Songwriting SCAM - A Special Report

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We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin

Scammers. Where do they come from? What drives them into criminality? Will they ever kiss a real girl? 

These are the questions being evaluated by investigators as shocking reports circulate demonstrating a sharp rise in “songwriter” scams. We spoke to one of the victims of these new songwriting cons, 25 year old Les Talent, he shared his story: 

“It was terrible. First, they asked if I could write a song for their son’s birthday. Then, they started asking about specifics. I was terrified. They actually thought I could play an instrument. It was like they wanted me to make real music without my plugins doing all the work. Real psycho talk.” 

 Talent’s story has become an all too familiar reality in song crafting circles. The scam begins when a seemingly typical inquirer asks the songwriter if they “write original songs.” This should eliminate 97 percent of songwriters immediately. Or as one investigator put it: 

“Oddly enough, most songwriters actually think they’re songwriters. You’d think the drive-thru apron would tip them off to their reality, but it’s not the case.”

 

The con continues when the would be client sends a lengthy message detailing the need for a “birthday song” as written for their son. In some versions of the scam, the thief adds colorful details to make the story more plausible. They ask the songwriter to include thoughts about Batman, or PJ Masks. The con artist describes the faux child’s affection for the family dog. 

“This really seems to resonate,” our investigator offers, “because most songwriters hit their psychological peak at around 8 years old.” 

 

The customer promises 500 dollars, roughly 500 dollars more than most songwriters will ever make for their songs and a sense of urgency is conveyed under the idea that “the son’s birthday is coming up soon.”

Once the agreement is made, the bad faith client attempts to move the conversation to email - sometimes even suggesting a phone call to validate their next device: the check scam. 

“They told me that they needed to pay by check,” begins one such writer who narrowly avoided the vicious scheme, “Or that they’d put money in my account. Or to give them my account or something. I dunno. I was like … bank… is that the drive thru place that never has hot French fries?”

 

Others, however, have not been so lucky. We caught up with Otto Tune, a new songwriter who takes us through the nightmare of being ripped off:

“They told me that the bank manager made an error and that they’d put too much money in my account. They asked me to send 1500 back. Suddenly, everything - including the 500 - was gone. I’d only been a songwriter for three days and had already lost all my money. But, that’s at least one day longer than it happens when you move to Nashville.”  

 

Authorities warn that, for at least the time being, this shocking new crime spree is here to stay. 

“I just feel bad for all those hard working people,” our investigator reflects, “putting all that work into your dream, laboring day and night … only to find out that these dirty songwriters don’t have any money anyways. It’s just heartbreaking.” 

 

For channel Fiverr News, I’m Chuck Boomer.