Well some shady chump has decided to take advantage of the entertainment industry too, payday loan scams are not enough for these scammers out here they have to make beginning actors and actresses even more leery as they start down their career path. Now the question becomes how can you notice these acting scams in Phoenix before they make you their next target. What steps can you take to help keep yourself safe from these scams and even if you have been in the acting business for sometime or even modeling; scammers will still try to do anything they can to make a quick buck.
There is a treasure trove of scam artists in the entertainment industry, especially with so many actors and performers looking for work and these scam artists are good at what they do too and have an easy time at taking advantage of someone that is decent and just looking for a job. They tend to target those that are just graduating acting school a good portion of the time due to the fact that they are easy prey due to the lack of experience under their belt. That is why it is important for an actor that is just starting out to know how to spot these types of cons so they have no reason to worry about their professional life as an actor.
Some of the most common frauds are:
Manager Scams: There are swindlers out there that are actually pretending to be legit managers in the film industry. They will commonly ask the up and coming actor to pay for a “submission fee” in order to get submitted for auditions in the area. They actually have the actor convinced that they need to fund the submission for acting roles and that they need to cover the cost themselves to find work. The “manager” con artist is not out to get you started in your career only to gain your money. You should know that an honest manager will never ask you to pay them anything unless it is a cut from the jobs they get you with is usually only 10 to 20 percent that they can earn from you as they are promoting you.
Talent Agent Scams: This type of scam can have a lot of similarities to the average manager scam however, they tend to announce themselves to you as a talent agent working with a big agency and that you have the look; promising you fame and fortune. Thus also bringing that possible aspiring actor a lot of broken dreams and promises. One of their many claims to being a legitimate agent is that they helped many aspiring actors (insert name) to get to where they are in the business now. When the promises and offers seem too good to be true, more than likely it is; especially if you encounter one of these “agents” in Phoenix.
The talent agent will hand out their contact information or business card to their potential victim after they have painted the perfect career opportunity and when the actor or actress reaches out to this agent to get more information; they find that suddenly there is a fee to be had for their services or random fees associated with that agent. Of course these fees were never mentioned before and if they were a real agent; they would get paid when you get work. If this seems like something that is raising red flags to you; listen to your gut and walk the other way. Once you pay for these services or anything; the “agent” will likely disappear with your money and you will still have no auditions to go to in Phoenix.
Online Scams: Setting up a fake acting and modeling website is super easy anymore and everyone is online now trying to find casting calls and agents. It has never been easier for a scammer to have a fake website and social media account set up under someone else's name. In fact many scammers have taken their fraudulent activities online. There are platforms out there that charge performers to post their headshots and in the end the actor is just out of cash and no job in hand. To help protect yourself from online fraud; you should only visit well-known and legitimate websites and stay away from any service that is requiring you to pay a fee up front before working with you.
Contract Scams: Popular with many shady agents is contract fraud in Phoenix; this can happen to new actors and even the more seasoned actors too. You should always read everything when you are signing official documents and should also seek legal counsel before signing anything. After all that fine print will get you if you are not careful. You can never be too certain even if you think you are working with a legitimate talent agent or manager. You would not believe how easy it is to get trapped by the fine print in a contract that is produced by a scammer; you may just end up signing your rights away to a scammer. So for your peace of mind, even if it costs a bit to do so you should have some legal counsel to go over your contract before you sign.
An honest professional in the Phoenix area will not be offended if you are asking questions about them and their agency, there will be complete transparency. They will definitely not be offended if you ask for a couple of days to read over a legal document or to have a lawyer look over that document before you sign it. If they are offended, that is your cue to leave the document on their desk and look for more legitimate opportunities. A good agent or manager will be completely flexible and will already have an awareness of the scams and cons that are occurring in the Phoenix area. If they keep on insisting, take your leave and don’t sign away your life.
You will be able to see through the smoke and mirrors as you go through the journey and steps it takes to make your acting career in Phoenix a successful one. If something seems too good to be true, that should be your first red flag. Trust your own gut as well. You should always exercise caution even if you are a seasoned actor or actress and you should be able to be confident in who you are working with and happy with the contract that you have entered into with them. It is always good to be aware of who you are working with and don’t let fake promises of fame and fortune make you into some scammer’s next sucker of the week.
