Scam Alerts for Jobseekers

Legitimate employers do not charge you a fee in advance of work nor do they expect you to incur significant expenses before getting paid. For instance, if you are signed by a legitimate talent agency, the agent earns nothing until he/she has found you a job. The agent receives a commission when you get paid for your work. Likewise, a legitimate employer does not expect you to pay out-of-pocket travel expenses to get to a job site unless you have a written contract that guarantees work when you arrive. Please note: this also includes an STD test. You should not pay upfront for such a test. Beware in particular of anyone asking you to wire funds by Western Union to pay upfront for an AIM test.

Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to cash a cashier's check where you are asked to return part of the payment. This is a classic scam, so please do not fall for it. There is no good reason why a legitimate employer wouldn't be able to pay you the correct amount owed. Cashier's checks are routinely forged and an "overpayment" check will often bounce after you send back the requested portion of the payment.

Some disreputable employers may try to take advantage of hopeful wannabes by promising a job, a contract, or some other lure if they get a “sample of the goods” in advance. More often than not, these sorts of promises end up being false. But more importantly, it is simply not necessary to engage in activity like this in order to get a job. This applies to employers in the webcam and phone entertainer business too. If you encounter an employer who is pressuring you onto the “casting couch”, whether it be in the office or in the virtual world, you should politely end the interview. If you prefer not to receive calls from prospective employers, you may not want to include a phone number with your resume, as that field is optional. Receiving offers by email first gives you a chance to check out employers before responding.

A legitimate employer will not be offended if you ask for references. This could include a list of other jobseekers who've worked for the employer, as well as business colleagues who can vouch for him/her.

We have been informed that certain individuals may be representing themselves as "agents" for the SexyJobs.com Network in effort to lure jobseekers into accepting shady job assignments. DO NOT ACCEPT THESE ASSIGNMENTS. There are no legitimate recruiting agents working for the SexyJobs.com Network; we do no recruiting whatsoever. The SexyJobs.com Network is strictly a venue that facilitates interaction between employers and jobseekers. Please immediately report to us any individuals representing themselves as "agents" for the SexyJobs.com Network.

A "money mule" or "money transfer agent" is used to launder funds obtained as a result of phishing and Trojan scams. After being recruited by the fraudsters, money mules receive funds into their accounts and they then withdraw the money and send it overseas using a wire transfer service, minus a certain commission payment. A similar scam involves using counterfeit certified checks. These checks are made out for sums much larger than the amount owed, usually for some bogus reason, and come with instructions to send back the overpayment. By the time the check has been found to be a fake, the victim has already cashed the check and returned the overpayment, usually by Western Union (the scammer's best friend!). These scammers have recently been heavily targetting employment websites such as Monster and CareerBuilder. If a fake check is paid into your account and you draw on it, YOU are responsible for returning the money to the bank. The Bank will not bail you out! Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it very likely is a scam.

We have been informed that certain individuals may try to sell job seekers an "Entertainer's License" with the claim that such a license is necessary in order to work in the adult entertainment industry. DO NOT PAY FOR SUCH A LICENSE. There are no legitimate recruiting agents who would ever ask you to purchase such a thing and no agent who would have this authority. Some local govemments may require a license for some types of jobs, such as massage therapy, but you would acquire that from a govemment agency, not an employer or talent agent. Please immediately report to us any individuals offering to sell an "Entertainer's License."

In today's age of rampant identity theft, we highly discourage you from including any sensitive legal information with your resume. This includes driver's licenses, social security numbers, and street addresses. You may also want to avoid posting your full legal name.

It is always best to get paid in advance of services rendered, but most employers are unlikely to agree to such terms. That's why a written contract specifying the exact terms of payment is so valuable.

Before signing a contract or model release, be sure you have read and understood all of it. Some unscrupulous employers may only tell you about the glamourous parts of a job, but the written contract could include other duties too and if you sign it, you are agreeing to perform them.

If you feel an employment contract has been breached, you should contact a lawyer and/or legal authorities in your area. Do not ask us to remove certain employers' job listings because you feel "they ripped you off." We cannot go by one person's word over another in resolving a dispute. You need to take legal action to prove the wrongdoing. Once an employer is found to be in violation of the law and we are advised of such by legal authorities, then we can remove that employer from our Network, so make sure to keep us posted as to the outcome of your action or have the legal authorities contact us directly.

We have been getting reports of con artists who contact jobseekers claiming they work for popular sites like Reality Kings, Bang Bros, and PlumperPass when in fact they do not. They then trick newcomers into providing free "practice scenes" or "test shoots", but they never follow through on any paid work. Do not fall for this scam. If someone says they work for a popular site, then they should be able to send you an email from the domain of that site, as well as provide written proof. No matter what, never give free samples.

This scam typically begins with an email message that says something like: "I must confess you've got a magnificent body, but I'm contacting you just for business." It then goes on to promise upfront payment by cashier's check if you accompany the sender to an upcoming party. The catch is that you are asked to return part of the payment (which they often claim will be given back to you after you attend the party), but the check will bounce soon after you send back their requested portion and, of course, there is no party at all.

Please do no accept any offers to be paid for your photo to be used in a magazine where you are asked to return part of the payment. These scammers are getting more and more tricky in how they hide their identity. The payment will bounce after you send back their requested portion. Recent scammers are using names such as De Gem Modeling, Fashionista and Flirts, but they change them regularly, so be sure to scrutinize any magazine offers.

This long-time scammer tries to persuade you to pay him upfront for an "Adult Entertainers License" or a "Medical Fee" but it is worthless and you will never hear from him again once he gets your money. He uses many aliases including Gary Thomas, David Miles, Brian, Kevin, Derrick, Darren, Chris, or R Fox, but he undoubtedly uses other aliases too, so please beware. Do not pay for an entertainers license and do not give this scammer any more money!

This scam is another variant of the Magnificent Body scam and typically begins with an email message like: "Seeking a model to escort me to a friend's induction party in two weeks time." It then goes on to promise upfront payment by cashier's check if you accompany the sender to the party. The catch is that you are asked to return part of the payment (which they often claim will be given back to you after you attend the party), but the check will bounce soon after you send back their requested portion and, of course, there is no party at all.

They claim to offer you employment as a secret shopper or a mystery shopper, but actually they want you to cash forged checks. There is no real work and you will be liable if you deposit any of their fraudulent "payments." Please immediately report any emails you receive of this sort. They use the email addresses of [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and probably many others.