FRAUD ALERT: I received an offer to work for you – is it real?

Unfortunately, several of the world’s most prominent photographers have recently seen their names used in connection with fraudulent schemes utilizing fraudulent social media accounts, emails and more. While these scams can take many forms, often, the fraudster, operating the guise of the photographer, promises employment opportunities that eventually require the victim to divulge their personal banking information. To be clear, Paul Nicklen does not hire employees through online employment services.

Fraudsters purporting to be, or acting on behalf of, Paul Nicklen have used fraudulent email addresses that appear to come from “Paul Nicklen” but, upon closer inspection, are revealed to come from unrelated email accounts hosted by Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo, or other email services which Paul Nicklen does not use. Similarly, be on the lookout for fraudulent domain names. Paul Nicklen’s sole domain creates emails from “@paulnicklen.com.” Variants of that domain (for example, “@paul-nicklen.com” or “@paulnicklen.org”) are not authentic.

Once fraudsters get ahold of a victim’s banking information, they begin their defrauding activities in earnest. In one of the most common scams, the fraudster convinces the victim to participate in an elaborate scheme requiring the depositing and withdrawing of money for a variety of purposes. To be clear, Paul Nicklen does not authorize employees to handle funds on his behalf and does not advance sums of money to any employee for any reason.  

A Word of Caution

Always exercise extreme caution when engaging with parties seeking your personal details over the internet, particularly if they’ve exhibited any of the features discussed above. On the internet, as in the real world, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Action You May Take

If something seems suspicious, verify it by reaching out through official channels such as published email address, phone numbers, or authenticated social media accounts. If you suspect you’ve been the victim of fraudulent activity, do not hesitate to report it to your local law enforcement officials as well as your email or telephone service provider.