Anything Goes : Stage 32 Deleted Accounts and Suspended Accounts by Pablo Bobadilla

Hi, Pablo Bobadilla. Yes, they're fake accounts people create to scam people, or they're real accounts that are trying to scam people. If you ever run into a scam on here, email support@stage32.com with the person’s name, their Stage 32 profile link, and screenshots of their messages to you. If you can't take screenshots, copy and paste their messages when you email Support.

I've been scammed once, outside S32' platform, by a guy impersonating Chad Oman from Jerry Bruckheimer. That guy lured me to Jakarta for a casting which never took place... Since then I'm doing my due diligence...

When I receive an email first, I do a background check: how long that producer has been on S32 although this is not necessarily relevant. However, if it's a newly created account my skepticism creases naturally and I keep digging on IMDb and later on LinkedIn. Once IMDb and LinkedIn check out the big question surfaces: is the person from S32 the real deal?

When the scammers asks me to send my unsolicited material to them I ask for an email address... I like to act blur to lower the scammer's guard. An established company has their website and their own domain with their professional email account and this email is listed on IMDb. So when that person provides a generic gmal address, 99% is a scam. And I know, that 1% sucks.

Thanks Pablo Bobadilla and @leonidasstanescu for your posts about this. I recently corresponded with a producer from a known entity and when he asked me to email him at a generic gmail address I figured it was a scam. Yep. I see that his account has been suspended. SIGH.

Wasn't there someone on this site claiming to be Lindsey Lohan?

Hi Kevin Hager, I would not be surprised if someone was impersonating her. I think we all have to recognize that people in that category would be unlikely to create a Stage32 profile.... what would be the point for them? When I rec'd an email from a producer at a well known company the first thing I noticed was the generic "cut and paste" language of '"looking to collaborate, blah blah blah" and with a little bit of research on Reddit I found the exact paragraph that was in my email sent to many other writers. Predators.

We, the artists, are one of the easiest targets for scammers. We need to know how to protect ourselves and try to keep cool that euphoric moment we experience while reading that first message; Gmail accounts (although I use one), copy and paste (although some real production companies do indeed paste and copy unfortunately)... To me to me, the ultimate proof of scam is when I request the videocall; those reaching out impersonating someone, are reluctant to show their faces for obvious reasons.

I just noticed that a producer I was talking to a few months ago now has "suspended" written on his account. We had a good initial exchange. He asked me what I was working on, and I sent him my current slate. He then sent me what read like a Chat GPT analysis of my projects. That made me suspicious.

Then he sent me some information about how he works. He wanted me to pay him a "refundable development and production facilitation fee of €2,400 as a commitment to initiate the early-stage development process, giving your project access to high-level infrastructure, strategic planning, and a professional framework for financing and production." This seemed really fishy to me, and I didn't respond. That was two months ago. I haven't heard from him since.

Hi Rick Minnich, You are lucky that you didn't waste any time (or give him any money!).

ISA has a good system when someone opens an account with them. You need to specify if you are a writer or a professional industry: (contest, producer, agent...). Srage32 could benefit greatly from adopting similar strategy, with a thorough filter.. .

Back to impersonation. Now there is one that is slightly smarter. He allegedly is Udo Kier (well know actor) that doesn't attack bluntly but brings the scheme out of Stage 32. Red flags? Definitely. While he says he can't do much he offers to connect me with his management (manager????) to discuss promotions? Sponsorship? Does he even know what he's talking about? And the final touch: bloody Gmail account with his own name on it. Seriously?

Hi Danny Range, Oh I love what you said: If you're good enough you'll make it when you're meant to.

Just had a couple people like that try to add me as a connection. I didn't accept anything and now I realize their accounts are suspended. Fairly obvious if it's a fake account or not but It's crazy people do this.