One expert said scammers try to trick people into thinking they know who they are and that they're getting a paycheck.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some scammers are trying to lure in victims with an elaborate scheme making folks believe they finally got their big break.
A major online casting company, Backstage, is warning about "casting scams." They said the scams are an unfortunate, but very real, aspect of the online casting process. Victims find themselves seduced by the promise of a dream career job. The company warns that as scammers become more sophisticated in their tactics, it’s important for actors and aspiring actors to stay vigilant.
On Monday, rap artist T-Pain posted on Instagram to warn fans about a scammer using his name to steal people's dreams, and money.
Credit: T-Pain Social Media
A screenshot of the scam email pretending to be T-Pain.
Greg Knox, an actor in Knoxville, said he has landed roles in movies like "Homestead" and "Dog Ears" with Burt Reynolds and Chevy Chase. In all his years of acting, he said he’s gotten a lot of casting call emails. He said some of the ones lately are blatant scams.
"A lot of people will try to scam actors that are looking for a big role, especially if they throw in big-name actors and stuff like that," Knox said. "Will Smith was going to be in it, they were going to put me up in a hotel, pay for travel — you know, all this stuff.”
He said one clear indication an email is a scam is if they skip straight to talking about money, ignoring other parts of the casting process.
"You should usually hear back within a week to a few weeks after your audition, and even then there still might be some time before they get to the payment information," Knox said.
When accepting a role, actors are technically accepting a job offer. Knox said scammers try to trick them into thinking they know who they are and that they're getting a paycheck.
"Because they do direct deposit or they'll do check," Knox said. “But that happens several weeks into the process. It never happens the first day you’ve been asked to audition.”
Tony Binkley, the president of the Better Business Bureau, said a casting call email scam can happen to anyone.
"Sometimes they may mail you a check and have you deposit that check and say, 'Hey, we've sent you too much, send us some back .' Well, that check is never going to be any good and what you're going to be sending back is your own money," Binkley said.
He also said even people who aren't professional actors can be targets of this email scam.
"''It's my big shot, I can be famous, I can be TV.' It's just like anything, you have to temper those expectations," he said.
Backstage has ways for aspiring actors to tell the difference between a legitimate casting call and a fake casting notice. They are listed below.
- Bad grammar: The majority of casting scams are from foreign individuals with a limited command of English and entertainment-industry terminology. These scammers may also use nonsensical job titles and obviously fake names (e.g., "Jimmy Freelancer"), etc.
- Strange email addresses: It’s also common for scammers to write out their email addresses in odd ways, 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.
- Prepayment: No legitimate project will offer to pay you upfront before you've actually done any work for them. Scammers, however, will frequently offer to pay upfront—although you'll never get any real money from them—or try and trick you into revealing your banking details.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. If the producers surprise you with fees (or other dubious obligations) that weren’t mentioned in the original casting call, then be wary. This could be a case of a pay-to-play or bait-and-switch scam.
The BBB in Knoxville has a list of local trusted agencies on its website, here.
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FAQs
Common Red flags
Refusal to meet in person: Scammers will make excuses to avoid video calls or in-person meetings. They often cite work or travel commitments, or family emergencies.
What are common scammer phrases? ›
The Dirty Dozen: "Classic" Scams and Pitches
| 1. | It's your lucky day! You won the foreign lottery! |
|---|
| 2. | Burn fat while you sleep!!! |
| 3. | Free cash grants! Never repay! |
| 4. | This free seminar can change your life! |
| 5. | Make BIG money working from home! |
7 more rowsThoroughly research charity solicitations from crowdfunding campaigns. Be wary of fraudulent celebrity solicitations - If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a celebrity, experts advise doing an internet search on the celebrity's name with the word “scam” to see if impostor schemes have been reported.
What types of victims do fraudsters mostly target? ›
Consumer fraud occurs when a person suffers from a financial or personal loss. Fraud can involve the use of deceptive, unfair, misleading, or false business practices. Fraudsters typically target the elderly and college students, but all consumers are at risk of fraud.
How do you know if you are chatting with a scammer? ›
You might be dealing with an online scammer if they request sensitive personal information, money, or insist on speaking on a chat app of their choice. You might be dealing with an online scammer if they request sensitive personal information, money, or insist on speaking on a chat app of their choice.
What is a red flag for a scammer? ›
Unsolicited offers: Don't respond to unsolicited cold calls, emails, junk mail, late-night commercials or infomercials, or social media posts that are either overly attractive or fear-inducing. These are all common tactics scammers use to entice you to engage.
Will a scammer talk to you everyday? ›
They use many methods to try to gain your trust. Scammers may make up a noble international profession to explain why they can't meet you in person. They may talk to you many times a day, making you feel like you really know them.
What is the mindset of a scammer? ›
Manipulative Nature — Scammers are highly skilled in manipulation techniques. They exploit emotions, instill fear or urgency, and employ persuasive tactics to deceive their victims. They often create a sense of urgency to pressure individuals into making impulsive decisions.
Why do people pretend to be celebrities on Facebook? ›
Millions of adults lose money to scams
Here, scammers try to encourage people to invest in fake investments and products by pretending to be a celebrity. Alternatively, scammers may also claim a celeb endorses their fake product to add authenticity to their claims.
What is it called when a celebrity uses a fake name? ›
A pseudonym (soo-do-nim) or alias is a fake name a person uses instead of their real name. Many people use pseudonyms, including authors (pen names) and performers (stage names). People use pseudonyms for several different reasons: to hide identity, gender, and/or race.
Parasocial interaction (PSI) refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television and on online platforms.
What is a pigeon dropped? ›
noun. a confidence game or sleight-of-hand swindle whereby cash is extracted from the victim as collateral for a supposed share in a large sum of discovered money, dishonest profits, or gambling winnings, which in fact are nonexistent.
What do fraudsters behaviors often include? ›
The concept states that there are three components which, together, lead to fraudulent behavior. They are (1) a perceived un-shareable financial need (motive/pressure), (2) a perceived opportunity to commit fraud, and (3) the rationalization of committing the fraud.
Who are most likely to be victimized by someone they know? ›
Females knew their offenders in almost 70% of violent crimes committed against them (they are relatives, friends, or acquaintances). Females now lead males as to “serious” violent criminal victimization rates in recent years. The majority of violent crime happens between people who know each other.
What tricks do fraudsters use? ›
Scammers exploit social influence in a couple of ways. These include faking testimonials and reviews or even going as far as creating fake social media accounts to do so. There's also targeting individuals with phishing emails pretending to come from people who have benefited from a particular product or service.
What are the red flags of a scammer? ›
Unsolicited offers: Don't respond to unsolicited cold calls, emails, junk mail, late-night commercials or infomercials, or social media posts that are either overly attractive or fear-inducing. These are all common tactics scammers use to entice you to engage.
Will a scammer talk to you every day? ›
They use many methods to try to gain your trust. Scammers may make up a noble international profession to explain why they can't meet you in person. They may talk to you many times a day, making you feel like you really know them.
How do you outsmart a money scammer? ›
- Do not make any decisions in the moment. ...
- Hang up if you are feeling pressured. ...
- Do not share any personal or financial information (your social security number, checking account information, etc.). ...
- Ask for their name and the name of the business/organization. ...
- Ask for additional information to be mailed to you.
