|
World Championships of Performing Arts
|
View this Thread in Original format
| woscar |
http://www.worldstars.tv/wcopa_about.html
My girlfriend's cousin won a singing contest yesterday, which gave as a "grand prize" the right to participate in the "World Championships of Performing Arts". To be honest, I never heard of this before and it's got "scam" written all over it. I spotted it a mile away, but it's not that obvious to them.
His parents (who are struggling financially) now have to come up with more than $4,000 in "entrance fees, accommodation (you HAVE to stay where they tell you), photo sessions", etc. so he can actually go and participate. They don't have the money and I think they will probably take a loan or sell some of their to be able to pay for it, all to make their son happy.
I'm trying to prove to them that it's all a big, ing scam but haven't been able to find anything specific on the internet. Only some info on two other "contests" that operate in pretty much the exact same way and this.
Do you guys know anything about this? |
|
|
| The17sss |
sounds like modeling agencies. I used to know a lady who worked for a branch of Barbizon modeling/talent agency. She said she quit because she couldn't stand lying to kids and their parents all the time. She said they were actively told to tell parents that their kid had awesome potential and they had a real shot at making it, even when it was painfully obvious that it wasn't true.... they just had to enroll in a class, or sign up (and pay) to go to an expo or go on a "get discovered" cruise where talent agents and photographers from the biggest agencies would be there to see them, etc.
It cost parents big bucks and of course they're personal bias of their own child being "so talented" or "so beautiful" would get played on them, and they'd shell out hundreds or thousands to keep paying for their kid to go to all these events, while of course the agency would get a percentage of the profit. The lady told me it was the biggest scam ever and her conscience got to her, so she left. |
|
|
| woscar |
Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. However, I'm finding it pretty hard to find anything specific on this particular one. Perhaps its rather new, and the fact that more than 90% of the contestants are "recruited" outside the US, so no scandals have surfaced.
They claim they have been holding this annually since 1997, yet I can't find anything to trace them earlier than 2005. |
|
|
| smellyblack |
If the scam were very simple to debunk, it wouldn't be a very good scam would it? This is why for 3000$ i will help your friends truly know if spending 4000$ is legit.:)
Btw, you have very nice feet, have you ever modeled flip flops?
No?
We need to get you a portfolio set up right away! |
|
|
| woscar |
| I guess so, but for an organization that claims to have held an international competition for 13 years it's pretty ing remarkable :p |
|
|
| smellyblack |
| i am pretty sure nigeria has existed longer than that. |
|
|
| Sushipunk |
 |
|
|
| nchs09 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sushipunk
|
lolol |
|
|
| Domesticated |
| quote: | Originally posted by woscar
To be honest, I never heard of this before and it's got "scam" written all over it. I spotted it a mile away, but it's not that obvious to them. |
I don't think English is your first language but I'd like to point this out anyway because it drives me insane.
So many Americans say it too, and that's probably where you learnt it. The sentence should read "I have never heard of this before", or "I've never heard of this before". |
|
|
|
|
