- Report: #375485
Complaint Review: MGI-NYC - Nationwide
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MGI-NYC
Lexington Ave, NY Nationwide, U.S.A.
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MGI-NYC Xavier and Mgi-nyc's two failed attempts to scam money out of me! Beware of the lies!! New York New York
About two years ago I was approached online by someone who supposedly worked for a new magazine(CANDY MAGAZINE)who was looking for models and loved my photos, that were vey amature-ish at the time.
They wrote me about three times consecutively before I actually decided to respond to the message that said they "need" me.
WAIT, YOU MEAN THEY LIKE THESE AMATEUR PHOTOS OF ME?? THEY NEED ME??? WOW..OK GREAT!
So I called the number that was in the message and this guy named JOHN ANTHONY ( Now known as Xavier) answered. He was gushing over my photos and telling me how I had a different look and how I was very beautiful.
He seemed so happy that I called. He said that his new magazine needs me and how he's going to fly me and a few other select models all over the world
( Brazil,Tokyo, London, Paris) to do different shoots and attend awards shows and celebrity red-carpet events.
He also asked if I'd be available in 6 weeks so we could fly together to do a shoot in Brazil. I was so excited, I actually bought luggage!
And we'd have our own personal hair stylist, makeup artist,security, and wardrobe person( for each model!!) And we'd get paid thousands a month. Oh, yeah, and we'd tour a few states in the U.S. to promote the magazine and get paid for each appearance. HE SAID HE WOULD MAKE ME FAMOUS.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, RIGHT??
Well, being very naive and new to the modeling industry at the time, I believed every word he said and was so excited to meet him and sign the contract he offered me that was sent through e-mail.
He also told me he was part Japanese and spent a lot of his life in Japan and London. A 300-something lb,very dark-skinned,Black man with a New York-ish accent from Japan?? HA. YEAH RIGHT. AND I WAS BORN YESTERDAY.
He also told me that I'd be getting the T-mobile Sidekick 3 ( which was the new phone at that time) and a GPS bracelet so that my loved ones can simply go online and know where I am at all times as long as i had this bracelet on.
Every time we planned to set up a meeting at his "office" he'd always want to meet somewhere on the street. Then I thought, Hmmm, why is this so??
Oh yeah, cause he probably doesn't have an office!
Then he'd tell me he's "driving" and he'll be on a certain street and meet him there. When we'd meet, he'd be out of breath, sweating, no keys in sight, with big shopping bags. If you have a car, wouldn't you leave your shopping bags in the car??
Maybe it's because he probably doesn't have a car, either!!
THIS MAN AND HIS GROUP OF SCAMMERS ARE HABITUAL LIARS
I would get phone calls almost everyday until the date got closer and closer to me signing the contract. Then, he just stopped answering his phone and when he did answer, he'd say he was at a meeting with HBO or MTV pitching a new reality show or working on the "Thundercats" movie. WHATEVER.
And that I was interrupting him.
He'd also tell me that he showed my photos to this person and that person and they really liked my look. Or he'd tell me about an audition, but never get back to me about the time and place i should be there until after the "audition" was over.
A year later, he calls me again and leaves a message. For a good laugh, I decide to call him back. His so-called secretary answers and says that I was chosen to go to some model competition that I HAVE TO PAY FOR, but that I should call him on his cell phone to speak with him myself.
The call went to voice mail and all of a sudden, he has a FAKE BRITISH ACCENT, AND HIS NAME ISN'T JOHN ANYMORE!! IT'S XAVIER!! No lie! I couldn't believe this person had the nerve to call me after a year to try to get money out of me because of his previous failed attempt.
People need to find out about these people and put a stop to this scam. Thier site is still up with PHOTOS OF MODELS THEY DON'T REPRESENT!
REMEMBER... YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO BE A MODEL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MODELING SCHOOL OR PAY TO BE IN A COMPETITION OR PAY TO BE IN AN AGENCY.
THAT'S JUST BOGUS... JUST LIKE MGI-NYC
Modelcici
Albany, New York
U.S.A.
They wrote me about three times consecutively before I actually decided to respond to the message that said they "need" me.
WAIT, YOU MEAN THEY LIKE THESE AMATEUR PHOTOS OF ME?? THEY NEED ME??? WOW..OK GREAT!
So I called the number that was in the message and this guy named JOHN ANTHONY ( Now known as Xavier) answered. He was gushing over my photos and telling me how I had a different look and how I was very beautiful.
He seemed so happy that I called. He said that his new magazine needs me and how he's going to fly me and a few other select models all over the world
( Brazil,Tokyo, London, Paris) to do different shoots and attend awards shows and celebrity red-carpet events.
He also asked if I'd be available in 6 weeks so we could fly together to do a shoot in Brazil. I was so excited, I actually bought luggage!
And we'd have our own personal hair stylist, makeup artist,security, and wardrobe person( for each model!!) And we'd get paid thousands a month. Oh, yeah, and we'd tour a few states in the U.S. to promote the magazine and get paid for each appearance. HE SAID HE WOULD MAKE ME FAMOUS.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, RIGHT??
Well, being very naive and new to the modeling industry at the time, I believed every word he said and was so excited to meet him and sign the contract he offered me that was sent through e-mail.
He also told me he was part Japanese and spent a lot of his life in Japan and London. A 300-something lb,very dark-skinned,Black man with a New York-ish accent from Japan?? HA. YEAH RIGHT. AND I WAS BORN YESTERDAY.
He also told me that I'd be getting the T-mobile Sidekick 3 ( which was the new phone at that time) and a GPS bracelet so that my loved ones can simply go online and know where I am at all times as long as i had this bracelet on.
Every time we planned to set up a meeting at his "office" he'd always want to meet somewhere on the street. Then I thought, Hmmm, why is this so??
Oh yeah, cause he probably doesn't have an office!
Then he'd tell me he's "driving" and he'll be on a certain street and meet him there. When we'd meet, he'd be out of breath, sweating, no keys in sight, with big shopping bags. If you have a car, wouldn't you leave your shopping bags in the car??
Maybe it's because he probably doesn't have a car, either!!
THIS MAN AND HIS GROUP OF SCAMMERS ARE HABITUAL LIARS
I would get phone calls almost everyday until the date got closer and closer to me signing the contract. Then, he just stopped answering his phone and when he did answer, he'd say he was at a meeting with HBO or MTV pitching a new reality show or working on the "Thundercats" movie. WHATEVER.
And that I was interrupting him.
He'd also tell me that he showed my photos to this person and that person and they really liked my look. Or he'd tell me about an audition, but never get back to me about the time and place i should be there until after the "audition" was over.
A year later, he calls me again and leaves a message. For a good laugh, I decide to call him back. His so-called secretary answers and says that I was chosen to go to some model competition that I HAVE TO PAY FOR, but that I should call him on his cell phone to speak with him myself.
The call went to voice mail and all of a sudden, he has a FAKE BRITISH ACCENT, AND HIS NAME ISN'T JOHN ANYMORE!! IT'S XAVIER!! No lie! I couldn't believe this person had the nerve to call me after a year to try to get money out of me because of his previous failed attempt.
People need to find out about these people and put a stop to this scam. Thier site is still up with PHOTOS OF MODELS THEY DON'T REPRESENT!
REMEMBER... YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO BE A MODEL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MODELING SCHOOL OR PAY TO BE IN A COMPETITION OR PAY TO BE IN AN AGENCY.
THAT'S JUST BOGUS... JUST LIKE MGI-NYC
Modelcici
Albany, New York
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Nymodelmami
Brooklyn,New York,
U.S.A.
MGI MODEL WITH THOUGHTS FOR ALL
#2UPDATE Employee
Wed, October 01, 2008
OK MY NAME IS JOHANA AND I HAVE BEEN A MODEL WITH MGI AND A FEW OTHER COMPANIES FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS NOW. MY GIRLFRIEND WHOM I RECENTLY REFERRED TO MGI SAID SHE FOUND THIS BLOG AND WANTED ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT. SO NOW AFTER A FEW YEARS MY TIME IS UP AGE-WISE SO THIS WILL BE MY LAST YEAR MODELING. BUT I READ ALL THE POSTINGS AND SOME OF THESE THINGS SOUND FAMILIAR EXCEPT I SIGNED MY PAPERS IN XAVIER'S OFFICE IN NEW YORK WHEN I CAME IN FOR A CASTING. NOW EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN WITH THEM FOR SOMETIME, I DIDN'T BLOW UP OR WORK AS MUCH AS SOME OF THE OTHER MODELS BUT I DID GET SOME WORK FROM THEM. I ALSO GOT CHECKS FROM THEM THAT DIDN'T BOUNCE LOL SO I WAS KINDA KEWL WITH THAT AS WELL. NOW EACH YEAR WHEN I SIGN MY PAPERWORK THEIR CONTRACT IS WORDED EXACTLY LIKE THIS, "Non-Exclusive models have two choices as far as how they are to be marketed to our 68,000 International Clients. If a model chooses to send in Composite Cards, we would need a minimum of 1,000 cards per month which you get printed on your own at any location of your choosing. Or the Model may select to have an online portfolio on www.mgi-nyc.com which is run by a freelance web designing company, NYC Dezign Masters. The Model can select the one of the online portfolio packages and can send non copy written pictures plus full one-time Non-Refundable payment to NYC Dezign Masters strictly for the building of your online portfolio." Now when I got started I read this and family and friends said "do comp cards" so I did and always have. So if anyone read this...and like my family kinda felt that the web way seemed kinda scammish...why then didn't you just buy comp cards from someone? I bought mine from www.compcard.com. Also, it seems everyone has been mentioning that as a model you get everything for free? Ok let me help some of you with this myth. Click on any of these links and read exactly who is responsible for a non exclusive model's materials. Because believe you me nothing in this industry is ever truly free: http://www.newmodels.com/myths.html http://www.e-model.net/info/questions/quest1.html http://www.parismodelsandtalent.com/infonews.htm http://www.minxmodels.com/modeling_expenses.html http://www.florida-models.com/default.htm?whatisamodel.htm&1 Last but not least...with this company or any other company, maybe you should ask for actual examples of their work, client list of companies you may know, and maybe speak to actual clients that they say they work with. What I am saying ladies is use your heads and do your research. MGI's name has been featured in magazines like smooth, xxl, king and a few others. So if they were a scam...why are these companies actually working with them and paying them? I hate for people to get things confused as how things really run in the industry and get poor advice from others who truly don't do their homework before they start trying to model and create postings like this and immediately use the word scam or fraud. Check them out with the real professionals and then decide what YOU THINK not what everyone else says. A blog is not Gospel...but actually speaking to clients, other models, etc. might give you a real sense about what a company is about. One person I know can speak for mgi is Sean Cummings of SHOW Magazine. Reach out to someone like him and ask him about Xavier, mgi and their models. You may be surprised to find out what he and other pros have to say. May all that read this be blessed and well Little Jojo
