Tips offered on how to spot a wedding photographer scam

You’ve hired a photographer to capture every magical moment of your special day, only to find out at the last minute that they’ve disappeared without a trace.

BBB has received reports of wedding photographer scams on BBB Scam Tracker. Some scammers take couples’ money and disappear before the big day, leaving couples scrambling, while others never receive the treasured photos they paid for in advance.

What are the signs of a scam?

After searching online for a wedding photographer, you find one you like on social media or another wedding vendor site and reach out. After discussing the details and confirming your wedding date with the vendor through email or social media, you decide to book them. You sign a digital contract and send your deposit through a peer-to-peer payment app. Your final payment will be due just before your wedding date.

This type of scam can take a few different turns as wedding dates approach. Some brides report after making the final payment to the photographer before the wedding, the photographer reaches out a few days before the big day to cancel. In other instances, the photographer may not show up to the wedding at all. When you try to contact the photographer to get your money back, they are unresponsive, or their contact information no longer works.

OnepersonsharedtheirexperiencewithBBBScamTracker, “After receiving my money, she stopped contacting me and all of her contact information went out of service. After digging I found she had done the same if not worse to 30+ other brides, some who never received their wedding photos.” This person reported losing $1,700. Another report states, “…She began the process of setting up a plan for our wedding day. She took our deposit. She took our payment in full the week before the wedding. She cancelled two days before the event and kept the entirety of the money.” This person reported losing $5,300.

Other couples say that the scam doesn’t take place until after the wedding when waiting for their photos to arrive. Another BBB Scam Tracker entry reads, “…He charges a deposit and has you sign a contract. Full payment is due before the wedding/event and he would either show up and do the work and you never hear from him again or he doesn’t show up at all, either way you never get any photos [or] videos and he stops all contact with you.” They reported losing $2,400.

How can you spot and avoid vendor scams?

Do your research ahead of time. Before you book with any vendor, look at several sources for ratings and reviews. Don’t rely on one website. .

Check out the photographer’s online presence. In addition to reading ratings and reviews, look for the photographer’s website and social media pages.

Use caution on social media. Be wary of booking services with someone who only operates and communicates through social media. If you can’t find anything else online about the photographer, obtain some references from the photographer and call them to get feedback.