Beware of this scam email going to VO artists...

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Elmore on July 17, 2008 at 5:30am

I received an ACTUAL check with a letter saying they were "familiar with my work" and listed a couple of my bigger clients. The letter said that they wanted to prepay me because they needed the voice work done "right away" and trusted me due to my client base....HUH?? They instructed me to to take the 3800.00 check to my bank....deposit it....then immediately make a withdrawal of 1200.00 and send to them for a "finders fee" of this job. Then they instructed me to wire them the 1200.00 and EMAIL THEM and they would send me the script. I called the bank on the check and the cut me off at the pass.....I said "yes, I am calling in regard to a check I received in the mail" the lady cut me off and said "IN THE AMOUNT OF 1300.00?? IT'S COUNTERFEIT AND NOT GOOD"......So I emailed the guy and told him to roll his script and counterfeit checks up into a tight little cone and shove it...you know where. HE CALLED ME. Had a THICK THICK middle Eastern accent, a terrible phone connection....and started to defend himself....I KNEW from talking to the bank that it was fake fake fake...they knew EVERYTHING from the amount to the name on the check to the VERY CLOSE TO the check NUMBER......So I started SLAM DUNKING HIM and he hung up on me.

Filed under weird, wild and wacky!~

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Linda Bruno on July 17, 2008 at 9:28am

Thanks for adding that Mike since its good for the word to GET OUT about this crap going on. The internet has created a world of beautiful and strange things. :)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Daniel on July 17, 2008 at 11:04am

I've been stiffed on a couple of jobs and it was a tough lesson. For you new voice talents out there, always get them on the phone and make sure they're real and then always watermark your recording. Also, if it's a first time client, I always get payment in advance.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dina Monaco-Boland on July 17, 2008 at 5:40pm

Thanks for posting this Linda. I just got my "invitation to be scammed" email earlier this week. I think I'll pass. I believe I recieved an earlier invitation to buy some great swamp land and must honor my first obligation --ha ha!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Linda Bruno on July 17, 2008 at 10:08pm

Crazy right?? Love your page btw.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dina Monaco-Boland on July 17, 2008 at 11:38pm

No kidding! How do people think up these things?

Oh thank you sooooo much!

That made my day! Someone recently told me it was all wrong and I was kinda freaking out.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by James Anthony on July 17, 2008 at 10:50pm

I had a similar experience and here is the e-mail I recieved after reporting it to the police...

I am Sgt. P. Duncan with the White Collar Crimes Task Force for
Caddo/Shreveport. I was asked to contact you in reference to your e-mail
to the Shreveport Police Department. In reference to the counterfeit
check that you received, unfortuantely since the check came from out of
the state it is out of our jurisdiction. Turning the information over to
the FBI is probably the best move. The FBI may turn the information over
to the local authorities where the check came from. This type of scam
occurs quite frequently and unfortunately we have to depend on other
agencies to address it, due to where the checks come from. Most of these
type of checks will come from out of the country which keeps even the
FBI from being able to do anything about it. The best thing that you can
do is not cash any checks that you receive via the internet, or get your
bank to check out the checks before you attempt to cash them.

Sgt. P. Duncan
WCCTF

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike Elmore on July 20, 2008 at 4:22am

Sgt. P. Duncan Donut??? sorry~

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by James Anthony on July 20, 2008 at 10:51am

lol

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cirina Catania on July 20, 2008 at 10:43pm

Thanks so much for the warning! Fraud is rampant, however, even with fake PayPal inquiries - I got scammed by a fake "PayPal" item on my bank account - they (the fake "PayPal" ) put money in and took the same amount of my account out in the same day - a call to the bank said "don't worry, it was probably just a mistake and they rectified it" - next thing I know, a couple of weeks later, lots of money is flying out of my account from multiple purchases on line - investigations with PayPal disclosed that it had not been PayPal at all - another scam! Appreciate the warning. (We never did figure out how they got my information in the first place).

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Linda Bruno on July 20, 2008 at 11:53pm

Unreal. So not even PayPal is trustworthy. What the heck?? Cash up front kids! :)

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dina Monaco-Boland on July 21, 2008 at 9:45am

Wow. I mean, wow. That is scary. I thought Paypal was safe. I'm shocked.

▶ Reply to This

• 1
• 2