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With layoffs haunting the 3D industry, desperation can force people to make bad decisions. Unfortunately, some scammers use this in their own interests.
Senior 3D artist Thomas Pasieka warns other professionals about suspicious emails with job interview proposals from individuals claiming to be employees of well-known companies. He received such a letter from someone named Patrick Ridgeway, who said he was from the game studio Light & Wonder but was not actually affiliated with it.
"I personally contacted Light & Wonder to inform them of this issue and hope they take appropriate action. It's frustrating that, on top of everything else happening in the industry, we now have to deal with scammers targeting artists."
But how can you tell if an offer is legit? First of all, check if you really applied for a position at the company. Pasieka also noted that there were grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the PDF Ridgeway sent, no contact information or address, but the most important part, what any scammer always wants, is money: Ridgeway asked Pasieka to buy some equipment promising to reimburse him later, which is a major red flag.
I'm sure you know this, but remember: the company must pay you, not the other way around. Any decent place provides all the necessary equipment and software and never asks workers to buy anything using their own money.
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