The idea of modeling is sometimes so tantalizing that people are susceptible to believing whatever they hear from someone promising them a succssful career in modeling. And there are people out there who would like nothing more than to get your hopes up, then take your money and run. The following story is one account of a company that made its business by scamming hopeful models.

“One Los Angeles modeling scam operation which targeted small towns in Oregon ran ads in the local newspaper saying they were looking for models for TV commercials. You were to send in your bio and a couple of snapshots. After you sent in your info they would contact you and tell you that you had the look they needed and prompltly signed you up for a high-paying commercial.

They would need to do a test shoot before the actual commercial, but they said all of it was paid for, except the makeup artists. They would send along contracts, airline vouchers, and lots of official looking paperwork. The catch was that the model had to pay for her own make-up artist for which they needed $500, up front.

The small town dreamers, not knowing how the industry worked and having a contract in hand, sent in the $500, but once the check was cashed the scam artist vanished and the commercial contracts, airline vouchers and the guarantees were all found to be bogus”.

A career in modeling with a legitimate, hardworking, trustworthy agency can be very rewarding. However, when searching for a modeling agency in Chicago you must make sure that they are in fact legitimate and trustworthy.

What are some of the signs that a potential modeling opportunity in Chicago could be a scam?

1) Up-front fees. An agency charging any up-front fees is suspicious because successful agencies should have enough money from commissions from other model’s jobs that they dont need to charge fees right off the bat.

2) An agency that requires you to use their photographer and/or makeup artist for test shots. You should be able to choose whatever photographer or make-up artist that you wnat for test shots. Some agencies may provide names and business cards to help you find someone, but using their resources should never be mandatory.

3) Also, an agency that requires you to go through their ‘classes’ before getting any work is a red flag. This is another example of demanding money up-front for unnecessary purposes.

4) Classified ads looking for any kind of model or talent. Usually agencies send out scouts to find new talent.

5) No agency can guarantee work. If they say they will–watch out. Modeling agencies represent you and match you up with the best jobs that come through their doors. Yet there is no way for an agency to guarantee a job placement.