Complaint Review: Eugene Matthews

I was contacted via myspace to do some photography for his clothing line/online calendar. He contacted me immediately and sent a model release form. He offered to pay $50-80/hr plus flight and hotel. He claimed that he required models to pay half of the hotel/flight as a deposit, and the rest would be reimbursed upon arrival.

First, he claimed he would have me transfer the money to his bank account, then later said he would prefer using Western Union. He avoided using his name in phone calls or emails (always referring to himself as "the designer"). He gave his name only when I needed the details to send the money. When I googled his name, I could not find any information about him or his clothing line.

His clothing line "Avante Couture" or "RVA Couture" on myspace has lots of pictures but the quality of the clothes and models was rather poor considering the money he claimed to be capable of spending. He is very persistent about calling and attempts to be warm to get your guard down.