Scam Alert: The Byron Sanders Advertising Agency

Recently a Star Search Casting member posted an email they received to the community forum because they had concerns that the email was a part of a scam. The email was from the Byron Sanders Advertising Agency, a company that sells advertising, marketing and public relations services and claims to help rising stars get media exposure through major television networks, the Internet and print advertising.

The company is listed as the Byron Sanders Marketing Media Management Agency with the Better Business Bureau. The company is based in Dallas, Texas and is not a BBB accredited company. The company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to failure to respond to a complaint. In the last 36 months, two complaints have been filed against the company - one of which has been closed.

This information doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is involved in a scam. Most companies that have been involved in scams have a far greater number of complaints within that span of time. However, there are several red flags. The first is that due to the nature of the industry that the company is in – advertising, marketing and public relations – it’s somewhat suspicious that there is limited information about the company on the web. If a company claims to be able to promote you, then you’d definitely want to go with a company that is able to promote themselves. For example, Ken Sunshine has worked to promote actors such as Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake and Leonardo DiCaprio. A Google search for Ken Sunshine’s name returns over 20,000 records, while a search for the Byron Sanders Advertising Agency returns only six results.

Secondly, the company claims to be the “greatest advertising agency in the world…” however the company is not a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Lastly, in the email that was sent to one of our members, the representative asked them to email them back and state how much money they were willing to invest in promoting themselves. Reputable advertising and public relations agencies are not “name your price” businesses. These companies work for specific fees, on a project-by-project basis, or on a monthly retainer.

For aspiring actors, singers, dancers and models, there will be a time where you will need the assistance of public relations and marketing professionals to help you boost your career. However this point generally comes once you’ve found an agent and have booked one or more significant jobs. Additionally, your agent or manager at that time can pair you with a marketing and public relations agency with a great reputation and a strong track record.

For more information on entertainment-related Internet scams, log in to http://www.StarSearchCasting.com each day and check out our Scam Alert.

Modeling Scam Alert – Beware of Multiple Identities

Did you know that this year the Internet Crime Complaint Center logged its 1 millionth consumer complaint related to online fraud and cyber crimes? You might also be interested to know that as a result of these complaints, the organization has calculated that Americans have lost an estimated $647 million to Internet scammers. While we all know how serious Internet scams are, and we're becoming increasingly aware of the dangers, sometimes it's the actual statistics that make the greatest impact.

While we are doing our best to make you aware of common Internet scams, the scammers are also working hard to develop new ways to target aspiring actors, singers, models and dancers. They are ruthless and will stop at nothing to pull the wool over your eyes; even if it means pretending to be someone they're not - over and over again.

When we uncover a scam, we are diligent about posting the information on our website. Well guess what? Unfortunately scammers have access to that information too. And often when a scammer realizes that they've been identified, they will assume a new identity in order to target new victims.

We recently discovered one scammer who's been using multiple names to target models and makeup artists. The same scammer used the names Sarah Natalia, Morgan Jones, and Pedro Soto. If you've received any correspondence from any of these identities, do not respond. Also, be sure to report any suspicious activity to us.

This scammer says he is located in the United Kingdom but he is actually located in Caracas Venezuela using these IP addresses: 200.71.188.210 and 200.71.188.209.

To read more about the Pedro Soto Agency & Diego Verona Fashion Photo Shoot Scam go here: http://www.starsearchcasting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=119449

For more information about the Beauty & Fashion Modeling Scam run by Sarah Natalia go here: http://www.starsearchcasting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=123825

This is one of the modeling scam messages Morgan Jones is sending:

"Hello,
Are an upspring model? Or do you aspire to be a super model? Here comes a big oppurtunity for you to be a super star, Christian-Julliano clothing company a new fashion designer company in the uk requires talents for the lunching ceremony that will take place in the various places listed below.
1.The label, Christian-Julliano,will be unveiled in London on the 22nd November,2007.this Program will include runway.

2.The label will be launched in Paris on the 29th November, 2007 with runway showcase.

3.The Label will be launched in Rome on the 5th, December, 2007.

Note:sucessful talent will not only participate in this in this lunching ceremony but will be awarded a contract with Christian-Julliano clothing as a company model.

Interest talents should contact
Morgan jones talent agency for application
Email:info_mj_tagency@yaho.co.uk

Regards,
Public relation officer,
Morgan jones talent. "

To read more about that scam you can go here: http://www.elitecastingnetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=111376

For more information on the latest scams & fraudsters targeting actors, dancers, models and singers, login to http://www.EliteCastingNetwork.com and check out our Scam Alert. We'll continue to help make you aware of new scams and the individuals behind them.

Modeling Scam/Fraud Alert

If you receive an email from the Good Venture Modeling Agency of Canada, beware. Many models have received emails from representatives of this fictitious agency offering $2500 for modeling jobs. Within the email, the scammer offers potential victims an opportunity to bring someone along with them to make them feel more comfortable. This is a clever trick by the scammer to try to win the trust of potential victims. But don’t be fooled. These individuals cannot be trusted!

One model admitted to responding to the fake modeling agency. Once she sent them her contact information, she was sent several cashiers checks by mail. The instructions were to cash the check and then send a portion of the money to pay the makeup artist, photographer and stylist who would be participating on the photo shoot. Luckily she learned that it was scam before she had an opportunity to take the checks to the bank. Had she cashed the checks, she would have later discovered that they were fraudulent.

Many other models who received this email did some investigating on their own to find out if the company and the representatives were legitimate. One model called the number that was provided only to learn that the number actually belonged to someone else. Another model noticed that the area code of the phone number and the city in the address provided were approximately 300km away, which was an instant red flag for her. Another model compared the email to other email scams and noticed that they were almost identical. Other models were suspicious because the emails came from Yahoo and Netzero accounts rather than a company email address.

It’s important to carefully examine any emails that you get from agencies offering you large sums of money to avoid being victimized. As you become more resourceful and diligent about investigating possible entertainment scams, the scammers will more than likely go to greater lengths to pull the wool over your eyes. But the good news is that you can continue to count on us to post current information on modeling scams plaguing the Internet.

If you’d like to read the entire email sent by the Good Venture Modeling Agency of Canada, visit www.StarSearchCasting.com and check out our Scam Alert section. You’ll also learn about several other recent scams that we’ve uncovered. Be careful out there!