Cathy Yount
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Upload & Sell: Off
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 p.1 #1 · Is it a scam? What do I do? | |
Straight from PPA and I wanted to share it from each of you. This is the kind of thing I joined for...great education:
If a Project Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Just Might Be
You get an e-mail from a prospective client who indicates she’s looked at your Web site and must have you as her photographer. You begin to discuss your services and rates, and engage in other aspects of what is typically an in-person consultation. Why? Well, the client has offered to pay you above and beyond your typical fees; the session is only a few weeks away and you don’t have a booking that day; and they are traveling such a long distance for their “special day.” You’re flattered and are eager to help a church group, a bride-to-be and her fiancé, a developer who needs photographs of their home, or perhaps a firm looking for advertisement images.
But while some suspicious sounding/looking e-mails do turn out to be legitimate, the vast majority are not. Key signs that should red flag an e-mail as a scam are as follows:
* The client asks to pay you without signing a contract.
* The client asks you to be responsible for paying other vendors.
* The client indicates that they are abroad and will travel to the U.S. for the job or event.
* The client asks you to travel abroad or obtain travel documents before signing a contract.
* The client is attempting to book you because their “major event” just suddenly came up.
* The client mentions a venue/address that does not exist.
* The client wishes to deposit payment directly into your bank account.
* A check or money order arrives before payment is discussed.
* A check or money order arrives that is substantially higher than the negotiated fee.
* The client acknowledges an overpayment, but asks you to kindly refund them in cash since the check or money order was already sent.
* The client asks you to provide your services or products (prints, digital files) without a contract and without being paid.
* E-mail is the only way to reach the client. They cannot give you a valid physical address or telephone number.
If you find that any of the above ring true, there are some steps you can take.
Start by Stopping
First of all, don’t reply to the initial e-mail (and don’t continue dialogues if you’ve already begun). Many times, these scams are simply fishing for valid e-mail addresses in order to send you additional spam in the future.
Reporting the Scam
Once you have identified an e-mail as a scam, immediately notify the e-mail provider (Yahoo!, AOL, Google for Gmail, etc.). E-mail service providers all have an “abuse” contact via their customer service contact page or in their Terms of Use or Terms of Service agreement (both can be found on their Web site). Alerting the e-mail provider to this offending e-mail account might even prompt them to cancel it.
Additionally, you can send the message to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or The Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3 ( www.IC3.gov). The FTC collects scam e-mails at [email protected], or you can fill out their online form at: www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. The IC3—a joint effort shared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National White Collar Crime Center, and Bureau of Justice Assistance—catalogues online fraud and partners with law enforcement agencies at varying levels to investigate reports.
Bear in mind, though, that you will not receive automatic updates or be otherwise kept up-to-date on the progress of an investigation simply because you have reported an incident.
If Money is Involved…
If you should receive payment as a result of an e-mail scam, do not attempt to deposit a check or cash a money order without verifying that the funds are available.
Instead, contact the issuing bank (in the case of a check) and ask them to verify the account. The bank can confirm whether the check is valid and whether or not the account has any available funds. In most cases, you will find that you have been presented a previously deposited check or a check from a closed account.
If you are presented with a money order, contact the issuing institution (i.e. Western Union, U.S. Postal Service, etc.) and the fraud department can assist you in verifying its validity.
If Companies are Involved…
Of course, individuals are not the only offenders. You may find that you have been contacted by a firm (and not necessarily a small, unknown business) concerning your services. The same red flags will likely ring true.
If you are contacted by a business, report them to your (and their) state’s Office of the Attorney General. The division that investigates cyber-crime or online fraud typically falls within the Attorney General’s jurisdiction.
If you notice that the firm engaged in the scam is a well-known or large company, be sure to contact them as well. They will be interested to know, and likely will pursue anyone who might have hijacked their identity or is attempting to infringe on their brand.
Sharing the Information
And finally, if you happen to receive one of these e-mails, share it with your fellow photographers by posting it to the “Scam” threads in the OurPPA Forums.
More Steps to Take
* Even if you haven’t yet received a suspicious e-mail, you might want to head over to the OurPPA Forums and check out those “Scam” entries. You might run across something similar in the future, and it always helps to be prepared.
* Check out this contact list for State Departments of Consumer Affairs. These places might be a good start to getting some help and more information about handling an e-mail scam.
* Read about reporting spam (on the FTC's Web site): “ How to Right a Wrong”.
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