of: Equity, Backstage Jobs, ArtSearch, Playbill.com, or a private show or theatre website.
Additionally, nude pictures are strictly against all Equity and SAG-AFTRA audition guidelines - it's the equivalent of nudity in the audition hall. That's a HUGE tip-off, and I'm glad both women caught it.
This is sad, but what is even worse is the fact that these scams get better and better as we get more advanced with our technology. I have looked into scams like this before, but this one seems to be one that was pretty well planned out. I'm glad that the actresses were able to figure out that something was wrong with this and get out of it. It is really sad to see that scams like this one and the Rebecca scam are becoming more common and more convincing. Unfortunately, there is really nothing anyone can do to stop these scams for happening. We just have to be very careful with what we do.
This just goes to show that these type of atrocities reach across all kinds of industries. Yes, I've heard of predators luring innocent people before but never in a theatre-specific setting. I recall reading an article about false sound work being offered but now I see that performers can experience these things as well. Thankfully these actresses were smart enough to do some background homework, as everyone should in this industry. I also agree with Nate. Nowadays it easy to hide behind a screen and there is an irony in the idea that technology, while made to make life easier, is also making it easier for the wrong reasons.
This issue in today's world is absolutely frustrating. As someone in the theater industry, I am always excited to hear from contacts and people within the theatrical industry. But after reading this article, it makes one extremely weery. I have never received an email unsolicited from someone claiming to be a professional in the entertainment world, and luckily I have never been desperate enough to respond if you had, but I know there some people out in the world that are working hard to make in the entertainment industry and would respond to an email like that in a heartbeat. This all goes back to the sad state parts of the world are in. These people scamming these actors went into elaborate webpages and emails for what? a few nude pictures? While I love the use of technology in today's world, this is a blatant misuse of it and I wish there were more definative ways to catch and stop activities like this before they even begin. (1)
Nude photos? Really? That's one the biggest hints someone can get that something may be a little bit sketchy about the situation. It's sad that some people are so desperate for work that they will pursue an opportunity that may not fully check out, and even sadder that people are taking advantage of this fact. It's scary how legitimate these scams can look, which only speaks to the fact that we must be even more vigilant when researching employment opportunities.
Of course, dishonest people would try to take advantage of performers looking for work; it's the perfect setup. Actors are always hoping to be approached by casting agents, and when they finally are, they might not be as careful as they could be simply because they have been waiting for a job opportunity for a while. But as Sonia said, this isn't a situation that should be blamed on the actors; as careful as one can be, you do not expect your professional relations to turn out to be a dangerous scam. The best way to go about this is to constantly educate actors and students about the possibility of such scams, in order to maintain a safe environment for all.
From personal experience, it sucks to be 14 years old and fresh out of a TV acting program, only to get picked up by a fake agent who worked for a fake agency who took your real money and gave you real harsh criticism about how you'll never make it in show biz if you don't drop weight. It's easy for people on the outside to say "You shoulda known better", but when you're a kid with a passion and parents who aren't well-versed in who's who of the industry, the only thing you can take away from getting screwed over like that is a learning experience. The stakes are much higher for the girls mentioned in this article since they're handling it all by themselves without anyone else's judgement but their own. This whole situation with scam artists makes me extremely angry because there's absolutely no bright side to getting involved with the people who run these scams.
This article really surprised me. I was aware that people are always looking for anew scheme but still It's crazy that people re that vicious to pray on actresses like that. It's just sad. There needs to be some way that actors and actresses can always verify that they are not being scammed, but I guess that if the identity theft is good enough, any con can get around that. I mean the amount of thought that this scammer put into this is shocking. It's no surprise that both girls initially fell for the scheme. I just hope that more people are are able to see whats going on before they fall victim to this kind of scam.
This is terrifying. I've always been told about things like this, probably in the hope that it will never happen to me, but I still can't really wrap my head around the fact that this happens in real life. I'm so glad those actresses figured out something was wrong and got out of it. I wish there was a better way to prevent this from happening, but as many people have pointed out, as technology gets better it's harder to pick apart the scams from the opportunities. I agree with what people have been saying about not blaming the actresses, it isn't their fault that people want to take advantage of them. Luckily, nothing happened this time. However, things happen everyday to people in situations like this and there needs to be a better way to stop it. Too bad that's pretty impossible...
For me, the nude pictures would have been the red flag. Regardless of whether sending nude photos violates union policies, I would think twice about sending those type of pictures to ANYBODY, whether it be personal or professional. So glad the two women caught it as well. But I totally understand their situation. It can be difficult trying to establish a name for yourself in any business, and hearing encouraging words from somebody you think is a big deal can be the boost you need. You're also more willing to take lower, less-legitimate jobs in the hopes of boosting your resume and gaining more exposure. It's difficult. Glad this article was released. I wonder what similar problems we're facing in the US.
I think the first indication was the nude pictures. Many times actors are asked for headshots but not a nude picture. I am glad that the actors went through the effort to verify the validity of the auditions and no one was injured. I think this is a wake up call for many people of the theatre world actors as well as designers. Interviews sadly must be researched to check the validity of the opportunities so one doesn't get hurt. As Nate sad it is sad that technology has made the job easier for scamers and predators to take advantage of people. It is important to think before acting when something seems "too good to be true".
This is terrible but not all that surprising. Scams like this happen every day to all sorts of people but it makes sense that actors and actresses would make easy targets. It is good that people are putting in preventative measures though. Having a website to check stuff like that is totally a good idea. I hope they find a way to figure out who these people are though. I feel like if there are no repercussions for trying they can just keep trying until hey get lucky. Maybe they already have. The people we hear about are the ones that got caught. There could easily be people out there who got away with it.
i think its rediculous to blame the person being scammed for not catching a scam. In case no one knew this con artist are smart! they trick people everyday. im happy to hear that these to figured it out. But for someone who doesnt know all the equity rules or overlooked that part or were just that desperate that they needed to believe it, the scammed are not to blame. Scammers pray on those people specifically so expection some to avoid a trap that was catered towards them seems a little unfair.
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