Acting and Modeling Scams
 People are getting scammed left and right in this business so you need to keep your eyes open for these scum balls promising you fame and fortune, it doesn't work like that.
All they want is your money, so they will make everything sound so good and once they take your money, BAM! Either you never hear from them again or the will give you some phony work to make it seem like they're doing something for you.
The most common way they scam you is by promising a shortcut or secret to guarantee success in show business. He/she will give you a list of fake actors or models and tell you how they got them jobs for major motion picture and high fashion modeling events.
If you find a casting call and for any reason you feel like there's something fishy about it, Don't Go! The last thing you want is to go there and something happen to you. If you decide to go, bring a friend just in case. This is especially targeted towards females.
Avoid the Agent Scams
 An agent is there to work for you, to find you work, and send you on auditions, NOT steal your money. This is probably one of the most popular scams out there in this business. What you need to be aware of is that the only way an agent should make money from you is when YOU make money. Yes, they take a percentage out of the money you make from the work they find you, so don't pay them anything else. If you are asked to pay a monthly amount to them or any kind of startup fee you could possibly be in the middle of a scam.
Scams to Watch Out For
*Remember* If you see an ad in a newspaper that shows an Agent "looking for new faces" and talent to add to their company, Stay Away. Agents that actually are legit and representing actors and models don't need to post ads looking for new people to represent.
Another good scam I hear all the time on the radio for these talent events that are in town looking for "fresh faces." I would stay away from those too, they are just looking to sign you up for expensive classes and steal your money.
The idea behind it is they select a certain number of people out of a couple hundred and tell them they have what it takes to make it in the business. After making you feel really good about yourself, they inform you that it will cost like $500-1000 to go to this event where all the big shot people will be to see you and yadda yadda yadda. I've never heard of anyone becoming famous or well known from these kind of scams so keep your eyes open.
Modeling scams are all over the place. A lot of teens want to become models so they take advantage of them easily. If a modeling company contacts you and wants to meet with you just be very careful before you sign anything and ask a lot of questions. DO NOT SIGN UP with a modeling agency if they ask you for money up front like a sign up fee, it's a SCAM!
Those 1-800 Acting, Modeling, Movie Extra numbers that you see in the newspaper are scams too.
My Experience With a Modeling Scam
Believe it or not, I almost got scammed, well not really I caught the scam right away but they actually got me to meet with them. This was a bad experience when I was a newbie to the business.
So I get an email from this company M***** Models, they told me I would be a great candidate for their company and to give them a call to setup an appointment. First thing that popped in my head, how the hell did they get my email? Ok, so maybe they might be legit, I check their website and it looks professional, so I call to setup a time to meet with them.
I go there, the place is inside this office building and it looked really cheesy. I was skeptical of this whole thing again. They saw that I was looking around thinking like "this place is supposed to be a modeling agency?" Right away the guy at the front desk said, "oh this is just our temporary location while the main office is built." They finally call me into another room, the lady is talking to me, making me feel good, and really encouraging me that I need to join with them. She then said they don't pick just anyone and that she wanted me to come back and meet with the director of that branch. She handed me a few pages to take home, sign, and bring back with me. I'll admit, I was excited.
As soon as I got home I read through the papers and everything sounded awesome until the last page, "Please make a check payable to so and so for $600 and bring it to the final meeting."
They say It's their processing fee that includes a consultation and something else, I forgot. But when I saw that, I tossed it right in the garbage. And guess what, I never heard from them again, I'm sure they knew that I figured out the SCAM. I feel bad for the 3 other teens I saw at the office, who were very excited to be there and ready to become models. I searched the name of the modeling agency on google and found a site with people who were scammed by it. One guy tried to sue but he wasn't successful, once you give them the money and sign your lose $600, nothing you can do about it
Waiting to be Scammed - Some info on show business scams.
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