Con artists in Detroit tend to like to victimize the actors and models that are just starting their career and may be green behind the ears yet, but there are some out there that will still target even the veterans in the industry there in Detroit. They are good at what they do and this can compromise your peace of mind and safety; they will hone their skills just like you so they can keep up the game. That's why you should be aware of them so you can get the jump on them first as you begin your career. They really like to attack those that are just graduating out of acting or modeling school in Detroit. They target graduates because of their lack of experience in the field. You will have a much easier time in Detroit if you understand how to spot these con artists before they take you for your worth in Detroit.
The manager scam is a pretty common con you will see in the industry. They will sit there and contact you out of the blue sometimes on the street either with claims that they are a talent manager working in the film industry there in Detroit. They will usually request a “submission fee” when you start working for them, so they can submit you for auditions. Do not be fooled though, a real manager will get paid when you do and will not require you to pay them fees to get yourself submitted to auditions. A real manager usually only makes about 10 to 20 percent based on your pay for an acting gig or photo shoot in Detroit.
The talent agent scam shares a lot of similarities to the manager scam, however this con artist will introduce him or herself as a talent agent there in Detroit. They will be working for a big agency, may even use a legitimate agency's name to back themselves. Though if you happen to do your homework on that agent and call the agency that person will not exist or the agent they are impersonating will be very confused about even talking to you in the first place. This con artist will approach you on the street, all excited about your look. Almost too enthusiastic as they fill your head with empty promises of fame and fortune. They may claim that they helped a super famous actor or model get to where they are today; for example George Clooney. Obviously this agent is a no one because they would still be working with that talent if they were that good to begin with. These agents will only bring broken promises and failed dreams in Detroit. If the promises seem too good to be true, more than likely they are.
The con artist “talent agent” will hand you their contact information there in Detroit after they have painted you the ideal and perfect career opportunity, however when you go to reach out to this “agent” to get more information there in Detroit, things get interesting at that point. They suddenly have a fee to obtain their services or even some random silly sounding fees too. The fees were never mentioned before of course and if you do your homework before talking to agencies in the area you would know already that the agent gets paid when you get paid. This should be a huge red flag to you if it isn’t already; listen to your gut and walk away before you end up paying unnecessary fees and still don’t have anything to show for it, because once this agent gets your money, they will disappear and you will still have no auditions to go to in Detroit and you’ll be hurting in the pocket book to boot.
Online agencies are a good target too, don’t be fooled for one second. Online in general is far from being your safe bet. Don’t create a sense of false security here, stay sharp as you start in this industry. It is so easy for these con artists to set up a fake acting and modeling website, it is pure insanity. With that being said; it doesn’t help that we are more online that off anymore, so tread with caution. Between fake websites and fake social media accounts it is easy to get roped in before you even know what is happening. In fact many scammers have taken their fraudulent activities online. There are platforms out there that charge performers to post their headshots and in the end the actor is just out of cash and no job in hand. To help protect yourself from online fraud; you should only visit well-known and legitimate websites and stay away from any service that is requiring you to pay a fee up front before working with you.
Contract fraud is becoming increasingly popular amongst the scammers in Detroit. Even seasoned actors and models can fall victim to this type of fraud. You should always read everything when you are signing official documents and should also seek legal counsel before signing anything. After all that fine print will get you if you are not careful. You can never be too certain even if you think you are working with a legitimate talent agent or manager. You would not believe how easy it is to get trapped by the fine print in a contract that is produced by a scammer; you may just end up signing your rights away to a scammer. So for your peace of mind, even if it costs a bit to do so you should have some legal counsel to go over your contract before you sign any contract in Detroit.
A professional that is honest and legitimate will not be offended if you are asking questions about them and their agency in Detroit, there will be no red flags and complete transparency. And they will not be offended either if you ask for a couple of days to look over the legal document or have someone that is in legal work to look over your contract before you sign with them in Detroit. If they are offended, that is your cue to leave the document on their desk and look for more legitimate opportunities. A good agent or manager will be completely flexible and will already have an awareness of the scams and cons that are occurring in the Detroit area. If they keep on insisting, take your leave and don’t sign away your life.
