Industry Gets Tough On UK Models Scam

An ever-increasing number of fraudsters operating under the guise of modeling agents have forced the legitimate industry to counteract the threat by highlighting scams and in some cases naming and shaming.

London, England, August 2011 – Many of the UK’s top modeling agencies and agents are currently conducting a vigorous online campaign aimed at reducing the number of people who fall victim to sham modeling agencies.

A spokesman from one of London’s leading modeling agencies elaborates ‘Although we have made some progress in reducing some of the more well known scams the fraudsters are constantly thinking of new ways in which they can trick the naive and unsuspecting. The internet and in particular the social networking sites have given the crooks a whole new platform in which to lure their prey and relieve them of their money.’

The most popular kind of scam usually involves prospective models being invited to casting sessions and then being charged for a variety of services that can allegedly enhance their chances of being successful in the world of modeling. These ‘casting sessions’ or ‘auditions’ usually end with the fraudsters promising to get in touch but in reality they keep their ill gotten gains and disappear never to be seen again.

Our spokesman goes onto say, ‘We are receiving more and more information from people who have been a victim of a UK Models Scam that was perpetrated through social networking sites. As an industry we have decided to fight fire with fire and are devoting a lot of resources to delivering warnings via the internet, we can only hope that people take notice of what we are warning of and save themselves a good deal of money and an even bigger slice of heartache.’

Although the social networking phenomenon has opened up a whole new world of opportunity for both the individual and businesses it is open to abuse and does provide a plethora of opportunity for the more unscrupulous members of society.

Our spokesman concludes by saying, ‘It is well-worn phrase but if it seems to good to be true it probably is. Our advice would be to never part with any money and check online for industry-endorsed warnings before entering into any agreement or attending any casting session.

Website: http://www.urbanmodels.co.uk/modeling_guide1-8.php

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This release was published on openPR.