Scammers pose as Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón to trick writers. (Photo: Tomatoes)
Scammers are always looking for victims and this leads them to look for new methods of deception that have effective results. According to a recent Variety report, relatively unknown writers in Hollywood are falling victim to a group of scammers posing as well-known Mexican directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Amat Escalante and even Diego Luna.
According to reports, the usurpers contact the authors and promise them film deals in exchange for the rights to their scripts or books. This sophisticated scam has been active for at least two years, he claims. escalate. According to website Writer Beware (via Variety), which has managed to track the extent of these scams, the group recently used the name of Diego Luna for their fraudulent activities.
in August 2022, Alfonso Cuaron warned his followers against cheating:
I’m the real Alfonso Cuarón. Unfortunately, I want to warn you about a scammer posing as me and sending messages like “Movie Project Offer” to trick people into funding a fake project. Please do not pay any money or reply to this person.
Just this January 27th Guillermo del Toro He also left a message on Twitter to keep people alert and not fall for deception:
Please do not be fooled by scams promoting meetings, courses, conferences, or material from anyone claiming to be or represent me or a director, unless they are from their official channels, like this one, and You can check them out.
As Variety reports, escalate He said his lawyer emailed the scammers to stop their illegal actions, but unfortunately the response was, “Call me and I will stop.” You know my number.” In any case, the call was not answered because they did not want to be associated with the scammer. In order to reduce the number of victims, escalatethrough your representative’s office Ilene FeldmanShe has warned many families and colleagues who have been contacted by the scammers about the hoax.
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Writer Beware shared the template scammers use in their emails:
My name is ____, I am a mexican film director of the film __________.
Her script ________ arrived at my office and was recommended by Hollywood Movie Agents to adapt this material for international cinema. We saw great potential in your masterpiece and it has been verified by our literary agents. We have been in the film industry for over 20 years and have strong connections in and out of the arena. Our partner film production companies such as Warner Bros. Pictures, Lionsgate, Searchlight, Paramount and Netflix are looking for unique stories like yours that we can use for entertainment. We’re ready to buy your film rights if you qualify.
Call me at __________ or ___ so we can talk further.