There is nothing more exciting than opening your email and seeing an inquiry in there for something that has the potential to be really cool. And scammers know that and they use it to try to lure unsuspecting photographers into losing a decent sum of money.
I typically get a few scammy emails every year, for the most part I ignore them and move on with my life but this past one annoyed me to know end because it promised something many, many photographers dream of— a chance to work with National Geographic.
This was the start of the dream email photographers want to receive that I opened my inbox too. First glance it is like ok no idea let’s open it.
So I do just that and open the email to read. Like at no point in my life have I ever been contacted by someone doing anything for Nat Geo who is hiring for their expedition— I have chatted with and know a few who have worked legitimately with Nat Geo who have confirmed they do not get to pick and choose and hire their teams.
So I was naturally on guard after reading the email, I knew right away it was a scam. A very good scam using a real verified Nat Geo explorer with legit credentials but obviously stolen and fake account.
The lack of an official nat geo email address and cc’ing what I am guessing is the spammer in charge of buttering me up and stealing whatever sum of money to participate in this great experience. I never responded to the email but decided hey let’s make an example especially after researching this particular scam a bit.
This scam is targeted at professionals of well known credibility and companies being targeted by professional scammers to steal thousands from them. The thing with scammers is they will want your information or you to send money.
With organizations like Nat Geo they still have a very regular application and interview process. I am sure they have you fill out regular job documents for taxes and I am sure they cover expenses for trips without ever asking you to send them anything. Be aware of red flags and never send your information or money to anyone, scammers are getting better and better but they still aren’t nailing the language or realistically how much verification goes into hiring photographers— just because I have a legit business doesn’t mean my photography skills would be the most desirable for certain Nat Geo excursions, I know this but scammers do not.
Stay safe, watch for scammers, and research hard before responding to obvious scammers.