English
Scam test

Types of scams

The self-proclaimed nude "artist"

Not a photographer, but works hard to look like one. What they want is to meet you and see you undressed; the photos are beside the point.

The oldest pattern in the book. Someone presents themselves as a fine-art photographer with a project about "the beauty of the body", "a book", "an exhibition". The portfolio is thin, borrowed or absent; the enthusiasm about you is enormous; the shoot must be intimate, private and soon.

How to recognise it

  • Nudity comes up in the first messages, framed as art, before anything else about the project is clear.
  • The portfolio is poor, stolen from real photographers, or "not online, galleries only".
  • The shoot is at a home studio, a hotel or a private flat, and a companion "would spoil the mood".
  • They ask for photos in underwear or nude "to see if you fit the project".

What to do

  1. Ask to see published, verifiable work and the names of models who have worked with them. Real artists have both.
  2. Never agree to nudity in a first meeting or with a stranger; real art projects are planned, discussed and contracted, and always allow a companion.
  3. Report the profile where you met them; keep the messages.

How it sounds

Hello, I'm a fine-art photographer working on a book about the female body. Very tasteful, very artistic. Your face is exactly what I'm looking for. Red flag · Undressing to assess
Thanks. Can I see your portfolio and previous publications?
My work is not online, galleries only. We'd shoot at my home studio, it's more intimate. No need to bring anyone, it would spoil the mood. Red flag · Alone, or in private
I always bring a friend to a first shoot. If that's a problem, we can't work together.
You're clearly not a real artist. Forget it.
Verdict: scam

Legitimate photographers have work you can see and never object to a companion or a proper studio.

The other types of scams

The bogus scout, agency or magazine

A company that exists only in messages. Pornography and prostitution recruitment often hide behind this front.

How to recognise it

Pay-to-play "agencies"

Fees for registration, books, courses or exclusive castings. Real agencies make money by getting you work, not by getting you to pay.

How to recognise it

The nude casting trap

A well-paid job for a great client, as long as the "casting" involves undressing for someone you know nothing about.

How to recognise it

The impersonator

Uses a real photographer's or agency's name, logo and stolen photos. The person writing to you is not the person you look up.

How to recognise it

The photo blackmailer (sextortion)

Someone who obtained intimate photos of you, or claims to have them, threatens to publish them or send them to your family, school or agencies unless you send more photos, agree to another shoot or meet them. Sometimes they ask for money too.

How to recognise it

The model scam test

Eight quick questions about the offer you received. The verdict follows the six warning signs of a model scam. Nothing is stored; nobody but you sees your answers.

  1. 1 Did they ask for photos in underwear or nude, "to see your body" or "to assess you"?

    Agencies assess new faces with polaroids: plain clothes, natural light, no make-up.

  2. 2 Did they give you details you can check yourself: the client, an agency name, a landline, an office address, a website?

    Facts you can confirm on your own, not screenshots or logos.

  3. 3 Are you being asked to pay anything before working: a registration fee, a book, a course, travel or visa costs?

    Agencies earn when you earn.

  4. 4 Are you being pressured: decide today, keep it confidential, or annoyance and bad manners the moment you ask questions?

    Real professionals expect to be checked and never mind the questions.

  5. 5 Can you bring a friend or a parent to the first meeting, in an office, a studio or a public place?

    Real castings happen in offices and studios, and nobody minds your friend in the waiting room.

  6. 6 Did they ask to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram or a personal email right away?

    Off the platform, nothing can be reported.

  7. 7 Have they threatened to publish or send photos of you if you don't send more, do another shoot or meet them (or pay)?

    That is blackmail, a crime. Do not send more, keep everything, report it.

  8. 8 Have you found the agency or photographer yourself (their own website, their own phone number) and confirmed the offer with them?

    The one step that defeats almost every scam.