I have mentioned more than a few times that I have been a professional commercial advertising photographer for a long time. I have seen advancements in just about everything connected to professional photography.
Just when I thought I have seen it all, a request for a “project” came into my email box. It went something like this:
At the top was : New message from David Davis. I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to make an inquiry about your availability for an event scheduled on the 25th of January 2023. I am in search of a photographer to capture 40 headshot photographs with a white backdrop at the end of this event. Please let me know if you are available for this.
(Ok. So far, so good. This sounds like something I have done and could do.)
The email inquiry goes on:
However, This event is a seminar and will be held at this home address 203 S Long Ct, Appleton, WI 54914 and will commence at 12 noon till 5pm. You will be required to take 40 headshot photographs of all staff present at the end of this event and deliver both physical and digital copies to us.
We prefer you print off site since it would yield better results. I will give you a location where you will deliver them once they are ready.
I will be needing your quotation for this at your earliest convenience.Thank you. Best Regards David Davis JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 191 North Main Street, Wellsville, NY 14895 317-758-8739 Director daviddavis01122@gmail.com
I still smell a rat!
Before I even finished the second sentence explaining my email inquiry from David Davis, she interrupted me with: “It’s a scam. We know about this. Do not respond to David Davis. There is no David Davis here.”
I thanked her and sat back in my chair. I wondered just how the scammer’s plan would have worked to benefit them. I’m thinking it was in the printing phase of the scheme? They would refer me to “their printer” to be pre-paid for the 40 prints, get my payment info and there would be no job, no prints, no nothing. They chose a vacant house that is for sale in Appleton as the location for the photo shoot. They chose a small hospital out east and a fictitious “director” of the hospital with a gmail address!
The erosion of confidence regarding the legitimacy of the job was a gradual process. Nothing was misspelled. The locations were real. The faults were in the details.
Incidentally, a week later I received an email requesting 40 portraits from a husband for a wife’s birthday party – at a home address in Green Bay. The message indicated that he would not be present – it was a surprise for his wife.
I emailed back indicating that I would not be present either.
WOW! Good for you. What time wasters! But I still have the Zabar’s mug you brought me! Miss seeing you all. I’m pretty much stuck at home, but do get out now and then. Be well, Sara aka Sally McPherson
Thanks Sally. Coincidentally, Tammy was in NY on the upper West side last month visiting a friend. She brought me back an updated Zabar’s coffee mug – Black with the 79th St # 1 train logo below Zabar’s. It’s a beauty.
I work for a DJ company in Pittsburgh, PA and I just received an email from this same “David Davis”. See below:
“Good day to you over there. Our organization is in need of Dj for our upcoming event. I am making inquiry about your availability for an event scheduled on AUGUST 24th 2023. This event is a seminar and will be held at this home address 539 Jones Branch Rd, Summersville, WV 26651 and will commence at 1pm noon till 5pm. I will be looking forward to hearing from you soon. Best Regards David Davis JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 191 North Main Street, Wellsville, NY 14895 929-454-5767 Director daviddavis01122@gmail.com”
This immediately seemed fishy to me since he is in NY, having a seminar at a private home in WV, and asking a company in PA for a quote, so when I searched ‘David Davis JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL’ this article was one of the first things to come up. The private address is also a home currently for sale just like in your story. I appreciate you sharing this because it really saved me the hassle to know that this is a scam from the get go. Just be aware that whoever this is, they are still active and attempting to scam other businesses.
Oddly enough I got a very similar message today (except for musician services) and thought it may be a scam because the clients I deal with are usually middle to higher end corporate clients and the address they provided is in a very low income area and the home is for sale but barely looks to be livable based on the zillow images. I searched the email contents and here I find your post.
I got the same message from “David Davis” who wants to throw an event in a house in WI (that shows up in Zillow as sold), yet he works in NY. I have a little fun sometimes and ask him/her follow-up questions, just to see what lie they’ll come up with next.
This wasn’t the first scammer, and it won’t be the last. A red flag is if they want to mail you a check, even after telling them that you don’t take checks. The cherry on top is when they say that they got the deposit from a family member, and that they need to give a large amount to you (much larger than you charge).
You did the right thing in doing your research. After a while, though, you’ll notice the scammers right away.