Someone DMed me saying I was scouted — how do I know it is real?

Check three things: whether the company actually exists, whether they ask you for money, and whether they put the terms in writing. If any one of those fails, stop. A real casting states who it is and what the terms are, up front.

Updated 2026-08-30

Three checks, that is all

Does the company exist? Ask for the company name, registration or VAT number and website. Most of the time the answer is evasive, or you are only ever shown a personal account.

Are they asking you for money? A portfolio fee, a registration fee or a course fee ends the conversation right there.

Are the terms in writing? Shoot date, location, fee and usage rights. If none of it is written down, nothing has been agreed.

Common signals

Contact comes only through a personal DM, never from a company domain email.

You are pressured on time — “answer today or it goes to someone else.”

They ask for body or underwear photos before you have even met. In a normal casting, digitals are taken clothed: a plain face shot and a plain full-length shot.

How PODIANE handles it

Brands submit company details and a business or VAT number, and must pass manual approval before they can see any model. Before that, search does not open at all.

Contact details are never exposed to either side, and inappropriate contact can be reported — the brand is suspended.

Models can see exactly which brands viewed their profile, and can block any brand.