Is this a scam? at DVinfo.net

Steve Siegel · July 20th, 2021, 08:04 AM

I have been repeatedly contacted by an Asian company to license my footage, paying royalties or to buy all I have for $50,000. I have repeatedly told them I wasn't interested, but they persist. Their approach seems very professional.

The whole approach appears just too intense for what I have to give them, and the final offer is really over the top. The old adage "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." seems to apply here. Is anyone aware of some sort of scam out there like this?

Paul R Johnson · July 20th, 2021, 02:01 PM

It wouldn't hurt to make some preliminary contact. It will soon become clear.

Pete Cofrancesco · July 20th, 2021, 03:21 PM

I hate stuff like this. My gut tells me 99.9% chance it's a scam, but nothing would make me happier if I was wrong.

Doug Jensen · July 20th, 2021, 04:41 PM

What do they mean by "all you have." How would they have seen all of your footage? Is it posted somewhere so they can see it? If there is no way they could know the subject matter, the quantity, or the quality of "all you have", how could it not be a scam? Nobody legitimate is going to offer you a $50K figure sight unseen.

On the other hand, I have a portfolio of 10,000 clips at Shutterstock that would be easy for someone to surf through and see what I have and then to make an offer. So that would make it trickier to sniff out a scam if they approached me. Do you have a portfolio posted somewhere that they can see? If not, it is surely a scam. And even if you do, it is probably still a 99% chance that it is a scam.

David Barnett · July 21st, 2021, 10:38 AM

Yeah, might help to include what the videos are (Youtube DIY, Stock video, Original Content) and how they found you (Youtube, Shutterstock etc).

$50k is a good amount of money imho, also what would they 'scam' part be, you dropbox them the videos and they never pay you? Couldn't you still retain ownership to license it since the contract is voided?

Andrew Smith · July 21st, 2021, 03:30 PM

Contracty stuff is one thing, enforcement is another.

I wouldn't touch it. Steve is correct to be suspicious.

Andrew

David Barnett · July 21st, 2021, 05:26 PM

Yeah, I guess I forgot to include 'Yes, it does sound like a scam'. Unless you think there could be 'some' good value to the videos, but maybe they're overpaying. (For instance, you run a youtube channel that brings in $1000/year but is growing, and they're willing to buy the videos & account outright, or something like that).

Otherwise tho if its completely out of left field I'm not sure I would bother.

Steve Siegel · July 28th, 2021, 08:32 AM

Thank you all for your comments. The general opinion is that this is a scam. The only fly in the ointment is that I do have over 200 videos on Vimeo, and an active YouTube account, so they could easily have seen my stuff.

They seem to be a legitimate company, in business for less than a year, that wants lots of footage so they can do whatever high-tech manipulations they do, but I don't think my footage is worth $50,000! Another red flag is that the correspondent's English seems to be less fluent in the latest e-mail than in previous ones, all under the same name. Maybe more than one person is using the name.

I will report what happens next, as this could be a learning experience. I am really suspicious.

Andrew Smith · July 28th, 2021, 09:37 AM

Why not make a doco out of it? More footage to sell. :-)

Andrew

Jim Feeley · July 28th, 2021, 12:29 PM

Probably a scam. Perhaps a fake-check scam where they "accidentally" send you a check for more money than agreed upon and ask you to refund the difference. Or not.

But how did they find you? Do you have a known reputation for a particular type of footage? If if feels weird, it probably is weird.

Some info from the US Federal Trade Commission (and poke around their site for more info on various scams):

Scam Tag: Fake Check Scams
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/taxonomy/term/856

Good luck!

July 20th, 2021, 08:04 AM	#1
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Is this a scam? I have been repeatedly contacted by an Asian company to license my footage, paying royalties or to buy all I have for $50,000. I have repeatedly told them I wasn't interested, but they persist. Their approach seems very professional. The whole approach appears just too intense for what I have to give them, and the final offer is really over the top. The old adage "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." seems to apply here. Is anyone aware of some sort of scam out there like this?

July 20th, 2021, 02:01 PM	#2
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Is this a scam? It wouldn't hurt to make some preliminary contact. It will soon become clear.

July 20th, 2021, 03:21 PM	#3
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 3,005	Re: Is this a scam? I hate stuff like this. My gut tells me 99.9% chance it's a scam, but nothing would make me happier if I was wrong.

July 20th, 2021, 04:41 PM	#4
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,449	Re: Is this a scam? What do they mean by "all you have." How would they have seen all of your footage? Is it posted somewhere so they can see it? If there is no way they could know the subject matter, the quantity, or the quality of "all you have", how could it not be a scam? Nobody legitimate is going to offer you a $50K figure sight unseen. On the other hand, I have a portfolio of 10,000 clips at Shutterstock that would be easy for someone to surf through and see what I have and then to make an offer. So that would make it trickier to sniff out a scam if they approached me. Do you have a portfolio posted somewhere that they can see? If not, it is surely a scam. And even if you do, it is probably still a 99% chance that it is a scam. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

July 21st, 2021, 10:38 AM	#5
David Barnett Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 951	Re: Is this a scam? Yeah, might help to include what the videos are (Youtube DIY, Stock video, Original Content) and how they found you (Youtube, Shutterstock etc). $50k is a good amount of money imho, also what would they 'scam' part be, you dropbox them the videos and they never pay you? Couldn't you still retain ownership to license it since the contract is voided?

July 21st, 2021, 03:30 PM	#6
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,065	Re: Is this a scam? Contracty stuff is one thing, enforcement is another. I wouldn't touch it. Steve is correct to be suspicious. Andrew

July 21st, 2021, 05:26 PM	#7
David Barnett Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 951	Re: Is this a scam? Yeah, I guess I forgot to include 'Yes, it does sound like a scam'. Unless you think there could be 'some' good value to the videos, but maybe they're overpaying. (For instance, you run a youtube channel that brings in $1000/year but is growing, and they're willing to buy the videos & account outright, or something like that). Otherwise tho if its completely out of left field I'm not sure I would bother.

July 28th, 2021, 08:32 AM	#8
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Re: Is this a scam? Thank you all for your comments. The general opinion is that this is a scam. The only fly in the ointment is that I do have over 200 videos on Vimeo, and an active YouTube account, so they could easily have seen my stuff. They seem to be a legitimate company, in business for less than a year, that wants lots of footage so they can do whatever high-tech manipulations they do, but I don't think my footage is worth $50,000! Another red flag is that the correspondent's English seems to be less fluent in the latest e-mail than in previous ones, all under the same name. Maybe more than one person is using the name. I will report what happens next, as this could be a learning experience. I am really suspicious.

July 28th, 2021, 09:37 AM	#9
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,065	Re: Is this a scam? Why not make a doco out of it? More footage to sell. :-) Andrew

July 28th, 2021, 12:29 PM	#10
Jim Feeley Supports LPFM Radio Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Northern California USA Posts: 170	Re: Is this a scam? Probably a scam. Perhaps a fake-check scam where they "accidentally" send you a check for more money than agreed upon and ask you to refund the difference. Or not. But how did they find you? Do you have a known reputation for a particular type of footage? If if feels weird, it probably is weird. Some info from the US Federal Trade Commission (and poke around their site for more info on various scams): Scam Tag: Fake Check Scams https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/taxonomy/term/856 Good luck!