Movie Extra Scam Ensnares St. Louis Man

July 26, 2007

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Michael Taynor may be from Missouri, but he didn’t have that Show Me State skepticism when he spied a classified ad in his local paper. The ad offered work as a movie extra for a film being shot in Canada.

It looked like the chance of a lifetime – to appear in “Into The Blue 2,” allegedly being filmed in the city of Victoria, near Vancouver. “Make money, have fun,” the ad promised.

There was just one catch, of course. The “extras” had to be able to pay their own way to Vancouver for the filming. And instead of booking the airline flight themselves, they had to send $600 to the movie company so they could buy the tickets.

Needless to say, there was no “Into The Blue 2” and no chance to make it to the big screen.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch, which carried the classified, said the ad never should have been accepted because people placing classifieds soliciting money must provide a valid business license.

The scheme is just the latest incarnation of the advance fee scam – enticing victims to pay an upfront fee in anticipation of getting something they want – anything from a credit card to a role in a movie.

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