Screenwriting : SCAM WARNING – Identity Theft Involving “Imar Film Co.” and “Peter Loehr” by Deborah Bete

Thanks for warning everyone, Deborah Bete.

unfortunately. And for newbies, it’s really well crafted and feels legit.

Maurice Vaughan you're welcome! I just think it’s important we all have each other’s backs with this kind of stuff.

Jay Gladwell that means a lot, thank you! If it can save even one person from falling into the trap, then it was worth sharing. We gotta look out for each other.

The scammers work across all platforms. Cra...list is notorious. Bait and switch job offerings. They will steal anything and resell it.

Deborah Bete, thank you so much for sharing this. I have been regularly posting on Stage 32 about the scammers that pop up here on site. Unfortunately, they are everywhere. I even have my mascot Barnella warning about scammers.

You're right, Deborah Bete!

Jon Shallit you're absolutely right.

It’s terrifying how fast they adapt — and how professional they look.

That’s why I wanted to share: if even one person hesitates before signing or paying, it’s worth it.

We’re all just trying to get our work made — they exploit that. And that pisses me off.

Wyman Brent you're doing sacred work — thank you for keeping the alarm bell ringing.

I hadn’t seen Barnella, but now I definitely will follow her advice

Deborah Bete, thank you. Barnella is pleased to meet you. I chose the name and character in honor of one of the chickens on the farm.

This is so scary! Thanks for sharing!

I feel like a Luddite for even remarking with this but with more advanced and sophisticated AI on the horizon, it is going to be exponentially more difficult to be diligent, safe and on-guard. Thank you for the info, both as a specific item to be careful with and a general reminder of how precarious our online world is and will further become.

Selma Karayalcin you're welcome! It’s important we all have each other’s backs with this kind of stuff.

It happened to me as well just a few days ago, and I posted about the same person and the same company. Any company that asks a writer for fees under any pretext is not trustworthy. A respectable company takes a percentage after the package is completed, not before.

Thanks for sharing this. It’s sad that scammers exploit the hopes and dreams of writers.

Thanks for the warning. Unfortunately, it happens on Stage 32 too.

Very nice of you to share this warning. The same scammer sent me a similar Twitter DM yesterday. Instant ignore.

Husin Alkhatib Thanks for adding your voice, Husin. It’s so important we keep flagging these tactics openly — the more we talk, the less power they have.

Absolutely, Staffan Von Zeipel . It’s heartbreaking how scammers prey on people’s hopes. I’m glad we can create safer spaces by sharing this kind of info.

Thanks for confirming that, Marcel Nault Jr. . I’ve heard similar stories on Stage 32 as well — it’s clearly a broader issue than I realized.

Thanks Andrea Zastrow — and good to know I wasn’t the only one! Glad you spotted it right away. The tone they use is so deceptively professional…

I’m sorry that happened to you, but thanks for the heads up. Have a wonderful week and take care.

Thanks for warning everyone, take care.

Thank you so much for posting Deborah Bete This is the kind of activity that absolutely scares me. No question! Prior to this, have you been approached before by legitimate people? I have had scammers reach out to me before but I saw their email address's looked dodgy so it was a dead giveaway. I always forward details onto the Stage 32 Team if it's from this website but I've had independents pop up on my social's etc. Thank you so much for letting me know all the details with this one - even down to them using IMBD info. Yikes!

thanks for letting us know. it’s scammers like that that gives me anxiety because my trust issues are that bad.

Thank you for sharing. There are so many predatory people out there preying on good people daily. Sharing helps us all keep our guard up in all facets of our lives. ♥️

... I bet it's constanly the same person who endlessly operates under different aliases. This person's favorite tv series is probably Squid Game!! It's a pity the series ended!!!

"Just pay me and I'll have my team work with you, fix your writing, develop a brand, etc."

That guy said I was a good writer but had never read anything I wrote and didn't ask for anything. And such a bargain at 2000$ (sarc)

Thanks for the info. Someone once reached out to me with a similar intention on this platform. Fortunately, I didn't fall for it.

You're always going to run into people pretending to be something or someone they're not. Common sense goes a long way—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. No A-list actor or big-time producer is going to randomly email you to develop your project; those opportunities come from relationships built over time. Likewise, no indie producer is going to hand you a magic bucket of money to finance your script. Dreams are important, but without due diligence and logic, they don’t go very far.

I ran into a scammer once. Gave himself away asking for money and bank information and tried to look big.

Diana Levin Thank you so much, Diana. I completely understand — this kind of manipulation really preys on the trust we try to build in this industry. I’m sorry it triggered that anxiety in you, and I hope this helps us all stay a bit more guarded moving forward.

Karen Baker Thanks so much for your kind words, Karen. You're right — sharing our experiences is key to protecting each other. It's unfortunate we have to stay on alert, but I’m glad this post might help others stay cautious too.

Rutger Oosterhoff 2 Totally agree, Rutger — the reuse of aliases and recycled references makes it hard to detect at first glance. I'm still shocked at how sophisticated the scam was. Thanks for chiming in!

Lauren Hackney Thanks — I’ve had a few legit approaches before, yes, but this one was next-level in terms of manipulation. Grateful you’re staying vigilant too!

Jon Shallit Ugh, yes! Same energy — flattery, vague promises, and the magical "$2000 solution." Glad you saw right through it too.

Kevin Osewe Thanks — glad you dodged it. These patterns are sneaky but they all start to look familiar after a while.

Stephen Folker Completely agree, Stephen. No serious producer starts with praise and ends with a PayPal link. Relationship > magic promises.

I have com across similar scams on Mandy and LinkedIn targeting below and above the line film pros. They will tell a producer that they will send a contract, then proceed to coax you to advance rental fees for equipment upfront to a sketchy rental company (probably their 'bag drop' company) until a company check is issued with your initial fee payment. Checking addresses, company names, googling personnel, then requesting and scrutinizing a script along with other details will break them down. Be vigilant! Typically, the script is plagiarized with a name change and other pieces don't fit together.

He totally just slid into my DMs just now! Thank you so much for posting this so I had somewhere to check into it

And some may have been involved in movies in the past, and need cash right now. Investors are hesitant these days in the film industry, due to nervousness about the future. Change is accelerating in all aspects of life. Notice all the huge studio multimillion dollar budget bombs? Audience fatigue about same -same-same stuff? Too many offerings from all the streamers?

When economies or world events become unpredictable, people become fiscally conservative.

Again, just MHO. Blockbuster was not that long ago.

Yeah, they tried getting in touch with me directly here on S32.

Got hit by both "Peter Loehr" and "Partick Markey" (Ozark) this weekend. Be careful out there, and NEVER pay for "script development."