What's with the autograph requests?

[GayGeek]

Hey folks,

I am wondering if any of you who have been somewhat well-known porn performers have ever been asked via e-mail for an autograph request.

I've been getting letters like this one for some time now...

Dear Aaron Lawrence

I am 24 and live in South Africa. I am a dedicated fan of yours. I look up to you as a role model. I appreciate your accomplishments and achievements.

I know that you are busy and get tons of fan mail but could you please fulfill a small request from a devoted fan? Could you please send me an authentic, personally signed note or pic made out to me "Clayton". I will greatly appreciate it. Having your autograph will be a real dream come true for me.

My postal address is:
(address removed)

Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
(name removed)

The letters always come from places like Poland or South Africa or such.

I've been getting these for a few years now at the rate of one a month or so. At first I sent them out, but as time goes on I have become suspicious. For one thing some of the letters have read virtually identical. And letters like the one (above) that I got today are generic in nature and never reference anything specific about me except my name.

At this point I have decided they are either being sent out my odd autograph collectors to every person of even semi-reknown they can find on the Internet. Or, more likely, they are an attempt to obtain my signature for God knows what purpose. Fortunately Aaron Lawrence is only my "nom de porn" so it isn't worth anything (legally speaking).

I was a second-rate porn performer at best, and one that hasn't worked in some years. The few actual fans who enjoyed my work asked me to autograph my books, videos and the like years ago when they purchased them. For people to be sending me such generic letters asking for my picture leaves me extremely suspicious.

Any idea what they're up to?

--Aaron

[hotdudesnude]

I have received these emails too.
I assume they are a scam of some kind.

I get a lot of fake escort requests too, they always say they are coming to my area on business and would like to send big money in advance of their visit to secure services....It's a scam.

I never respond to any of them, once they learn your email is legit they will hound you daily.

It's the bait and switch money order/ check scam with an adult twist.

[GayGeek]

Yeah, but what kinda scam?

As for those escort ads, that's a scam I understand as I know as escorting is a business I know inside and out.

The scam goes like this. I respond to your escort ad saying I'm a business traveler who is going to be in your area. I'd like to hire you for 3 days while I'm there. I'm going to pay you in advance, and have my company send you something extra to wire to me while I'm on the road.

I then send you a fake money order. You go to the bank, deposit the money order, and wire part of the money to me overseas. Then the money order bounces, of course. And the police, perhaps, come to you investigating you for fraud.

Like many scams, it relies on the greed of the victim to get away with it. A clever idea when it comes to scamming. Escorts tend to get a bit greedy because they deal with large volumes of cash. And they are far less likely to go to the police than a non-escort because of their work.

I've never known an escort to fall for it, although every escort I've talked to about this has received e-mails along these lines.

--Aaron

[nickbaer]

Identity Theft via getting your signature.

[GayGeek]

Identity Theft via getting your signature.

I thought about that, but Western porn stars generally don't use their real names. So an autograph of one would do very little good.

Perhaps whoever is asking is too stupid to know. Hrm.

--Aaron

[nickbaer]

I had this idea at LA Gay Erotica Expo one year: ask the porn stars to outline their dick on my tablet paper, and autograph it.

But, Michael Lucas was the only porn star there that looked interesting - in person.