{"id":11625,"date":"2015-11-06T16:03:50","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T22:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/?p=11625"},"modified":"2023-08-11T14:53:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T19:53:33","slug":"how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Scams that Target Performers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"last-updated entry-meta\">Last updated on August 11, 2023<\/p><br>\n<p>Since the entertainment industry has adopted more digital technologies, artists are experiencing both the benefits and pitfalls of marketing their talent. Many performers have found themselves struggling, and unfortunately, there are people out there who want to take advantage of their hunger for more work. Although online scams are nothing new, we\u2019ve recently seen more scams targeting performers, and we want to help stop this. Here are some things every performer needs to watch out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-red-flags\">Red Flags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For most entertainers,\u00a0making it in the industry depends on getting your talent noticed. Today&#8217;s independent artist knows that having a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/three-ways-to-boost-your-web-presence\/\">strong web presence<\/a> is key. With that exposure, however, you&#8217;re also open to con artists, schemers, and identity thieves. The scams out there range from obvious, poorly written emails to cleverly designed business models that fool thousands of people. Because of the wide spectrum, it&#8217;s important to be cautious and watch for red flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-vague-requests-for-services\">Vague requests for services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone contacts you using very general terms like &#8220;your services,&#8221; this has the potential to be a mass email. Be alert for messages that are not directly asking for the type of performance you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-poor-grammar\">Poor grammar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several reasons why many online scams\u00a0contain grammar errors. This could be a deliberate attempt to bypass spam filters or to give the impression of being a non-English speaker. Although these are the most obvious scam attempts, many of them have been successful. Do not reply, click on links, or download attachments within the email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-contact-info-doesn-t-add-up\">Contact info doesn&#8217;t add up<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve been contacted by a\u00a0business, make sure the email address looks legitimate. Some scammers make the mistake of using a Gmail account, which is not standard practice for established companies.* Keep an eye out for personal email accounts, email addresses outside the U.S., or invalid phone numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>*Updated information: One of our readers has brought up a very valid point in the comments below regarding the use of Google Mail. Many small and big businesses use Google as their email provider, so it&#8217;s not a rare occurrence to be contacted by a business representative using the service. You do, however, want to keep an eye out for email addresses that do not end in @businessname.com. If an address seems a little too informal, you can always double-check by going to the &#8220;Contact Us&#8221; page on the business website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-requests-for-personal-information\">Requests for personal information<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In any online correspondence, you&#8217;ll \u200bwant to avoid giving out personal information, including address, social security number, and banking information. Only credible, verified companies you&#8217;ve researched or already do business with should have access to your private info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-advance-fees\">Advance fees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;re\u00a0offering your services to event hosts and planners, so there are very few situations in which you&#8217;ll need to front the money. \u200bMany scammers promise big results and great opportunities, but until you do your homework, keep your money in your wallet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-unusual-payment-process\">Unusual payment process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Any unfamiliar, foreign, or cashier&#8217;s checks should be accepted with caution. If someone sends a check for more than your fee and asks you to wire them the difference, don&#8217;t accept the agreement. There&#8217;s a chance the check could be fake, and you would be held responsible for reimbursing the bank. We also discourage performers from\u00a0downloading any unfamiliar payment apps that require your private banking information.\u00a0You&#8217;re providing the talent, so it&#8217;s up to you to choose the payment process you&#8217;re comfortable with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-too-good-to-be-true\">Too good to be true<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;d all like to reach our goals in the easiest way possible, but life has taught many of us that nothing good is easy. If it sounds too good to be true, in a lot of cases, it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>? <strong>You might also like: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/how-to-spot-a-scammer-on-gigsalad\/\">How to Spot a Scammer on GigSalad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gigsalad-s-security\">GigSalad&#8217;s Security\u200b<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the many benefits of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/10-reasons-to-book-your-gigs-on-gigsalad\/\">booking through GigSalad<\/a> is our dedication to your security. We have systems in place to detect many red flags. For example, requests sent to an unusually large amount of performers will be stopped until we can review the legitimacy. We also block any email addresses coming from outside the U.S., as some of the biggest scams are shown to be generated from foreign countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even with our efforts to protect you from fraud, scammers are constantly improving their tactics. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve implemented your own flagging feature within your PromoKit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Untitled-design-3-1.png?w=1170\" alt=\"Image of fraudulent quote request.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200bIf you&#8217;ve received a message that looks suspicious, you can notify us by clicking the flag icon at the bottom of their event details. You&#8217;ll be given a few options to help us identify the type of message you&#8217;re reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"390\" width=\"381\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/flag2-381x390.png?resize=381%2C390\" alt=\"Screenshot of flagging options within the PromoKit.\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200bOnce you&#8217;ve submitted the suspicious lead, we can start investigating and stop the user from contacting other performers. This helps us stay on top of scam trends and keep our system secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-proactive-steps\">Proactive Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s always wise to use a safe approach in your business communication, but we don&#8217;t want this to lead to paranoia. There are occasions when you&#8217;ll be required to submit a payment in order to participate in an event or opportunity.\u00a0\u200bIf you&#8217;ve been contacted through your own website or a platform other than GigSalad, there are a few things you can do to prove whether a message is legitimate or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-do-your-research\">\u200bDo your research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Web searches are a great way to dig up information on the person or business contacting you. You&#8217;ll want to start with a basic search and then add terms like &#8220;scam,&#8221; &#8220;complaint,&#8221; &#8220;fraud,&#8221; &#8220;scheme,&#8221; etc. You&#8217;ll also want to seek out reviews and read any forum discussions.\u00a0Extensive research is the best way to keep greedy hands out of your pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-contact-them-directly\">Contact them directly<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re willing to chance it and respond to the message, ask for a phone number\u00a0to speak with them directly. If they&#8217;re hesitant\u2014giving reasons why a phone conversation isn&#8217;t possible\u2014we recommend putting a stop there. Strained communication makes it difficult for performers to negotiate, and it&#8217;s especially risky when you&#8217;re expected to make a payment. If you&#8217;re corresponding with a business, do a web search for their phone number and make sure it matches the one they&#8217;ve given you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-type-the-url-yourself\">Type the URL yourself<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if the link they provided looks valid, it&#8217;s safe to type the URL into the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerhope.com\/jargon\/a\/addrebar.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">address bar<\/a> yourself. Scammers can easily disguise links that lead to sketchy websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-look-for-site-security\">Look for site security<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve been directed to a site to make a payment, you&#8217;ll want to make sure it has the latest security standards. Secure web pages\u00a0show a closed padlock in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerhope.com\/jargon\/s\/statusbar.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">status bar<\/a>\u00a0and the URL begins with &#8220;https.&#8221; More experienced scammers can add what looks to be a padlock icon, so it&#8217;s important to double-check. Click on the icon and make sure the &#8220;Issued to&#8221; name matches the name of the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-keep-up-with-current-scams\">Keep up with current scams<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/media\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a> posts the latest\u00a0online violations\u00a0in their press releases. These articles can help you avoid some of the most advanced and clever schemes to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If the message passes these tests, then, by all means, jump on the opportunity. But if you&#8217;ve discovered a scam attempt, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/complaint\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">file an official complaint<\/a> and notify\u00a0as many people as possible. Share your experiences in the comments below and help get the word out to other performers. The more scams we can shut down, the safer our community will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200bWant to know more about GigSalad? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/top-10-benefits-of-a-gigsalad-membership\/\">Learn how we can help you get paid gigs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gigsalad-is-simple-secure-and-helps-you-make-a-living-doing-what-you-love-join-now-and-get-gigs\">\u200bGigSalad is simple, secure, and helps you make a living doing what you love. Join now and get gigs.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href='https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/join\/member-benefits' onclick='' class='wpi_designer_button   wpi_shadow wpi_shadow_no wpi_text_shadow_no wpi_texture_no wpi_border_all wpi_padding_20px wpi_rounded wpi_designer_button_14503 wpi_icon wpi_icon_no wpi_icon_left  ' target='' rel=''><i class=''><\/i><span class='wpi_text'>Sign me up!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last updated on August 11, 2023 Since the entertainment industry has adopted more digital technologies, artists are experiencing both the benefits and pitfalls of marketing their talent. Many performers have found themselves struggling, and unfortunately, there are people out there who want to take advantage of their hunger for more work. Although online scams are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5305,"featured_media":11687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,1402],"tags":[82,259],"class_list":["post-11625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gig-business","category-using-gigsalad-members","tag-gigs","tag-scams"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Avoid Scams that Target Performers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Online scammers are out there seeking artists who are looking for more gigs. Here&#039;s what you can do to avoid and report scams that target performers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Avoid Scams that Target Performers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Online scammers are out there seeking artists who are looking for more gigs. Here&#039;s what you can do to avoid and report scams that target performers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The GigSalad Community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gigsalad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-06T22:03:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-11T19:53:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gigsalad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Depositphotos_39473413_original-e1446847658776.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"668\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"GigSalad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GigSalad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GigSalad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"GigSalad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"GigSalad\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b24c859fc433d7ecbb56172d8b189cd7\"},\"headline\":\"How to Avoid Scams that Target Performers\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-06T22:03:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-11T19:53:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1321,\"commentCount\":29,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/Depositphotos_39473413_original-e1446847658776.jpg?fit=1000%2C668&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"gigs\",\"scams\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Gig Business\",\"Using GigSalad (Providers)\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Avoid Scams that Target Performers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-avoid-scams-that-target-performers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.gigsalad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/Depositphotos_39473413_original-e1446847658776.jpg?fit=1000%2C668&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-06T22:03:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-11T19:53:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"Online scammers are out there seeking artists who are looking for more gigs. 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