Unfortunately, there’s plenty of people out there taking advantage of hungry film crew members looking to get work. It’s time we fully prepare our fellow film makers with the knowledge to avoid these scams like the plague.
One of the most common scams is a check cashing scam. Someone asks you to cash a check, saying you’ll get part of it and someone else gets the rest. In the film world, I’ve seen this come across as you needing to pay another crew member with the payment they send you. Jokes on you though – the check is fake and you’re out thousands of dollars. I’ve seen this scam numerous times around Georgia, but it’s definitely an international problem. It’s not exactly a Nigerian prince, but it’s still an old standby scammers use to great effect.
Then there was this story of a woman posing as various high profile female producers who lured people in all facets of production to Indonesia. The scam included real-looking wire transfers and the unwary crew member losing thousands of dollars on a movie that didn’t exist. This article from Deadline is definitely worth a read.
Deadline boiled it down to this: “If a high net worth producer with a seductive voice calls with an employment offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is not real. At the very least, people who receive such a call better contact the actual offices of that producer to find out if in fact that call was made.”
How to Spot a Scam
When you receive an e-mail or text message for a job, be careful of these common scam elements:
- bad grammar/spelling
- the word “kindly” – seriously it appears in a LOT of scam messages, it’s almost a meme by this point.
- “We received your profile.” Weird wording.
- Says your skills are highly preferred.
- Asks for you to send your job position and resume – if your skills are highly sought after, surely they already know what you do?
- Reply to secure your slot.
- The message comes from a foreign company/name or a real production company whose name has been stolen to trick job seekers
- The pay is suspiciously high for the job like $1500 for 3 days of PA work.
Examples
Here are some examples culled from members of various Atlanta film groups on Facebook, reposted with permission.
Red flags:
- “Your swift response highly appreciated.”
- “Your ____ skill needed.” Nobody in production talks like this.
- Generally bad grammar.
Red flags:
- E-mail comes from Gauri Khan, but name in the message is Blesson Oommen.
- Asks a production assistant to “receive camera equipment.”
- Daily rate for a PA (part-time!) listed as $500-$3800. I would PA forever if that was a real rate.
- Exceptionally bad grammar, spelling, punctuation.
Red Flags:
- Isaac Yu – common scam name.
- Vague details “your city” and “your skillset.”
What Can You Do?
It’s pretty much the same as avoiding most scammers – be careful what information you share online. Most of these scammers appear to get your information through information you post online. I personally started getting many scam emails and texts after I posted my resume to Georgia Production Directory/Reel Scout but can also happen when you post your info anywhere online – Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
You’ve got to self promote to get yourself out there, so don’t relegate yourself to the life of a hermit and delete your social media.
As a general rule, don’t accept random friend requests. When in doubt, send them a message.
If a scammer contacts you, ignore the email, block the phone number, etc. Post the scam on a site like Atlanta Film Industry Watch to warn your fellow filmmakers. If a company or person’s likeness is being used to sell the scam, send them a message to inform them.
If you receive a job offer that you’re just not sure about, ask them for a deal memo before moving forward and research the company. If anything seems fishy, bow out of there. Avoid anyone who is trying to send you a check in order to pay for equipment or another crew member’s rate.
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Special thanks to Brittany Edwards and Ashley Nelson for allowing me to repost their scam findings. An informed film industry is a better one for sure.
Bridget LaMonica 
Looking for Film Work in Connecticut: A Close Call (and some, unfortunately, common experiences)
One of the more droll experiences in the Connecticut [film] market, a close call:
(Reprinted courtesy of Inside Investigator, Comments section)
Helping a friend who asked our group to help someone with their fundraising for their film. This filmmaker was on the board of a few film networking orgs in Connecticut including film festivals (more on that in a bit). It was to star a former, renowned actor (who was taken to surprise to hear of his supposed involvement).
We were asked if we could work for deferred pay. We declined but did say if funding came through to sign us on. They asked if we’d consider working without pay for as long as we can get by. Another no.
Previously, they spoke with another crew that we are familiar with. They were told that they would “definitely be on the hire list when the next film is being made,” if they did the first without compensation. Not an uncommon overture, but very unprofessional as coming from someone who was supposed to be of note.
Next came a meeting where this Connecticut film board member/film festival associate/filmmaker mentor wanted to build a name as film consultant, as in a film maker fundraiser guru, in Connecticut, offering advice and connections to those who sign on, for a fee. He wanted to know our thoughts as to how to make it happen.
He said he would create a crowd funding campaign (for a whopping 15,000 budgeted film!), and, knowing he might not raise the full amount in his circle, he could then put the remaining funds into the campaign to meet its target.
An amount close to 4,000 was raised, and he anonymously deposited the rest from his own existing funds. (This crowd funder platform didn’t require full disclosure of all donors). He thought this was fully legal which it appears to be? But if we understood him correctly, it seemed unethical.
Three months pass: New guru of Connecticut film fundraisers begins announcing a course he’d be holding for $500-600. The topic: how to successfully fund your film, as he did (nope), and he’d teach you how to do the same (also nope).
We noped to all of the above.
**Not sure if this person is doing fundraising classes now or not. But he’s still affiliated with several of the networking alliance coalition groups for filmmakers in Connecticut, they have events at university campuses, film festivals, local art venues, and restaurants. Also been seen at tax incentive forums.
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