Today I got a voice mail from “Our Film Agency” letting me know the exciting news that HBO Max is offering me $250,000 for the film rights to my book TELEVISION SERIES REVIVALS. Pretty amazing, huh? Especially for a non-fiction reference book published years ago! So I called them back and left a message…and then they called me back a few minutes later, this time claiming to be Columbia Pictures. Here’s a video of my conversation with the inept scammers.
OMG, Mr. Lee!
This is gold.
I hope no authors fall for this. But the lure of Hollywood is so intoxicating, I think some vulnerable authors must succumb. Such a cautionary tale.
Thanks for doing this!
This is too much. I ALMOST felt sorry for the kid…
For a minute.
Only an idiot would call Monk and try to scam him.
How do these people keep finding you??
I wish I knew. That said, nobody is that hard to find anymore if you have an Internet connection.
Today Nov 22, 2024 I got a call from Our Film Agency offering to make a film adaptation on my book, Sex and the Ultimate Bliss. I told them I already got an offer from a big movie production, company which eventually turned out to be a scam, and when I started telling the guy about what happened, he just hanged up on me.
These people are so stupid. How does anyone fall for their scams.
I’m a bit disappointed that you didn’t follow this through to the pitch of how much money they were asking you to send to make this pitch.
I was curious of the amount, and I would personally have had more fun with them up until the send money part.
Gotta love these scams.
Guess we will never see the movie adaption! lol Actually, I was thinking how interesting a film version COULD be with the original clips of the television series revivals.
You could also do a GREAT book on just TV themes! Maybe THAT can become a movie. lol
There already is a great book on TV themes — it’s by Jon Burlingame and it’s called MUSIC FOR PRIMETIME.
Don’t trust anybody, my New Jersey husband would say.
I’m from the South so I have to be careful not to trust people.
BTW, I love Monk and your books about Eve Ronin an Ian Ludlow.
Thank you, Cindy! I am working on another Eve Ronin right now.
Incredible! They kept at it for 14 minutes and kept trying. I’m impressed that you didn’t hang up on them after 30 seconds. You’re a very patient person.
I enjoy your calls to scammers almost as much as I enjoy your books! I also liked the “Monk” comment from Wayne Rorex.
Better then Broadway!
I enjoyed this! Thank you, I needed a giggle.
And not a penny mentioned…
They would have if I let them get to the part about the “pitch deck” and “cinematic trailer.” That’s where they get you. Suckered authros end up paying thousands of dollars for the pitch deck and trailer, which are never produced, to get a movie offer that never existed.
This was fun!
Lee,
There should be some criminal charge we can make against these assholes!! And as I watched your YouTube.com post, I could almost provide the scammers response word for word with the responses I got. My call did not last as long as yours did. If we could joint together…along with others and provide info to some legal entity and put these assholes in jail. California is full of crooks like these assholes. But thanks for the YouTube clip.
I loved the way you handled the callers. You were patient but just curious enough to keep them going and your questions were framed so that they kept trying to come up with an answer. You didn’t scare them off at the beginning.
Now, can we expect an upcoming book dealing with the mysterious death of a telemarketer or scammer?
Thanks for the valuable information. I just received a call from them. They offered me $200,000.00.
Only $200K? They are getting cheap 🙂
I’m feeling lucky…I was offered 250,000.00 . . . Although I didn’t follow with the nice people about the offer… I’m too busy looking at Lee Goldberg on YouTube… well done Mr. Goldberg… I’ve received many offers and they are all scams… or do I assume… which is a shame, cause if there ever is a sincere offer I won’t trust it..
Hi Lee
I received a call from a guy who said that he was representing Sony Films, who were interested in making my book into a documentary on HBO. The offer was $300,000. Although he said that he was from Sony Films, the name shows up on my caller ID as, Our Films. I was about to call him back, but then I decided to look up the company, Our Films online. That’s when I came across your video and all the comments of other who these people were making offers to; or shall I say, trying to scam! Thanks for opening my eyes to the truth!
Thank You, Lee! You are a Blessing!!! Nice work!!!!
I received a call from a James Anderson (CALLER ID: Our Film Agency) offering a deal to do a show or something for my wife’s book on Columbia Pictures/HBO MAX for $300K. I found a James Anderson on Linkedin with Paramount. (Profiled in a Blocked Group). I work in media, and I was like WOW! THERE WERE SO MANY RED FLAGS IN HIS MESSAGE… How dare they!!!! THEY NEED JESUS!!!! GET A REAL JOB!!!! Use that energy for something positive other than trying to find a way to steal from hard-working people. THANK YOU, AGAIN LEE!!!!
Thanks, Lee, for posting this! As a writer of science fiction and fantasy in the spiritual tradition of C. S. Lewis, I realize in the context of scams like this one the value of the New Testament verse “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 ESV)”. I just thought I would add what is written in the world’s bestselling book of all time. Again, thanks a bazillion for posting this, Lee!
They just phoned me and I hung up after the dead air lasted 30 seconds. Then I looked them up and found you. What a riot! I get this all the time, from different scammers, about a novel I wrote over ten years ago. Sometimes it’s a movie, sometimes it’s a book fair, but it is always a scam.
Thanks for doing this, I can’t believe they didn’t hang up on you.
Lee, one more thing: why do these scammers always assume that your book is self published? I get the same thing, all the time. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But the assumption that they are plucking you out of obscurity and doing you a huge favour is so galling. When I have waited to the end of the scammer’s pitch, they always want your money. Maddening.
Just got a call from one of these “reputable companies”. Tempted to call back and have some fun.
Go for it! And record it for social media so other people can learn from the experience. These scammers aren’t too bright, and reveal it the instand they are forced by your questions to deviate from their script.
I just got a message from them saying they are from Columbia also. Offered me 300,000. My book is about poems so it was very funny indeed. Just wow.
I got a call from a Mr. Dom Nelson of Amazon Studios (although the called ID tripped him up because it showed “Our Film Agency’) offering me a minimum of $300K for a book adaptation. Just needed a film trailer (already have one) and a pitch deck (already have one). Was going to send me a contract from Amazon, which of course never showed up. have gotten a lot of scam calls, and it seems they are all reading off the same song sheet.
I got the same message today from the same name and called ID! Thank you so much for posting this so I can avoid wasting my limited time calling back.
Though this is the first from this source, I’ve regularly recd. various others.
Unfortunately, a writing colleague fell for one using a legit. co. name and actually paid some money. Nothing has happened, of course.
Dear Lee.
A thousand danks for this! I just had a call from these schmucks. My violent little pit bull Sayaka and I were out so this kid with a Cebu, Philippines accent gave my answer machine the Sony Pictures schlock, but in the same breath he said he was some other outfit that was unintelligible to me. Perhaps he realized he had garbled his scripts up. Even Sayaka would know better than to believe such mess, and to boot, I could hear other pitch makers in the background!
I for one am really soured on writing and trusting any outfit anymore! I have yet to receive anything for my novel from Lit Prime. I have other stories and illustrated children’s books already written, but trust no one with them now!
Alles mein best und Baruch atah, Akhee. Chag Sameach v’l’Shana Tovah!
LitPrime is another self-publishing scam. You should be very leery of any “publishing company” that wants you to write a check to be published…and *always* check with Writer Beware Blog first. LitPrime is on their list of known scam publishers.
https://writerbeware.blog/scam-archive/
I received a call from them this morning. I never pick up my phone unless I recognize the number, so it went to my answering machine. They said they were from Columbia and were offering $30,000 to purchase the rights to my deceased husband’s book. I knew it had to be a scam. Thank’s for posting your entertaining and educational video, Lee.
Besides Columbia pictures, I received a call from a Jay Petersen in New Orleans. He offered $30,000 to buy my book rights. These scammers are everywhere. Thanks Mr. Goldberg for your informative post.
Sounds like the same guys that called me. Pitching the same thing with the same accent. Some day soon, the right pair of eyeballs will reach my book, One of many in the universe and it’s sequels, but i find it amazing that there are such elaborate Pakistani scammers out deh.