PhotoShelter has reached out to its more than 80,000 photographers to alert them to fake assignment scams that are being sent through the contact form on their PhotoShelter website. There is no reason to believe that the scammers are only contacting PhotoShelter member as it would be easy for then to run the same scam on any photographer who has a website and offers a way to be contacted.
The information from PhotoShelter is as follows:
We're reaching out today to let you know about a few specific instances of these scams, as well as to warn you to always proceed with caution when receiving similar offers or requests, especially if:??
1. The inquiry comes from an organization you do not recognize?
2. They say they are from a real publication you do recognize, but the note was sent from a personal (usually Gmail) email address?
3. They are trying to book you for services not relevant to your specialty
Here are a few specific scams to be on the lookout for:??
1. An editor reaching out to book you for a "fashion and lifestyle photo shoot gig"?
2. Someone claiming to be a writer/producer for Complex Media looking to book you for a "photo gig"?
3. Any organization who tries to book you for an assignment, sends you a check, then requests you deposit funds back to them. Similar scams have been reported by
PDN and
PetaPixel.