Models Wanted!

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

Hi, I wish I had the brains I have today back a good few years ago and maybe I wouldnt have fallen for a scam.

Some 10 years ago now I was a slim, happy go lucky, ok looking kid of 18 and on a quest to get attention and money in my miserable existence.
Flicking through the local paper I noticed an advert that said something along the lines of 'Shades Modelling Agency, Models wanted, age and experience not important' and some other bait dribble that in my innocence and self dilluded state made me fall for it hook line and sinker.
So I went along for a 'test photograph' which of course cost me a sum i cannot remember (im guessing it was around �20).

So I had my photo done and trotted off back home to await the what I thought was an inevitable 'sorry but no'.
To my amazement I got a congratulations call and that they was interested in me signing to them for a years contract.
Upon further flattery and ego boosting the confident and 'happy for me' woman explained that all I needed to do was to send in my portfolio complete with my photographs and to sign a contract.
A WHAT??? Of course you must remember that I was as thick as a corned beef sandwich (more so then than now anyways) and being of low self esteem they could have asked me to take in a dribblybit folio and I would have had to ask.

I explained I didnt know what a portfolio was nor did I have one, calmly explaining to me what a portfolio was and told me how I could get one, but of course here was the trick, "you may be spending anything from �400 to �800 for a basic set of photographs.......although we can offer to do it at our studio for a discount as you have been approved"
Of course I asked for more details of the 'discount portfolio' and what else I would need to do.
By the time the photo session came around I had paid for new clothing including a suit and general clothes that they suggested for the array of different looks for the portfolio.

Of course money up front before the photos, an initial payment of �80 just incase, A bit of shit shovelled on my face a prat with a camera and a big bulb later it was done.
Of course, still in blind faith and ignorance I went back a week later to pick out the photos for the portfolio, I picked from the A4 photos which to use and was charged a set sum of around �180 for the ones I picked out.

Altogether I cant remember how much I paid in total (I cut my losses) but it was only around a month later it hit me (yes im slow), They had simply let me walk signing a contract and stating that they send out a catalogue of the photos to different companies and if picked out will earn �� and the agency takes a 12% cut (or some set %) and I had no guarantee of anything.
Surprisingly I recieved no calls for work, after around a month when it hit me I never spoke of it again unless to make fun of myself for falling for it or in some cases state that I knew it was a scam all along but didnt care because I was doing something 'brave' (stupid).

Months after I could only sit beetroot red as on watchdog the modelling scams was shown and my families hushed sniggers helped grind my face into the ground further.
Now im paranoid and bloody happy to be.
Ive had some of these 419 style emails in the past and just added them to junk and deleted them, Now Ive seen on this site some examples of what can be done to reverse the tables im just begging for a scam email so I can get a little bit of my 'compensation' back at the scammers, as they are all as one, no matter what country a scammer is a scammer.
Fool me once, thats all they got. Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 5:12 am

Welcome to the Eater, foolmeonce! Very Happy

The snacks are over by the bar, hot lads waiting to get the crap baited out of them are located HERE, and the Nurse's "kick in the butt" to get you started in your baiting obsession can be found by Clickying right here.

If you would like to help others avoid this type of scam, posting your story on our sister site, scamwarners.com in the personal accounts of scams forum would be great. I've seen quite a few of these come-ons on the net, and the more we get the word out, the fewer victims these scum will find.