Would You Fall for These Seven Photography Scams? I Was Caught by One

You probably use or run photography businesses. Beware! There is a multimillion-dollar industry that runs solely to scam businesses and clients out of their hard-earned cash. Here are a few and how you should avoid them and why one of them caught me out.

1. Vanity Awards

Preying on those seeking recognition, vanity award businesses seem legitimate. In fact, there is nothing illegal they are doing. However, they will tell you something like you have been awarded first place for the “Most Outstanding Bespoke Wedding Photographer in Newtown Prestigious Award.” That’s brilliant, isn’t it? It may seem so until you notice that you are the only business in that category.

Meanwhile, the wedding photographer down the road has also won a prize. Theirs was “Winner of the Prestigious Award for Photographic Wedding Services in Newtown.” Just a couple of miles away is Oldtown... well, can you guess what awards their two wedding photographers won?

There are red flags you should be aware of. Firstly, they charge extortionate fees; vanity awards usually require substantial payments for nominations or participation. Receiving a certificate or plaque is even more expensive. They might even invite you to an awards event that you have to pay for. Then there is the promise of dubious exposure through unknown magazines and websites.

Vanity awards are less than worthless. You end up paying for something that gives you a bad name for trying to falsify your business's reputation.

True awards from legitimate bodies won’t ever charge you for the award or for attending their presentation ceremony. They are rewarding you for a job well done and will publicize your achievement free of charge.

2. Award-Winning Photographers and Photography Services

Related to those fake awards are those who try to use them to falsely improve their reputation. In this modern world, there is a craving for quick gratification. Therefore, it is easy to see why struggling businesses receive a boost to their egos and fall for the bait that vanity awards offer in the hope it will boost their business.

If you see a photography business displaying a vanity award on its website, it’s a clear indication that they are either gullible buying into the award or want to appear as if they are doing better than they are. Consequently, I find the posting of vanity awards on websites turns me away from using them. Would you use the service of a business that tries to hide behind fake awards?

Similarly, some advertise themselves as being “An Award-Winning Photographer.” Yet, there is no mention of the award they received. I started photographing at the age of seven, the same year I got my ten-meter swimming award, so I could call myself an award-winning photographer, but I won’t.

A good reputation is hard-earned and takes time. Those who try to shortcut it and attempt to scam you with unsubstantiated claims won’t be offering a great service.

3. Fake Qualifications

Similar to fake awards are fake qualifications.

There are some great workshops run by superb photographers who will show you the ins and outs of photography without offering you a formal qualification. Similarly, there are accredited courses that offer proper qualifications through proper educational establishments.

However, there are also rogue businesses taking advantage of this unregulated industry. They offer poor-quality training that claims to be giving certificates, diplomas, and other meaningless awards.

Before signing up for any online course, check their credentials. Ask them outright if their course is accredited by any government-approved qualification awarding body in your country, then double-check with that body.

4. Undelivered Goods From Legitimate Businesses

It’s becoming increasingly common for expensive gear to be stolen at warehouses and worthless junk to be posted to photographers instead. If you have any expensive item delivered to you, start recording it on your phone from the time of delivery until the parcel is opened. Always keep the parcel in the shot. If you buy expensive gear, then use a credit card because they often offer buyer protection. Here in the UK, it is written into consumer law that they must do that. However, that’s not necessarily the case everywhere. So, check the card and how robust their purchase protection is.

Otherwise, avoid buying expensive camera equipment from businesses that operate through online marketplaces. I always, wherever possible, buy from a high street retailer. I may sometimes pay a little more, but the level of service is great, it helps the local economy, and I know what I am getting. Alternatively, I will buy directly from the manufacturer’s website.

5. Fake Goods From Illigitimate Businesses

It was nearly nine years ago when Nikon issued a warning that their cameras were being counterfeited. Criminals were relabelling D800s as D800Es. Although this is a thing of the past, other fake goods appear in online marketplaces and discount websites. Memory cards are especially easy to fake, and it’s the big brands that are most targeted.

You can again avoid the issue by buying from reputable independent retailers. Also, don’t buy the biggest names and go instead for excellent, high-grade but less popular alternatives, like those made by Exascend.

6. Fake Retailers Using Cloned Websites

I once got caught out by a fake retailer. It was not for anything too expensive. I was in a hurry when I ordered, so I followed a shopping link at the top of the Google results and paid £70 for some art materials. Happily, I received a confirmation email and a tracking number. I was somewhat surprised that the package was coming from Shenzhen in China, and even more surprised when a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses arrived in the post.

My credit card issued a chargeback to the fake supplier, and I got my money back.

Many people have been caught out by cloned websites that pretend to be legitimate retailers of products, including cameras. Often, they will have prices that are too good to be true and will pressure you into buying now. For example, they may have a countdown clock telling you how soon the offer will end.

Stop and take your time when buying online. Remember that Google does not filter its results to remove scams. It could, but it chooses not to. It’s fortunate, therefore, that other search engines are available, including those run by the big antivirus companies which do offer a degree of protection. The browser plugin, Web of Trust (WOT), is also a useful tool. You can also double-check a website against TrustPilot and other online review sites.

However, sometimes these scam websites can be new and not picked up by online protections. So, always search the site for real addresses and phone numbers. If they are not there, there’s a good chance they have something to hide. Saying that, I found a convincing-looking website and the scammers had chosen the address of an old couple just outside London.

Most fake websites, however, are easy to spot as the sites have been poorly cloned from other retailers. Many of the hyperlinks don’t work and pages are poorly designed. However, they are becoming more sophisticated.

Sadly, most of the scam sites are based in China. I tried to get the police there to act on the scam I was caught by but had no joy. I had even tracked down the real address of the scammers, but the police didn’t want to know.

There are some reputable manufacturers of camera accessories with a great reputation that are based there. However, the authorities allowing scammers to operate in that country tars all businesses based there with the same bad name. Perhaps Chinese businesses like Benro, Neewer, K&F Concept, Godox, and Lexar, plus some camera companies such as Canon that still have a manufacturing base in China, should pressure the authorities there to act against the scammers.

7. First Place on Google and Other Spam

Related to fake websites are fake emails.

A few years ago, the main culprit of sending spam emails here in the UK was put in prison. Subsequently, the number of emails being sent out fell. Over the last year or so, they have suddenly risen again. Having a photography website with a contact email address, I get targeted. Most of these spam emails claim to get me a first-place position on Google. What they are offering is, obviously, poppycock.

I’ve got first place on Google. If you Google my name, I appear at the top of the results. That’s not so surprising because, as far as I know, I am the only person called Ivor Rackham in the world. (If you are my namesake, please let me know.) Similarly, if someone near me searches for a photographer, then I appear at or near the top because, among other things, my proximity to them.

I have a few other tricks up my sleeve to help my appearance on Google. But what I do is nothing that a spammer could achieve.

Spam can arrive over the telephone too. One Indian spammer was reported by Truecaller to have made 202 million spam calls, equivalent to 27,000 calls per hour.

You might wonder why they bother when they are so easy to see through. Horribly, these criminals are targeting the most vulnerable people who more easily fall for such scams. That spammer only needs to have succeeded with 0.01% of those calls, and they will have hooked 20,200 people.

Other Types of Scam Photographers and Others Can Fall For

Of course, those seven are just the tip of the iceberg, and new scams are appearing all the time. Authorized push payments are by far the most common type of scam. This is where victims transfer money to criminals because they falsely believe they are paying a genuine business for a legitimate reason. Always double-check the legitimacy of any service or product provider before paying them.

Adverts on social media are increasingly being used to scam people to visit cloned websites that look very much like the original.

I have received text messages supposedly from people I know asking for money to help them. Often, the giveaway is that I am nobody's mom. Stolen identities are becoming increasingly common. Dating scams are prevalent too. There are also frauds where criminals hack the lawyers’ and accountants’ emails, then change the account numbers in their messages to you and advise you to pay into that one instead.

Many amateur photographers are retired and need to be on their guard because stealing pension funds in diverse ways is a multimillion-dollar business. One tactic is pressuring you into buying an investment with your pension savings. Then, of course, there are the messages you get from fake parcel delivery companies saying you need to pay a fee. If you are expecting a camera to arrive from SpeedyParcels-R-Us, and you get a call supposedly from SpeedyParcels-R-Us saying you owe them money for delivery, your first reaction may be to pay them. You were just unlucky enough to be one of the thousands called who genuinely were expecting a parcel.

Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it is. Never be rushed into a purchase or deal; genuine companies will wait for you to decide. Don’t follow email links to log into any online account. Always look for evidence that a company is genuine. Don’t send anyone you know money unless you are sure that you know who you are sending to. Use long and complex passwords with two-factor authentication. And trust your gut. If you have a niggling suspicion something isn’t right, triple-check it.

What If You Get Scammed?

Falling for a scam is becoming ever more common. The scammers are becoming more sophisticated and will constantly evolve new tricks to rob you of your hard-earned cash. Sadly, although globalization has brought us many benefits, it has also made it easier for us to be scammed, especially when the countries where they originate have very loose laws and ineffective law enforcement.

If you get scammed, report it to the police. If the scam came through an online marketplace, inform their customer service desk. Tell your credit card provider what has happened, too.

Keep Safe

Never believe any unsolicited email, phone call, WhatsApp message, or other types of communication is genuine.

If the communication supposedly comes from someone you know – especially your bank – treat it with suspicion until you have verified its legitimacy by another channel that you know is genuine. Call them from another phone to a number you already have, and never follow email links to online accounts.

Never give away personal information such as passwords and PINs; legitimate businesses will never ask for these.

Keep passwords safe.

I hope you found that useful. Now I must stop writing and email the Nigerian Princess I promised to help. While I am doing that, have you fallen for a scam? It's embarrassing to admit it, but it's an easy trap to be caught in.