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For years, the modeling industry has been plagued with predators and con-men who pretend to be legitimate modeling agents and claim to have top model talent agencies; but in truth, victimize teenagers and con them out of thousand and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. These criminals have spent years perfecting their evil trade and these hapless teenagers are no match for their cunning.

These, so called, modeling agents feed your ego, vanity and need to get what they want. And once you’re victimized, the authorities can do little to help you recover what you’ve lost. Save yourself from the sting of being scammed by being able to identify the red-flags warnings when dealing with these fake modeling agents.

More often than not, these bogus model talent agencies will advertise heavily on television, radio, newspapers and the internet. These scammers will try to lure you by saying that they are conducting Screen Tests for commercials. Then, these fake model talent agencies will claim that they’re clients already appear in several national ads.

Once you bite into their alluring ads, one of their modeling agents will ask you for a prepaid fee for your “screen test”. After they conduct the screen test in a local hotel, they will ask you to buy a copy of the screen test for an additional fee.

The modeling agent will, then, tell you that you’ve passed the audition to lull you into a false sense of security. But almost immediately, the fake modeling agent will ask you for, yet, another set of fees for you to be part of the model talent agency’s introduction program. The modeling agent will claim that they have a high success rate of those who join the model talent agency’s induction program. The modeling agent may also claim that the model talent agency he works for is a member of some independent modeling association to keep your confidence up.

In the end, you never truly get anything worthwhile from all the fees you’ve paid and if you still haven’t given up hope by then, the bogus model talent agency will continue to bleed you for more. Demanding a refund is next to impossible too, since they’ve covered their misdeeds with waivers and receipts and the modeling agent will use these documents against any claim you make. Always be aware of these telltale signs of a scam.

Legitimate modeling agents never ask for up-front fees of any kind. And, real model talent agencies simply ask for casual snapshots of the model applicant. So, don’t let your excitement get the better of you; and always use your head.