Another Day, another scam…this one targeting voiceover actors
Scams run rampant on the web. We’ve all been aware of or have received the old Nigerian schemes where you could stand to gain millions of dollars from some dead king’s fortune inherited by a guy needing to shelter the money from rogue or corrupt governments, if you’ll only cough up some bucks to make the bank arrangements…..yada yada yada.
So many unsuspecting folks get fleeced, which is why I suppose these scams continue to proliferate. And now they’ve morphed into a somewhat sophisticated, almost convincing cloak of legitimacy.
This morning I read about a new one circulating from two different resources involving a TV commercial for voiceover for a “Hybrid Energy Drink” in the voiceover yahoo group I subscribe to, and at VoiceoverXtra.
Be sure you look at the Voiceover Xtra article!!!!
I was contacted too in the last two weeks. Same deal here, but from a “Frank Mayfield”.
I am pretty good at sniffing these scam things out, but since there was a detailed script that included specs, direction and timing that arrived with the Energy Drink copy, and other factors, like “Mayfield” sounded and wrote in good English grammar, and seemed to pose pretty well as a production coordinator– I accepted the gig with reservations, because I’ve seem plenty of scams. I too sent an invoice in advance that was forwarded to a Mr. Arola.
In my last email to Mr. Mayfield, I requested payment in advance via paypal, certified bank check or money order, or cash ONLY in the amount of the talent fee. If check was indeed to be sent, I would wait several weeks to be sure it cleared. I wasn’t holding my breath, nor was I too excited about being cast as the “lead voice”.
In reading this today, my suspicions are confirmed.
But I have to say, the level of sophistication with scams like this one has improved. I have been able to spot ’em a mile away. With this one however, the perp’s ability to write in clear English (no grammar or typo issues) and posturing himself convincingly as someone knowledgeable in production gave me pause to question the motives! Plus the script looked legit.
It is a huge service to our industry to call this one out everywhere on the web, so no one falls prey. BEWARE!
I was “hired” for the same job. They first told me it paid something like $150. I submitted with a bid over $1000. They “hired” me. I was suspicious (I can’t recall what the red flags were, actually, but it seems like I was to get other talent involved…) and I told them I would have the audio returned to them within 24 hours of receipt of payment by paypal, VISA or Mastercard.
Of course, payment never came and I never heard from the guy again.
This is why I ALWAYS require pay in advance from overseas clients. Period. Even checks that clear can be returned months later–and bank charges back your account. So don’t ever accept an overseas check. Ever. For any reason!
Julie,
Very wise advice indeed to always get paid in advance anyway, especially with overseas transactions. Scammers won’t use paypal, but I have heard that fraudulent credit card use abounds in scams too, and it sometimes takes weeks for the banks to tell you the card was no good.
Thanks for dropping in to comment.
Best,
Bobbin