Nikita According to the costs involed page it states what you get for your money:

Modelling training
your very own professional portfolio which is yours to keep. 
Your very own webpage at www.eiremodels.com

Correct the site does state it is a training school for models, but also Guarantees work within the first 8 weeks!

If you have paid the 300 euro, well ask the agency for your folio of 20 images, you've paid for it

The more elaborate someting looks, the more people believe it's real and the easier it will be to part with cash. I've often attended training courses.. but for me, I've either paid on the day of the course, or if I have to pay in advance, I've checked references.

So if the 300 was for modelling school... who do you know that's attended previous schools? Where are the graduates nows? Indeed who's teaching the school? Who owns the agency? What qualifications do they have?

Con men prey on peoples desires. If they only asked for 20 euros, something would appear suspicious. Asking for 300 makes them look more legit, but to pull that off.. well they need to go to some extent to appear more genuine. And if they did get 2500 people, how do you think they'll be able to cope with that many students in their school?

Whilst I have no sympathy, this is not to say that I think people deserved this! Hopefully people will get their money back! Hopefully who ever is involved will be called to task!

Don't pay money to join an agency. If you're paying money up front for something you're not getting there on the spot, then it's entirely up to you to ensure that your money is safe and that who ever you're paying the money to, will deliver the services/goods you expect.

What sort of research did you do on the company?

Whatever about girls with a little experience falling for this, what's really worrying is that allegedly girls were being approached on the street and being told about this opportunity and that if they wanted to avail of it they had to pay a portion of the EUR 300 that day in order to secure a spot.

It's been said before and it's so true - if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is and this proves it once again. I can understand models not questioning this, particularly if this is a dream they desperately want to follow. Nobody likes to ask questions if they think it's going to make them look stupid - it's human nature and I've done it myself. But isn't it better to ask apparently stupid questions if there are doubts about something like this and come out wiser as a result, than to run headlong into this only to find out later you've been had?

I can't help but wonder if anyone is going to get their money back at all. Given the fact that the website is registered at a P.O. Box in London and the company isn't registered with the Companies Registration Office here, there is every likelihood that the monies paid to this racket have long since been spirited out of this jurisdiction and will be all the harder to get back because of that. For the same reason, I doubt there are any assets that can be seized to cover any action arising out of this although I'm sure that CBS and TV3 will pursue whatever avenue they can in order to repair any damages done to their brand reputations.

I downloaded the magazine that is allegedly going to be sold in Easons and it was interesting to see the names given in the credits section at the start, including among them a photographer that would be known to several people here on folio32! I wonder if publication of the magazine will still go ahead.

I missed the last part of the Joe Duffy Show as I had to take a call but as soon as it's available online again I'm going to have another listen to it. I'm sure there will be more about this tomorrow, unless RTE are silenced by possible legal action.

- Thorsten.

Ciaran,

I have to disagree i think that's a bit harsh, anyway i have only recently tried to get into modelling only in the last four weeks, so I was none the wiser, this was on in the Morgan Hotel last Saturday, there was a camera crew, presenter make-up artisits the whole lot everything appeared to be legitimate, the €300 was for "modelling school" not for a portfolio.

www.eiremodels.com

See website homepage for update  "Recent Negative publicity"

Very true an agency wont ask models for up front fees, but models may still have to pay for a promotional portfolio! The difference being the fees are deducted from the models future earnings by the agency over a period of time and the model not required to pay cash up front. The agency take the risk and not the model!

That having been said, it helps if the model has a book prior to approaching an agency for representation! Book in hand the agency may well be prepared to sign the model as they dont have to take a risk of financial outlay themselves! So Nothing wrong with working hard and chasing your dreams, but it must be all the harder when models are ripped off by events such as this mentioned.  

has anybody heard any further updates on the radio interview! Thorsten maybe

 

I hate to say this, but I have little or no sympathy for most of the models that will have lost money on this scam! It's been known for a LOOOONNNG time that real agencies, will not ask models to pay a fee to get shots done or join the books. I think the fact that TV3 was in some way associated with it, made people think that this was some how less valid??

How many models have paid photographers for shots? Yet, one sniff of potential fame and they're out with their wallets. I wonder with lessons learned, will those same models be prepared to pay photographers for decent portfolios and then chase fame the proper way - i.e. with hard work?

The only people I'd have sympathy for are the very new people on the scene. Ones that have never modelled, have never had any experience with the industry. For the rest.. well I hope it's a lesson learned

Now I'm going to go duck behind the sofa