Model agency scam

wordsfan

Daughter taken in by a scam despite my warnings (she's been having a tough time lately and needed to believe in something good) and has paid a "deposit" to an "agency" I had a feeling something was off and asked her for their information and looked at their site and it seems clear to me it's a "portfolio sale" scam.

Daughter feels dreadful and that she's let me down, she's also put money for a hotel as its not local to us.

Her bank have been pretty useless, cannot get hold of company at this time on a fri night not that I expect them to act honourably anyway.

Anyone been through this know what we might be able to do to get her money back?

I'm so angry that these thieving &@ are still allowed to get away with this stuff!!

[Deleted User]

Check the terms that she's agreed to and go from there.

powerful_Rogue

Website link?

wordsfan

https://visual-arts.photography/packages-and-bookings/

MINIMUM package cost £299!!

wordsfan

Other than their own website cannot find anything else about them online which is weird given the claim they've been around since 2002

powerful_Rogue

wordsfan wrote: »

https://visual-arts.photography/packages-and-bookings/

MINIMUM package cost £299!!

So whats the actual scam? All seems straight forward on there website of what you get for the money.

davidmcn

Company is The Photo Studio Group Limited, which has the same owner as the trading names listed in this article.

wordsfan

The scam is they claimed to be a model agency NOT a photo studio, told my daughter they could get her modelling work, said NOTHING to her about having to buy portfolios FROM £299 (money she & I can ill afford!)...

It's a well known scam but she is 18 and vulnerable and doesn't yet have the life experience to recognise such things.

I JUST found that article myself and was about to start checking names of owners etc not at all surprised it's essentially the same con artists!

[Deleted User]

Judging from the website that company looks to be pretty transparent with its pricing. Nothing appears to be a scam. Not sure what your issue is.

shaun_from_Africa

Provided that the prices and what you are getting for those prices are clearly shown prior to signing up and they do supply what has been promised then the company concerned is doing nothing wrong.

You might not consider that what your daughter has signed up is good value for money but this doesn't mean that it's a scam of any sort.

hollydays

wordsfan wrote: »

The scam is they claimed to be a model agency NOT a photo studio, told my daughter they could get her modelling work, said NOTHING to her about having to buy portfolios FROM £299 (money she & I can ill afford!)...

It's a well known scam but she is 18 and vulnerable and doesn't yet have the life experience to recognise such things.

I JUST found that article myself and was about to start checking names of owners etc not at all surprised it's essentially the same con artists!

Yes I do think it’s extremely sharp practice, but I don’t see anywhere them saying they are a model agency.
She’s got off lightly.
The hard sell is when you get there.