Thursday, April 06, 2006

MBADC ScamAlert Safety Alert: Online Modeling and Talent Agency "Audition" Kidnapping Scam

Hi again Music Fans,

This is actually for the actors among you, but I have a feeling it will hit music, too. It sounds unbelievable, but I checked the facts and verified them with the reporter who did the original story that appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.

If you've ever posted your headshot and resume to an online modeling and talent agency website--you know how I feel about those if you read MusicBizAdvice.com--or know someone who goes to auditions, the new ScamAlert Safety Alert we posted in the April issue of
MusicBizAdvice.com is required reading. (It's in the center column, directly under "This Month on...")

Some sick, evil people are using online modeling and talent agency websites to pose as legitimate casting directors for a famous film company to lure women to "auditions." When they arrive they're kidnapped, stripped of their identification, and shipped overseas to work in the sex slave trade.

Ladies, if you go to an audition, bring a male friend. That's how 2 of the actresses in the story foiled kidnapping attempts in New York.

And, while we're at it...If you're under 18, that person must be a parent or guardian. Minors can't sign contracts, so no legitimate casting person, agent, manager, or producer will ever see a minor without the parent or legal guardian.


Be safe,
Randi Reed
Editor in Chief / Founder
MusicBizAdvice.com