Musician Gig Scams: How to Spot a Fake Corporate Gig Offer

The email that started this guide

In October 2026 I got a polished inquiry: an annual corporate celebration on December 12, a 40-minute set at 4:10 PM, at a big convention center in Lexington, Kentucky. A professional AV team would provide the PA, mics and staging. "You would just need to arrive ready to perform." Then: "Please let me know your availability and your rate."

I live in Southwest Florida. Nobody had asked me about travel. Nobody had named a budget. My gut said slow down.

Then I came across a warning a bandleader had posted in a musicians' Facebook group. Same city. Same convention center. Different company name. The "planner" was articulate, sent a convincing contract and even asked for proof of insurance. Then she asked for the band's bank account and routing numbers to "wire the payment in advance." When the bandleader offered to just take a check in person at the gig, the emails stopped. The bandleader wrote that the venue had no record of the event.

Notice the pattern. Scammers borrow real company names and real venues because they hold up when you Google them. So don't stop at "the company is real." Ask whether the person emailing you can prove they work there, and whether they can pay through your own invoice.

The red flags, all in one place

One of these alone can be innocent. Three or more together, stop and check.

• It's far away and they found you anyway. A national company flying in a solo act from another state, with no mention of why you.
• Everything is provided. "Just arrive ready to perform." No questions about your setup, your inputs or your song list.
• Odd, oddly specific details. A 4:10 PM start. A short set. Details that sound real but give you nothing to check.
• They ask your rate first and never mention a budget. Then they agree to your number with no pushback at all, or they "can't move on budget" but everything else is perfect.
• No phone call. Email only. A personal email address, or a domain that doesn't match the company.
• They want to pay before you've sent an invoice. Especially by check, wire, or straight into your bank account.
• Their money has to pass through you. "The check includes extra for the AV company / travel agent / planner. Please send it on."
• Rush. "We need to finalize this today."

How the money trick works

This is the part that costs musicians real money, so here's the plain version. The FTC calls it a fake check scam.

1. You agree on a fee.
2. They send a check for more than the fee. Sometimes "by mistake," sometimes "to cover the vendor."
3. You deposit it. The money shows up in your account.
4. They ask you to send the extra back, or on to someone else, fast. By wire, app, gift cards or crypto.
5. Days or weeks later, the check bounces. The money you sent is gone, and the bank wants its money back from you.

Why does it work? According to the FTC, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly, fake checks can look real even to bank employees, and it can take weeks to find out a check is fake. Seeing the money in your account doesn't mean it's real. (FTC: How to spot, avoid and report fake check scams)

GigSalad gives performers the same warning: if someone sends a check for more than your fee and asks you to wire back the difference, don't accept the deal, because the check could be fake and you'd be on the hook to the bank. (GigSalad: How to avoid scams that target performers)

"Sure! Here's my account and routing
number so you can send the deposit."

"Got your check! I'll wire the extra
to your AV company today."

"I'll send an invoice for the deposit.
The date is held once it's paid."

"I can't accept overpayments. Please
pay the vendor directly."

The one reply that sorts real from fake

You don't have to accuse anybody. Answer like a pro and set terms a real client can meet in five minutes and a scammer can't meet at all: your invoice, your payment service, a deposit before you book travel, and a real billing contact.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the details. I'm available on [date].

My fee for this performance is $[amount], plus travel and lodging as a separate line since this is out of town.

To hold the date, I'll send a performance agreement and an invoice for a [deposit %] deposit through [your payment service]. The date is held and travel is booked once the deposit is paid. I don't accept overpayments or send funds to third parties.

To draft the agreement, please send:
1. Your full name, title and a direct phone number
2. The billing contact and company address
3. The on-site AV contact, so I can confirm inputs

Thanks!
[Your name]

A real planner sends those three things without blinking. A scammer goes quiet, or pushes back toward a check or your bank account. Either way, you have your answer.

Not interested at all? You don't owe them a reply. If you want to send one, keep it to one line and give nothing away.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for thinking of me. Unfortunately I'm not able to take this one, so I'll have to pass.

Best of luck with the event.
[Your name]

Check before you say yes

• Look up the company yourself. Find its main phone number on its own website, not in the email, and ask whether the person works there.
• Call the venue. Ask whether that company has an event booked on that date. The bandleader above did exactly this.
• Check the email address. A free email account, or a domain that's one letter off from the real company, is a flag. Type web addresses yourself instead of clicking links in the email.
• Get on the phone. A real planner will take a ten-minute call. GigSalad says that if someone won't talk on the phone, stop there.
• Never send money to get paid. No "vendor" payments, no fees for visas, insurance or gear rentals that they'll "reimburse later."

If you already sent money or bank details

• Call your bank now. Tell them it's fraud. The sooner they know, the more they may be able to do.
• Stop replying and don't send anything else, even if they promise to make it right.
• Report it. In the US: the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If it came through a booking site, report it there too, so they can warn other players.
• Get real help with the rest. For anything legal or about recovering money, talk to a pro in your state.

And then do one more thing: warn other musicians. The bandleader in Lexington did, and that warning is part of why this guide exists.