scam on craiglist?

V

Victor Nhat Nguyen

Well-known member
I'm nearly out of high school and want to pursue videography. I recently got a gig but it seems fishy, here have a look and tell me what you think.

MONA FILM PRODUCTION CONTRACT

Dear Applicant,
· We will be coming to your area for a shoot (June 2nd - 6th 2012) for a motion picture production.

· We are not to disclose the script or more details concerning the shoot until when we believe it is safe to do so, this is due to piracy, if you are not comfortable working with us this way pls do not bother to respond to this email message.

· You agree to be available to work during the filming period (“the Shoot”) from (June 2nd - 6th 2012).

· You agree to give over any rights you may have in the finished film to Mona films. This will allow us to distribute the film in any and every way we can.

· We will aim to ensure that working days are not longer than 10 hours.

· We will do our best to ensure your health, safety and welfare during the shoot.

· We will have public liability insurance to cover you during the shoot.

· We will provide you with food and refreshments throughout the shoot. We will liaise with you over your travel arrangements to and from the sand either provides transport or pay travel expenses which we need to agree in advance.

· We will need you to be there in person and be really ready to work.

HERE IS OUR CONTRACT OFFER:
- Salary ($300 per day)
- Free Accommodation,
- Transportation allowance.

Interested applicants guarantee that:
1. To be available for the shoot between June 2nd - 6th 2012.
2. To participate in a total HOURS of Work and/or technical assistance, otherwise stated prior to the shoot.
3. To be loyal and be ready to work on set with the crew.
We will send your payment for the first day and Transportation allowance to the location immediately you accept the offer. The Location will be disclosed as soon as we finalize all necessary procedure.
Only interested applicants should pls reply to this message, we have limited vacancy for this job as there are a lot of talents around.

IMPORTANT: Sponsor for this production has agreed to send out payment prior the shoot date so as to facilitate workers to be versatile and be ready for the job. Shoot starts June 2nd - 6th 2012.

I am putting to your notice that the payment is ready. The Sponsor will send you an overpayment (For example if they send $1500, you will deduct $350 and send the remaining balance to an address we will provide). This payment will cover your first day of work ($300) and transportation allowance ($50).

The remaining funds will be used for the necessary payment required to make the shoot/production a success, secure the location, costume, and rights which will be paid by the Production supervisor.

we have decided to USE THIS MEANS BECAUSE the Production supervisor travels around a lot and it’s hard for him to receive payment cause of his unstable location and that was why we have decided to add his fee to your payment so that you can send it to him as soon as you have your own payment (PLEASE TAKE NOTE).

NOTE: We are a new Production company, we are working on our website and a lot of other things...We have dreams and aspire to hit Hollywood big time!!! But life is a hurdle, we are taking one step at a time, we hope you are ready to achieve and live the Hollywood dream with us.
If you accept this offer, send in the following information:

Full names:
Full Address (No P. O. Box):
City and state:
Zip code:
Phone number:
Post you are interested in:

I reply and here's the latest email. She also sent me a check of 1850

Hi ,

How are you doing today? Sorry for the delay in correspondence, it is due to our sponsors. Pls, payment have been mailed out and to your residential address via USPS courier Services.

USPS TRACKING NUMBER: 420 77089 9405 5036 9930 0008 7282 26

IT WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU TODAY OR TOMORROW BUT PLEASE STAY AT HOME TO SIGN FOR THE

USPS PACKAGE. I will like to inform you that, enclosed in the package you will find a payment worth the total sum of $1850

from the sponsor, As soon as the payment is delivered you can proceed with the below INSTRUCTIONS.

Here is how to go about the transaction, the financial officer has given strict instructions that as soon as you get this payment, you will proceed to your bank and have it credited into your bank account and as soon as that is done, have your part payment deducted $350(First day payment and transportation allowance) while you have what is left over withdrawn out in cash, proceed to the Western union store and have the funds wired to the Project supervisor's information below so that he can book a studio, make all necessary payments and get his crew moved down to your city for the shooting.

Below is the supervisor’s information where you will wire the rest of the funds to after making your deduction

Name : Debra Marshall
Address: 317 Wards Rd
City : Lynchburg
State : Virginia
Zip: 24504

There is always a Western union charge associated to this wire Service (money in minutes),have the charges deducted from the Supervisors funds (left over) and have what is left over wired to the supervisor's information and as soon as that is done, get back to me with the Western union transaction details such as senders full name and address, MTCN #( 10 digit pin),EXACT AMOUNT SENT in the following forms

REQUESTED DETAILS AFTER SENDING:
Senders name,
Senders address,
MTCN (10 digit #).
Exact amount sent.
Amount used for Western union charges.

As soon as i get this details i will pass it onto the supervisor so that he can give you a call as soon as he picks up the funds and disclose the location for shooting to you. I hope you understand this, Please get back to me as you get this e-mail letter, letting me know you understand quite well on how to go about this transaction. I will be waiting on to hear back from you as soon as possible with the Western union details also.

Please take note that we don't have much time..

So make sure everything is completed today earliest, so that we can proceed.As you know production starts in your area very soon...Location shall be disclosed asap.

I look forward in meeting you soon. we expect you to turn up with the Western union details today, so make sure the

payment is cashed out from your bank.

Thanks
Management
 
Yep scam. The old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

The check is bad. Once they have your info, they will use it to drain your account. I mean, seriously why would someone over pay you in this economy? Legit clients try to underpay you.

What I would do, is not deposit it, find the nearest local bank the check is drawn on and attempt to cash it first. That will tell you loads of info.

If you deposit the check, draw the remainder and sent it to them, then the check bounces (takes a few days), they just got 1500 bucks from you.

Tell you what, I like messing with these people as a hobby.....send me their contact info...... matter of fact, everyone should reach out to them once the info is posted. Tell them you heard there was a production coming to your area. Get them to send checks, some of us should say the checks were "lost" so more checks are issued. Do enough and you make them spend so much money, the lose in the end. Once we have the info, spread the word out to everyone you known in the film biz.


I say we fight back, and cost them money.
 
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"Pls, payment have been mailed out and to your residential address via USPS courier Services."

What? lol

Also, that pay rate is pretty high considering you're just starting out. Total scam.
 
"Thanks
Management"

Really? "Management"? A production on the up-and-up is going to have correspondence with an actual name, and they won't be so secretive about location. They may not give you a physical address, but they'll tell you which suburb or which nearby township they'll be using.

By the way... this is a constant scam on craigslist, and other postings have been brought up here. The overpayment thing: they send you a check for $1850, and ask you to send back $1500. That's the biggest red flag here. As Doc said, the check is bad. They ask you to deposit it and send them the overage. After they've gotten money back, the check bounces and you're left holding the entire $1850 debt while they run off with $1500.

And no legitimate production will ever - EVER - overpay and ask you to send money back. You negotiate an agreed day rate up front, and invoice for payment at the conclusion of the shoot. There's rarely an up-front "down payment" on freelance crew.

So if you receive a check in the mail, I'd turn it in as well... check fraud is a serious deal, and having a physical check is helpful for the authorities to track down the scammers.
 
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ha, i'll admit the first few lines looked pretty well constructed, but the overpayment always is a funny punchline. they must be running out of desperate people in the use car business i guess.
 
Yup, I would contact the authorities, even go along with it. this way the cops know exactly where and when to go to the western union to nab these SOB'S. I hate a thief more than anything.
 
Please contact the authorities. People like this shouldn't be allowed to operate. They prey on the newbies and it's just downright despicable. If you have a check it can really help. In the meantime lead them on and try to get as much info as you can, without giving any of yours.
 
I would contact the United States Postal Service Postal Inspectors about that. What they are perpetrating is also mail fraud, and the Postal Inspectors do not take kindly to that at all. It is my understanding that the penalties for mail fraud are pretty stiff.
 
Seems legit...

Not!! Classic 419 scam, has all the hallmarks. Wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even American...
 
It's a total scam, but in the best of all worlds where there really was a shoot and they were operating this way, it would be tax fraud with the way they were handling the money.
 
Scam scam scam scam.

ANY time anyone says "I'll send you a cashier's check for more than we agreed, you cash it and refund me the difference" -- that is a scam... no ifs, ands, or buts.
 
Victor Nhat Nguyen said:
· We are not to disclose the script or more details concerning the shoot until when we believe it is safe to do so, this is due to piracy, if you are not comfortable working with us this way pls do not bother to respond to this email message.
Click to expand...

Yes, because pirates are always on the lookout for scripts to movies they'll want to pirate in 1-2 years.
 
I don't think it was this website (maybe it was?) but there was a scam the same as this but the person actually sent them a script. It was a "sample" script with about 8 pages or so and it was the most ridiculous read ever. I wish I saved it. It was hilarious. Props to them for actualling writing something though!
 
David G. Smith said:
I would contact the United States Postal Service Postal Inspectors about that. What they are perpetrating is also mail fraud, and the Postal Inspectors do not take kindly to that at all. It is my understanding that the penalties for mail fraud are pretty stiff.
Click to expand...

Just file a complaint to FTC. They sound like they don't give a crap
 
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