08/31/2026
LONG POST ALERT - But please read in order to know how to spot a scam of this nature...
As a small business there is nothing more exciting than then prospect of working with someone new. Whether that’s capturing memories or being able to put their creative vision together.
I thought I had that opportunity when I got an email Thursday night. I’m always suspicious of new emails but after running through my checks of “legitness” I felt confident to email them back. They wanted a birthday shoot for their daughter’s birthday and they found my email on my business page. They were local, we talked dates, we talked times, we talked locations. It. All. Checked. Out. They asked for my phone number to text me inspo images. They never texted me but emailed those images, but I figured they had just preferred to email since that’s how we had been communicating. I’ve had plenty of clients prefer to do that in past. That’s how I communicate at my day job. They sent inspiration pictures those also checked out and if you know me I can spot an AI generated image easily. I asked questions, they answered. All normal things.
Friday they asked to pay in advance and asked for my Zelle or Venmo. I sent my Venmo QR code and the cost of the session which was $100 because they wanted to pay in advance. Totally fine, I’ve had people pay in advance before. Here’s where it started to go downhill.
I got an email stating that they paid, and then texts saying I had to call to confirm the payment. All while this is happening I had been taking a nap (yay iron deficiency anemia) and I woke up to SEVEN back to back to back emails hounding me about how they sent the payment and then three separate text messages from an 808 number. I’ve had to confirm “yes” with Venmo in the past so I hit YES and received a follow up text that read, “Kindly call” Now, I’ve been using Venmo for years and never once have I had to call a number to confirm a payment or send a payment. So being the curious person I am I called and started asking questions. I knew after the multitude of emails I got without a minute of each other and the multiple texts messages that I was getting scammed. The person on the phone was scripting, he wouldn’t answer my questions, and when I hung up the proceeded to call me back three more times. I asked if they were a scammer, I asked if they could confirm the first and last name of the person attempting to send me money. I was angry and upset and hung up. As I was attempting to call my bank (they had literally just closed) the scammer called me back three separate times and I was received more emails asking me to submit the confirmation code.
In short I’m embarrassed, my pride is hurt, and as a photographer this is a large enough blow that makes me want to throw my hands and give up. Since I am already speaking honestly, I nearly did decide to give up after this…
My curiosity saved me. The fact that my husband and I enjoy watching the scam baiter Kitboga on YouTube had also taught me how to suspect a scam. I also never received or sent money and that is where I really would have been in trouble. Venmo’s customer service was amazing and they are monitoring my account. I believe that God was watching out as well; the debit card tied to my account no longer worked, and the routing number attached to my account wouldn’t have worked either all because of a timely bank change. I feel like that was a very large blessing in what could have been devastating for my family if I had not been smart. ��I hate to say it, it was a good scam. They were able to spoof a poor woman’s email with her PICTURE, steal someone else’s images on the internet, and set up a scam targeting a small photography business. If it can happen to me then it can happen to you so be vigilant small business owners. ��As far as next steps for Fearless Creative.�- I’ve removed my email from my business page. If you need to contact me please reach out via Messenger or if you have my cell (or if you already had my email) you may contact me via those avenues.
- I am currently not accepting payments via Venmo nor will I for a bit until I feel confident that things have blown over. If you have a session booked with me we can discuss payment options privately
- I’m not quitting photography. I still feel like I have something to give to the community, and I have future commitments that I am excited to capture
As embarrassing as it is to share I feel like I have a duty to share what almost happened to me in the hopes of preventing it from happening to someone else. I hope this information can serve as a help and as a reminder to others to be cautious and to be mindful when running a small business.
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