1) Let them pile up if they don't come with a short message.
2) After allowing the cold-invites to compost for a couple of weeks, and with nothing better to do with your time, run through them by first checking out the inviter's profile. Is there one? Is it spam? Is it AI generated?
3) Profile picture: same thing. Is there one? Is it a perfect screen grab of some A-lister? Is it real or AI?
4) Last Online: Is it more than 2 weeks ago (about the time you got the invite?). Aye, 'nuf said.
5) Network to lounge posts ratio. This is the real tell. Like, what does a humongous network number to a few or no lounge posts tell you? Aye, you ken! But wait, they have a bunch of Wall posts.... sure they do. Go on, click on them. Whose posts are they? Right, those are the 'thanks for the network invite' replies from the dupes suckered in by an AI genned pretty face or boilerplate bio.
That's how; in case you care, and you're not just here to build up the network number for SEO purposes.
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Thanks for making this post for the community, Morgan Aitken. Those are ways to spot a fake/spam network invite. A few things though:
#1) A real member might not have time to send a message with their network invite. I usually send invites without messages because of time.
#2) If an account doesn't have a bio or their bio is full of typos and grammatical errors, they might be a fake account/scam account, but that's not always the case. Someone people just haven't filled out their bios yet, and English might not be their first language, so that could be why their bios are full of typos and grammatical errors. But sometimes (rarely) an account will have something about casinos, gambling, etc. in the bio. I report those accounts to Stage 32.
#3) If an account doesn't have a profile picture, it could just mean they haven't had the time to upload one yet.
#4) Sometimes real members are busy and don't log into their accounts for three weeks, four weeks, etc.
#5) If an account isn't active in the Lounges and/or on their Wall, it's a sign that they might be a fake account/scam account. That doesn't work all the time though. They might be a new member. Or they might just be busy, and they haven't made any Lounge posts/Wall posts yet.
Sometimes producers, directors, etc. have links to their websites, social media accounts, and IMDb page on their Stage 32 pages. That’s usually a sign that the Stage 32 account is legit, but sometimes a fake account posts the real person’s IMDb page on their Stage 32 page.
The best ways to tell if someone is fake are talking with them on their Lounge posts/through direct message (you should be able to pick up on things that'll show they're fake, like them not knowing certain things about projects they said they worked on) and having a Zoom meeting to see what they look like.
If anyone sees a fake account, scam account, or suspicious account on Stage 32, email support@stage32.com with the person’s name and their Stage 32 profile link. And if someone sends you a scam message (like a producer asking for a producer's fee to make your script), send a screenshot of their message to Support with their name and profile link. Thanks.
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Thanks Maurice Vaughan and Morgan Aitken for pointing those things out. I just asked myself, how to figure out if an account is a scammer, AI or real. But as you Maurice Vaughan mentioned, absence or typos doesn´t necessarily mean it´s not real. But the better fake gets, so do we!
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You're welcome, Bri (Bridgit) Li. I hope Morgan Aitken's post and my comment help the community! And you're right. "But the better fake gets, so do we!"
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As for AI genned bio's it's an easy fix to run em through an online AI detector. I just cleaned out my invite bin, 20% of the bio's came up with a >95% probability.
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Thank you Morgan Aitken and Maurice Vaughan for this subject. Sometimes it isn’t easy to know whether it’s a scam or not, and your notes are a big help. Two weeks ago I spotted one and reported it to S32. I don’t accept all the networking invitations. First, I go to see the profile and their publications. Then, I decide if I say yes or No.
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You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia.
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Morgan Aitken That´s a very good idea! Will do that from now on too.
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Morgan Aitken Thank you for reminding me to write that blog I'm supposed to do for Stage 32. :)
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YAY! I just got a network invite from, major A-lister Tom Tykwer! I am so chuffed I wrote to his CAA agent to thank him for such an honour. Who knew busy, famous, directors were trolling stage 32 for connections... ah, will wonders never cease?
https://www.stage32.com/profile/1168500/about
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I reported the account to Stage 32, Morgan Aitken. Thanks.
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What Maurice Vaughan ... you think it's a fake? I haven't heard from his agent yet, maybe Tom Tykwer really needs me.
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I think it's a fake, Morgan Aitken. He hasn't made any posts, he hasn't linked his IMDb credits to his profile, he hasn't posted a link for his website/social media account(s), and his profile bio is too similar to the Tom Tykwer Wikipedia page.
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Con artists have made it so hard to trust others.
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What a bummer! I so thought this was my big break into Hollywood fame and fortune.
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I'm rooting for you to get your big break, Morgan Aitken!
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Try websites of directors/producers and actors. Some have contact information on them.
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Right, you are Kevin Hager ! But the scammers just copy and paste from real sites, and then count on their dupes never making contact with the party they are claiming to be. The idea is to get a shed-load of followers/networkers they can spam, or sell as a spam list later on.
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Morgan Aitken I can top that: Kathleen Kennedy has recently asked me to connect. And her bio is filled with all her incredible work experience and projects- how could I resist.... You think it´s real? I asked the stage32 support if they could check that account´s credibility...they said it´s real... oh well...
https://www.stage32.com/profile/1163180/about
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The president of Lucasfilm, wow! Bri (Bridgit) Li - you majorly topped me on that one... Although, now that presidents are involved, I'm waiting for my network invite from Trump, maybe the king of England... or how about The Pope? Yeah, that's the ticket.
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Morgan Aitken Waiting for King Charles III to join stage32.. But I would also accept an invite from Prince William...
Cancel Save Delete Are you sure?2 people like this
Bri (Bridgit) Li , you're waiting for an invite from Prince William; me? It's gotta be George Clooney. Oh dear, I'm letting my (grey) roots show.
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Morgan Aitken ;-D George Clooney is not the president- yet. But I´m sure he´s worth waiting for- no doubt about that! Meanwhile, let´s see who is showing up next!