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New York Launches Modeling Scam Awareness Campaign

May 13, 2005

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Joined by consumer advocates and experts in the fields of entertainment and modeling, the New York State Consumer Protection Board has announced a new consumer awareness campaign to help young people and their parents avoid photo mills, phony scouting services and other advance-fee scams in modeling and entertainment.

"These scams persist because young people and their parents don't know enough about how the modeling and talent industries work," said Teresa A. Santiago, Chairman and Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB).

"We want to warn consumers about companies that hang on the fringes of the New York fashion and entertainment worlds; charging hundreds -- and sometimes thousands -- of dollars in advance fees for photographs, websites and other services that do little to help find jobs for aspiring models, singers and actors."

The CPB's warning will initially reach some 13 million students thanks to America Online ("AOL") and the television news service for young people, Channel One.

AOL will feature a brochure created by the CPB and the Screen Actors Guild on "AOL Red," AOL's web pages viewed by an estimated five million teens. Meanwhile, Channel One will be broadcasting a three-part series on modeling and talent scams. Channel One reaches almost eight million students in nearly 12,000 middle schools and high schools across the country.

Also attending the news conference was Eva Pigford, an actress and model who last year won the "America's Next Top Model" show on the UPN Network. "I appreciate the work by the CPB and others to protect New York's young people from disreputable companies," said Pigford. "Young people and parents should be able to follow their dreams without the fear of losing money to scam artists."

Pigford is represented by Ford Models, whose Executive Vice President Neal Hamil is featured in Channel One's news report.

"New York is where aspiring models want to be," Hamil said. "But there are many hurdles ahead of them, including some modeling and talent companies that pretend to be the gateway to legitimate modeling jobs. These are, in reality, scam operations that charge large up-front fees for overpriced photos and website services -- neither of which help models reach legitimate modeling opportunities. Bona fide model agencies will never insist on any fees upfront."

With expert advice from the Screen Actors Guild and other partners, the CPB is "taking this consumer warning directly to teenagers, pre-teens and their parents in hopes of protecting more families and helping them avoid the emotional, as well as the financial, price that thousands of others have already paid to these scam artists," said Santiago.

"Education is key to stopping these modeling and talent scams and I'm glad the Screen Actors Guild could help the CPB prepare this brochure for its use in educating young people and their parents," said Paul Christie, President of the New York Branch of the Screen Actors Guild.

"There are many unscrupulous entities out there ready to take advantage of actors by preying on their dreams of becoming the next big thing. They may promise you the moon and stars - but beware the deal they're offering, otherwise you may end up getting separated from your hard earned money."

The CPB's web page, called "Advance Fees - Empty Promises," can be reached on the Internet at: www.consumer.state.ny.us/modeling_scams.htm. It features the CPB-SAG brochure, as well as facts from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs ("DCA") regarding talent and modeling services in New York City. DCA's website will also be linked to the CPB web page on modeling and talent scams.

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