New twist on Nigerian scam targets aspiring models

By Mollie Halpern
Investigative Reporter
Published: April 21, 2008

Same scam… new twist.
For years, we’ve been telling you about the so-called Nigerian scams.
The latest one is targeting aspiring models.
It’s done through a new social networking website similar to Myspace and Facebook.
In this ten on your side investigation, reporter Mollie Halpern talks to a local college student who got a check in the mail and quickly became suspicious.
College student Alisha Bryant was looking to make some extra money.  So, she joined “model mayhem"-dot-com - a website for aspiring models.  Alisha, who has no professional modeling experience, got an e-mail telling her what every model wants to hear —a magazine wanted her for its cover.

Alisha of Radford University says: “They searched through model mayhem and out of all the selected people they looked at, i was chosen to get cover.”

A man using the name David Anderson claimed Essentials magazine would send her a check for half of her payment.  She’d receive the other half at the photo shoot. Anderson said all Alisha had to do was follow these instructions. 

Alisha says: “...basically take the check, deposit it into my bank account, wait 24 hours, deduct $500 that i get to keep, then take the other money and go to western union and send it to a guy in africa, because he’s in nigeria right now, doing another photo shoot.

When that check came, it wasn’t from Anderson and Essentials magazine, it was from Marquette University.
Marquette University is in Wisconsin—not England—where Essentials magazine is based.  The two have nothing to do with each other.  The check was mailed from Michigan.  The money was to be wired to Africa.
If you think this sounds suspicious, you’re right.
The Better Business Bureau, tells 10 on your side that this is a *new* twist to an *old* scam

Julie Wheeler of the BBB says “it’s a very tragic tragic scam, that’s hurt a lot of people.”

This *one* scam could have hurt *two* victims...Alisha and Marquette university.
Had Alisha cashed the conterfeit check, she would have had to pay back the bank.
Julie Wheeler of BBB says: “getting a check in the mail like that seems too good to be true, it is tear it up, throw it away”

Wheeler says marquette is a victim of business identity theft.  We contacted the University, and it issued this statement:  “Iimmediately upon learning of the incident, the university contacted its bank and the internet provider in an effort to halt the use of its name in connection with this scam as quickly as possible.”

As for Alisha, she’s prepared to take on those exhibiting not-so model behavior within the modeling industry.

We contacted the owner of model mayhem who is aware that scammers are targeting his website.  He says his company is revising the website to post warnings of the scammers.  And, if someone reports that a member is a scammer, their profile and “ip” address area banned.
In the meantime, the Better Business Bureau says there are several ways to protect yourself from these types of scams.

1.  Never cash an unsolicited check
2. Never wire money from that check
3. And, never provide anyone with personal information like your checking account number.

It seems like common sense, but scam artists live up to their name—and can make a scam appear like the real thing.