Has anyone else gotten this?

[Dokk]

I just got an email from a David McKenzie at Needles & Pins Modelling agency asking if I'd be interested in doing a two day fashion shoot for someone's catalog. they say it'd be at a local rented studio. I'm wondering if this sounds legit. This is the email I got:

hello thanks for the reply,welcome to needles&pinsmodelling agency We have a $7,500 pay modeling job (Assignment) for you to take picture with some of our models, Our client wants to update there Catalog with our new year release Fashion outfits and We are interested in you for the shooting, We are model and photographer agent by profession with about 10 years experience. Find all details for the job below...
JOB LOCATION
The shooting will hold at a rented our studio , so you don't have to worry about traveling because it will be taken at your location, the name and address of the studio will be forwarded to you before the date of the shooting, all make up will be taken cared of in the studio. You can come along
with any body of your choice on the day of the shooting just for you to feel more
comfortable.But not more than four people we will be able to take care of.JOB DETAILS:
You have alot of different Fashion outfits worn by our models to cover.
TIME DURATION
This will take up to Two days
JOB PERCENTAGE
The total money pay for the jobs is $7,500 and you get $1,000 as your advance payment and balance of $6,500 will be paid after the complication of the project.
EXPECTATIONS
Please get in touch with us if you will take the job and we can go from there, just let me know if you will take the job and I will give you extra details. You can also visit our site www.xceltalent.com Make sure you get back at me ASAP.And if interested you will have to give us your details to contact you with your payment via check and for further info.INFO NEEDED 1.Your full name:
2.Phyiscal address,
3.Your age
4.Previous working Experience,
5.Marital status,
6.Home contact telephone number and Cellphone number
7.City,State
8.ZipCode Regards


Let me know what you think...

[AndrewCCM]

Well for one thing, they have grammar issues. Regardless, I would bet the farm it's a scam of some type.

[Daniel Bates]

"Needles and Pins modeling agency" doesn't seem to have any relation to XCEL Talent.

[Jenny Z]

Why would they need your marital status?

[KdLaneJr]

Originally Posted by Jenny Z

Why would they need your marital status?

or age for that matter. Too many flags. Definitely not worth following up on IMO.

[CobyPhoto]

Play them along...they will send you the 7500.00 check, and you will have to book the location with that money...

Guess what bounces like a rubber ball and WHO gets stuck with the bill?

It is a scam.

RUN!

CJ

[AndrewCCM]

Coby just wants the biz for himself! LOL

[snydersnapshots]

The grammar, capitalization, and writing style sounds an awful lot like my "friend" from Nigeria who is handling the money for some rich deceased person and wants me to hold it while they get the legal issues worked out. All I have to do to get the sum of two million four hundred thousand dollars US is give this person my name, address, social security number, and bank account information... Yeah, right. I was born at night, but it wasn't LAST night.

[Norma_S]

I got something very similar last year. It's a scam.

Norma

[Cowboy13]

i get those e-mails from Nigeria every other week and i just Delete and i also had one from some Dr. from overseas...

Tim

[dbphotos]

Scam!

Bottom line is that if there were a job with this pay scale it wouldn't come by way of an email to a random photographer with a $ amount. You would have received a call from an editor, booking rep, etc. and negotiated the rate or asked you who you were represented by.

A few months ago I received a similar scam request and actually played along for a several weeks and eventually received a bank check from an Austrailian bank for $10,000. It looked great, with watermarks and even the correct routing code, but I knew it was a fraud so I contacted the bank in Australia and believe it or not they told me to deposit it to find out if it was in fact real... what a stupid approach and no wonder scammers keep getting away with it. My next call was to the Postal Inpsectors Office since it was sent to me through the mail. I'm sure nothing will ever come of it, but I have a nice souvenir and a story.

[Wes]

YEAH! What David said!

[pbyd]

After working in this business I am lucky to know that I am not so good and wonderful that a professional agency would pick my wedding and portrait studio (or in some peoples cases home part time photographer) over a commericial studio. The first sign that it is a scam is they are working on your ego that you are so great that they would pick you. Scams always work on photographers egos.

[groovyone]

The shooting will hold at a rented our studio , so you don't have to worry about traveling because it will be taken at your location, the name and address of the studio will be forwarded to you before the date of the shooting, all make up will be taken cared of in the studio.

That horrible run-on, poorly written sentance is enough to scream scam or stupidity to me.

[timbertoes]

Delete. Doh.