CASTING CALL SCAMS IN MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION… (In the Entertainment industry. Casting Call Scams… some 20 Warning Signs)

Scam Alert / Photo Credit: The Irish Times

CASTING CALL SCAMS IN MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION… (In the Entertainment industry. Casting Call Scams… some 20 Warning Signs)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

Casting Call Scams in Motion Picture Production

Across a lot of websites there's been an increase in the number of internet scams targeting actors and models. At the end of this article you'll find an example of a recent scam to be on the lookout for.

So when looking at casting calls on any site, or when receiving messages from casting personnel you haven't worked with before, please keep an eye out for the following 20 warning signs:

1. Don’t pay to audition or take part in special talent show sessions. Genuine casting agencies for TV shows are paid a fee by the show producers and don’t charge for auditions.
2. Avoid paying to register with a talent agency if you can. Most legit agencies don’t charge for registration but take a commission from any money you earn. And don’t fall for promises your fee will be refunded once you start earning.
3. If you really feel you must pay, or if you want to register with any agency at all, carefully check out their credentials online.
4. Don’t apply for “rush” or urgent casting calls, or respond to ads that invite you to “call today” before, say, up to 10pm. In the real TV world, such urgency would be highly unusual. It’s much more likely to be a scam.
5. Local and regional heats of national talent competitions are usually advertised and promoted in local media. You don’t need an agent; you either have to apply directly to the organizers or just turn up for the auditions. Either way, it won’t cost you anything more than your time.
6. Beware of casting call ads appearing on Craigslist. Mostly they’re phony. Sometimes they use logos of TV companies like “NBC” but the network TV companies rarely, if ever, audition directly. Production companies do their own casting.
7. Likewise, be skeptical about any ad that uses inspirational terms like “follow your dreams” or “become a star.” They’re using your emotions to lure you into a fee-paying scam.
8. Ignore claims you can earn up to $300 a day as a TV or movie extra. The going rate is between $75 and $125. Most extras are hired via their membership of the Screen Actors Guild. Unless large numbers of extras are needed, casting agencies generally don’t hire members of the public.
9. Bad Grammar & Strange Emails: The majority of casting scams are from foreigners with a bad understanding of English and entertainment-industry terminology. It's also common for scammers to write out their email addresses in odd ways, such as using spaces, parentheses, brackets, or other special characters. For instance, they might format their email address like casting [@] example [dot] com. Beware of any casting calls using that technique. And these scammers may also use nonsensical job titles and obviously fake names (e.g., "Jimmy Freelancer"), etc.
10. Prepayment: No real project will offer to pay you upfront before you've actually done any work for them. Scammers, however, will frequently offer to pay upfront to try and gain your trust (but you'll never get any real money from them) or to try and trick you into revealing your banking details, or to try and talk you into wiring them some money back in return, etc.
11. Check Sent in the Mail: A popular "prepayment" method among scammers is to FedEx or priority-mail a check to their intended victim to gain their trust. The check will bounce within a few days after you deposit it. The scammers will try to trick you into sending them money before you discover that the check is worthless.
12. False Identities: Scammers will sometimes use the names of real people and real companies. They may even link to the real websites of the people they're pretending to be. But if you check the scammer's email address, phone number, and project details against the details of the real people, you'll find they don't match up.
13. Modeling Jobs: The majority of casting scams are for modeling gigs. Although there are lots of real model casting calls as well, be extra cautious when considering modeling opportunities.
14. Casting without an Audition: Although some real projects will also cast actors online without meeting them first, it's more common among scammers to claim they want to hire you without even meeting you first.
15. No Locations: Casting scams will often say they're "shooting near you" without being specific about the state where the project is taking place. Or they'll even change the state to match your location if you tell them that you've moved.
16. Address Requests: Scammers will often imply that you've been hired but ask you to send them some additional info first, including your home address. A real project wouldn't usually need your full home address upfront.
17. Wire Transfers: Scammers will often come up with a variety of excuses for why you need to wire them money. They'll even offer to pay you extra in exchange for wiring some money back to them. Unknown to you, the money you wire will be picked up by the scammers' associates using a different name, likely in a different country, and then they'll disappear with the money. Never wire any stranger money, ever.
18. No Casting Notices: Although some scammers will try to post a fake casting call online to supplement their scam emails, most scammers do not bother to take this extra step. So if someone you've never heard of before emails you out of the blue offering to cast you in a project and they don't have a casting notice that they can link back to for more details, then you should be suspicious!
19. Nudity & Inappropriate Requests: If a project asks you to send them anything you're not comfortable sending them, or if they ask you to do anything at an audition or on set that you're not comfortable with – such as an unexpected request for nudity or any other unusual, strange, unprofessional, or inappropriate requests – don't be afraid to say "no." Trust your instincts, and walk away from potentially bad situations.
20. Unexpected Fees: If an opportunity requires any sort of legitimate payment from you to participate (e.g., a membership fee to join a community theater, or an entry fee to enter a talent competition), then the fee requirements should be clearly spelled out in their original listing. However, if fees were not mentioned in the original casting call, and then the producers surprise you with unexpected fees or other dubious obligations, then be wary. This could be a case of a pay-to-play or bait-and-switch scam, and should be reported immediately.

 Skills-based reality TV shows like those involving fashion design or cooking have a rigorous selection process.

No outside company or agent can get you a place on these shows at any price. Again, you have to apply directly to the production company. If a production company offers a guaranteed place in a program or movie in return for your investment in the show, it’s because they haven’t been able to raise finance from experts who know what makes a successful show.

You may get your moment in front of the camera, but at a high price that’s unlikely to buy you fame!

Here’s the bottom line:

Through talent and reality shows, hundreds of people get their first break on the small screen or even the silver screen every year.

They may have gotten there via a casting call but, almost certainly, they didn’t pay upfront.

PRIVACY TIP: If you ever need to upload your resume online, consider removing your email address, phone number, and mailing address from your resume first. Some scammers look for resumes online so they can contact actors directly.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Huffington Post, Backstage, Your Young Actor, Cast it Talent, Larry Garrison, Wallace Wang, Luke Crowe, Scambusters,

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Scam Alert / Photo Credit: The Irish Times