10 signs a VO job offer might be a scam

Unfortunately, VO-related scams have become more and more prevalent on the Internet these days. Scammers are catching onto the fact that there are plenty of actors looking for work who would be thrilled about the idea of a new client contacting them out of the blue to offer a role (often without even asking for an audition!)

Because of this, it’s imperative to have your guard up and trust your instincts. If you’re ever not sure if something might be a scam, ask for a second opinion from trusted VO peers or on our Discord server. The #known-scams channel on our server is dedicated to keeping up with the latest scam reports, and will have more up-to-the-minute information on VO-related scams going around.

Quick tips for spotting & dealing with scammers

Check the domain the email originates from (is it a company domain, or random Gmail address?)
Check the website of the company they are claiming to work for – do they have a track record of past work, or is it a generic template?
Don’t be afraid to ask for more information about the supposed job
Never send money or gift cards to someone in order to get paid for a project
Use secure payment methods such as PayPal to receive payments for online jobs
Make sure you have a signed contract before any work is to begin (but be aware that contracts don’t always stop scammers)
Keep records of all communication; use invoices or other official documentation of the work you have done
Don’t let a scammer know you are onto them – this may cause them to change up their wording or tactics, making it harder for other potential victims to spot the scam
Ask for a second opinion from other voice actors if something seems suspicious
Cross-reference with the #known-scams channel on our Discord – many times people ask “is this a scam”, only to find out that others have received the exact same email
Above all, trust your gut instinct!

In the meantime, here are some red flags to watch out for when you are randomly contacted by a potential new client about work.

#1: Overpayment scams (“game show host scam”)

The “game show host scam”, as it’s come to be known, is perhaps the most notorious and long-running voiceover scam out there. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to spot if you know what to look out for. The scammer will use a throwaway Gmail account from a random first and last name, and the wording has been altered a few times over the years, but here are some common phrases to look out for:

-“commercial game show host advert project”
-“it is an $850 voice-over assignment”
-“must be in a good mental and emotional state of mind”
-Sample Line: “Well I’m no rocket scientist, but I’d say…traffic congestion.”
-“the job will take place at a rented studio near your location, eliminating the need for excessive travel”

The last bit, about the “rented studio near your location”, is where the core of the scam really happens. In this case, the “client” will send you a fraudulent check for more than the agreed amount, instructing you to deposit it and then send the remaining funds to the “studio engineer” (who is really just themselves or another scammer). This is complete nonsense – if a legitimate client wanted to rent a studio for you to record a job for them, they would be responsible for handling the studio rental costs and process on their end. By the time your bank realizes the check they sent is fraudulent, it will be too late and you will be out the money you sent for the supposed studio rental.

The bottom line: Never accept payment for MORE than the agreed amount for a job with the condition you are to send part of the money to someone else or send the extra money back to them. It is a SCAM.

>>When is it legitimate? The only time you should agree to send over money for a studio rental is if the rental is of your own volition—for example, you are traveling and need to record for a job that has a tight deadline, or you don’t currently have access to a proper home studio and choose to rent one for a job which requires a high standard of quality as a condition of booking. In that case, you should be allowed to choose a studio you trust and handle payment with them directly through an independently verified method.

#2: Insisting on using an unconventional method to transfer money

Most jobs that you work independently for online clients will pay via a secure and verified method such as PayPal or Wise. If you know the client is legitimate, bank wire or ACH/direct deposit can also be an option.

However, if the client insists that you sign up for their proprietary payment portal or specific credit union to receive your funds, this is often the makings of a scam. They may deposit a large payment into the account to make it appear the funds are there, but when you try to transfer them to your own bank account, you are told you have to pay a substantial sum of money for “verification” to release the funds. They may try to imply that this is due to some international compliance regulations and that the deposit is “refundable”, but they simply steal the money. Outside of normal transaction fees that are standard for payment processors such as PayPal/Square/Stripe, you should never have to pay or deposit money simply to receive the payment you are owed. These services will deduct the transaction fee from the payment the client gives you, not require you to make a separate payment.

Additionally, be wary of checks from unknown sources. While legitimate studios, agencies and payroll companies do still use checks as a payment method especially in the United States, a random client online who insists on sending you a check may be up to no good—and you’ll often be out a fee if the check bounces. While it’s true there are a handful of specific countries where PayPal is banned, a legitimate client should work with you to find a trusted payment option that is available in their country, such as Wise or Payoneer. Do not agree to exchange payment via Western Union, Moneygram, or gift cards—while those companies themselves are legitimate, in the context of online freelance work it often indicates a scam.

The bottom line: Use secure and trusted payment methods, especially when working with new and unvetted clients. Never agree to send or deposit a substantial sum of money in order to receive your payment for a job.

>>When is it legitimate? Some legitimate studios or companies may have their own payment portals where freelancers are required to submit invoices or confirm work hours in order to get paid. You will also likely add your bank account information and tax information into this portal upon onboarding to the system for the first time. Be sure the company is real and trustworthy before providing any sensitive personal or banking information.

#3: Framing the job as a full-time employment position rather than a freelance contract offer

Not all scammers are in the know about how VO actually works—they’re just trying to find somebody to swindle. Some may even be rather lazy and copy and paste requirements from actual job listings. An immediate giveaway of a scam is if the job description aligns more with an office job than a freelance gig.

Phrases to watch out for: “HR manager/recruiter”, “generous salary”, “benefits”, “paid time off”, “25-30 hours a week”, “full-time position”, etc.

If you already work as a professional voice actor, you probably know that voice acting is contract work, as opposed to being an employee of any specific company. There is no “guaranteed salary or benefits” because you work on a project-to-project basis, and your “time off” is simply whenever you’re not doing sessions or auditions. And the person responsible for hiring voice actors would not be an HR manager or recruiter—it would be a casting director, project manager, or similar.

These “job offers” can come about a number of ways, such as by an unsolicited email or even a posting on LinkedIn or another job site, but some actors have reported that after auditioning for a project on an online casting site, they received a message stating that that particular job had been filled, but that the company would like to offer them a position as an in-house voice actor, and to send them an email for more information. Note that on most online casting sites, it is a TOS violation for a client to insist on taking the job off-platform—if it seems fishy, report it to the site so they can investigate.

The bottom line: Legitimate clients are aware that VO operates on a freelance contracting basis, and will not make false promises of a salaried employment situation.

>>When is it legitimate? For jobs with a heavy workload, an estimated amount of recording hours per week may be stated to ensure that voice actors auditioning are aware of what they may be getting into and have the availability required. In very unique circumstances, some companies may have “in-house” voice talent, but this is extremely rare as VO is almost never guaranteed regular work.

#4: Refusing to provide information about the project you’d be working on

Confidentiality is important, which is why many projects for high-profile clients require voice actors to sign an NDA upon being cast. However, a scammer will often have difficulty making up any convincing details about the project, so they’ll use a bunch of flowery language about how they were impressed by your work and are interested in a long-term collaboration, yet can’t even tell you what type of project it is that you are supposedly working on! For example, is this a game? A show? Narrating an audiobook? Paid ad placement for social media?

The use of code names is fairly common in fields like gaming and is considered an acceptable method to help prevent leaks, but if a client refuses to tell you anything at all about how your voice will be used/distributed even with a non-disclosure agreement, it warrants further scrutiny. The NAVA AI Rider can help protect you if you suspect the client may wish to recreate your voice using AI technology.

Upon asking for more information, a scammer may continue to dance around the details or tell you that it’s secretive, in which case you may offer to sign an NDA. A legitimate client should have no qualms about providing you more information after you have signed a document detailing a legal obligation to maintain confidentiality—so if they don’t, consider the probability that the “project” doesn’t actually exist.

The bottom line: Don’t be afraid to ask for more details before agreeing to work on something! Legitimate clients should be open to answering questions, even if they might require you to sign an NDA first.

>>When is it legitimate? There may be some fringe exceptions for top-secret government projects or something which involves extremely sensitive company trade secrets, but for the majority of day-to-day voiceover work, clients should practice transparency about the content and usage involved.

#5: Being far more concerned with the payment process than the job itself

Usually, when a client is contacting you about a potential VO job, their priority will be to explain a bit about the project and the role they have you in mind for, how the recording process will work, audition instructions (if an audition is required), and also inquire about availability during the recording dates. If the job is to be recorded remotely, they may also ask questions about your home setup and which programs you can use to connect for a live session.

In terms of payment discussion, the most that will usually happen in the initial email is that the rate for the project will either be stated up front, or the client will ask you to provide a quote based on the estimated workload given. However, a scammer may be VERY preoccupied with discussing payment methods from the get-go. They can’t tell you anything about what you’re recording…but they’re more than happy to collect your banking information up front!

Furthermore, the “client” may attempt to create a false sense of urgency by continually hounding you to get the payment process started, before details of the job have even been fully discussed. They may even offer to pay up front, which is rare in VO outside of special circumstances (most of the time, payment is issued upon completion of the work—and may be paid on a net-30 or even net-90 schedule depending on how the business operates.)

The bottom line: If the client seems desperate to get the payment process going before the recording has even started, be wary—especially if this is coupled with providing little to no information about the project or role you’re supposedly playing.

>>When is it legitimate? Some studios or online freelancer websites may require some type of onboarding process before your first session, in which you provide your tax documents and banking information. Again, only provide this if you have reason to believe the company is operating legitimately.

#6: Generic phrasing and/or email appears to be written by AI

While it is becoming harder and harder to detect AI usage, there may be cases where the email is written strangely or doesn’t fully make sense. If you’re familiar at all with the styles of text generated by programs such as ChatGPT, you often get a gut feeling when a message just doesn’t appear to be composed by another human.

One thing a lot of scam emails have in common is that they will be extremely generic form letters. In some cases they may use your name, but in others they might use a generic greeting such as “Hi dear”. They might also use wording such as “I was extremely impressed by your website. Upon reviewing your work, you have shown to display qualities befitting of an outstanding voice-over artist.”

Stop and consider how strange that message sounds. Most legitimate clients would lead with something they liked about your voice, not just compliment your website. They’d also include a bit of information about their project and perhaps the role they had you in mind for.

Excessive spelling and grammatical errors can be taken into consideration as a potential red flag as well, as these errors tend to not be as common in business communication, but do be aware that not everyone is strong at spelling and there are also many clients whose native language is not English. Therefore, it is important to look at the whole picture before determining that something may be a scam.

Notable inconsistencies can also be a red flag—for example, a recent scammer called themselves “Diana” but their email address was listed as “Diane” (scammers often use a variety of fake names and throwaway addresses and sometimes forget to keep the names consistent). Even if someone is poor at spelling, most people do not misspell their own name especially as the official name listed on their email account.

The bottom line: If the way an email is worded seems strange to you, stop and consider that it may not be legitimate. Cross-reference it with our #known-scams channel and/or ask around to other actors you know if you need a second opinion.

>>When is it legitimate? Clients whose primary language isn’t English may use auto-translation services to translate the emails they are sending you, which may sometimes have strange phrasing or even read as AI-generated. This is why it’s important to look at everything in context and ask for more information if needed.

#7: Insisting on communication via third-party apps

Some scammers may insist that you add them on WhatsApp or Telegram in order to communicate about the job. This is often because the encrypted nature of messages on these apps can make it harder for you to preserve evidence.

Keep in mind that the majority of legitimate voiceover clients will conduct business over email, with possible live sessions over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Source Nexus or a similar program. Indie teams often favor Discord as a primary method of communication, which is fine if that’s what everyone agrees on. While WhatsApp and Telegram are legitimate messaging apps, the fact that so many scammers prefer to communicate using them should be seen as a potential red flag.

The bottom line: Most legitimate voiceover clients, at least in the English speaking market, are willing to discuss details of the job over email (or commonly Discord, for indie projects.)

>>When is it legitimate? In some voiceover markets outside of the United States, using WhatsApp or a similar messaging program may be more common. If you have any friends who work as voice actors in the country where the potential client is based, see if you can reach out to them for more insight as to whether this is considered a cultural norm for work communication in that market.

#8: Promising an unusually large payout or atypical payment structure

Everybody loves money, and the idea of a job that’s willing to pay well over industry standard seems like a dream come true. But the alarm bells start ringing if it’s a virtually unknown producer or “company” with no track record of projects and no real indication of where, exactly, they are getting this surplus of money to pay people. For example, if an indie game is offering a gigantic sum of money to their actors that goes well beyond what even a reputable studio would offer…do they have publishers already locked in? A successful crowdfunding endeavor that provided the funds needed to pay their contributors? Artwork, scripts, and other assets already in place? VO is generally one of the last assets to be added into a game, so if they are making big promises to their voice actors but have nothing to show for their work otherwise, that’s a red flag.

Additionally, be wary of “you’ll get paid when we get paid” situations. This is often stated by smaller creators who cannot afford to pay their talent unless their project ends up making a profit. While it’s certainly acceptable to participate in these projects if you like the concept or feel it’s creatively fulfilling, for all intents and purposes they should be treated as “unpaid” so there are no surprises. Some creators may make lofty promises that even though there is low or no pay now, surely the project will get picked up by a huge distributor in the future and make loads of money…which simply isn’t grounded in reality.

Another potential red flag is if the payment structure is something very atypical for that genre of work. For example, in the various audiobook scams, the scammer will claim the rate is something like “$40 per page”. In reality, most audiobooks are paid on a “per finished hour” basis, and that “per page” rate would add up very quickly in a typical book to the point where most producers could not reasonably pay out that sum.

While having a contract is always a smart idea, do be aware that a contract alone isn’t enough to stop a scammer. In one of the above-mentioned audiobook scams, the “client” was more than happy to sign an contract and AI rider, but they used a fake name and fake company name, so there was no recourse when they later refused to pay. It also becomes exponentially more difficult to take someone to court if they are based halfway across the world from you.

The bottom line: If a project is offering rates that significantly surpass the usual industry standards, it’s worth a closer look, especially if the payment structure offered isn’t typical for that style of work.

>>When is it legitimate? If the audition comes from your agency, it’s probably legitimate. For indie projects, the possibility is always there that it’s a very wealthy person just trying to make a project with their own personal funds, but it’s very important to get as much information as possible and also to make sure a contract is in place.

#9: A major company or studio randomly contacting you out of the blue

While it’s not unheard of that a talent may be approached directly by a major company for contract work, be very wary of a sudden email claiming to be from a major dubbing studio or national agency offering vague promises of work, especially if you’ve had no contact with anyone from their organization in the past and no reason to expect an email from them. Sometimes the scammers will even use LinkedIn to find names of actual company representatives to impersonate!

There are specific instances where a studio may reach out to you unsolicited, such as being recommended by another actor (in which case they will often let you know that it’s a referral) or because they’re looking for something very specific, such as language/accent/ethnicity. It’s possible a casting director may even proactively add you to their talent pool after hearing your work elsewhere. However, it’s fairly uncommon for a studio you’ve never worked with before to immediately offer you a named role without even asking for an audition first to confirm.

A good way to identify legitimacy is to closely check the email address. Any established recording studio will have a company domain that emails are sent from (@companyname.com), not a Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo address. Be aware of fake domains that look legitimate but are not actually official, and cross-reference with the company’s official website if need be.

The bottom line: If someone reaches out to you claiming to be an employee of a specific company or studio, check the email address to ensure that it comes from the company’s verified official domain. Remember that a legitimate studio will not ask for your personal or financial information just to audition for a project!

>>When is it legitimate? A casting director who works freelance (as opposed to in-house at a particular studio) will often send auditions from their personal email account, which may be Gmail or something similar. Receiving surprise audition opportunities is great, but just be on alert for any potential red flags that stick out to you.

#10: Suddenly becoming aggressive or hostile

Just as you don’t enjoy having your time wasted, neither do scammers. Their goal is to get you to pay up, and quickly, so they can move onto their next victim. If they sense you’re onto them or you’re asking too many questions, the scammer may attempt to intimidate you by claiming that the job is extremely urgent and that you are wasting valuable time by not immediately, say, depositing a payment. They may even insinuate that you are unprofessional or threaten to replace you with a different talent. But think of it this way: even if they were legitimate, would you want to work with a client who treats you this way?

Another reason scammers may behave this way is because if they get you into an emotional state, your judgment can become clouded. Instead of taking the time to ask your friends or mentors whether the situation seems sketchy, you may be tempted to just do what the scammer asks out of fear of being replaced or upsetting a potential client.

The bottom line: Scammers want you to act as quickly as possible so you don’t have time to check with others or realize their actions are suspicious. They may resort to intimidating you about how the “job” is urgent and you are wasting their time by not sending them money or depositing a fake check.

>>When is it legitimate? Once in a while, you might deal with a client who is just a jerk. Consider the big picture and ask yourself whether they are displaying any other signs of suspicious behavior typical of scammers, and then decide whether or not it’s worth it to you to work with them.

[ back to top ]

This article is written by Kira Buckland. While all guides and resources on this site are provided on a volunteer basis, you may optionally support with a coffee if you found them helpful!