LOS ANGELES – One of the best things about the internet and other communications technologies associated with it is that just about anyone can produce and publish his or her own content, whether their chosen genre is comedy, politics or porn.

On the other hand, one of the worst things about those same technologies is just about any con artist can use them to rope unsuspecting third parties into their scams, using the ease of self-publication to grease the wheels of their deception.

As a recent warning from the Free Speech Coalition underlined, it’s all too easy for charlatans to issue bogus casting calls, in this case ensnaring would-be porn performers across at least four states into a sexual short con.

“A woman is approached, usually by phone, by someone claiming to represent, or have access to, Penthouse or another publication,” the FSC warning stated. “The person may claim to be a photographer or an agent, or alternately a model who wants to recommend a photographer or agent. Significant money is promised.”

Once they’ve been lured into the scheme, the victims are then enticed to travel to Southern California or New York and rent a hotel room.

“A deceptive shoot or test shoot takes place at the hotel room, which turns out to involve sex with the photographer,” the FSC explained. “Payment is promised via direct deposit. The con artist departs, and payment never arrives.”

Scams like this targeting adult performers are not new, but the proliferation of do-it-yourself porn producers gives scam artists a more effective cover than they had back when production was concentrated in a relatively small number of companies.

While we all know there has been a major rise in DIY porn producers as a function of the low barrier to entry facing aspiring pornographers in the digital age, it’s noteworthy this scam still relies in part on a false claim of association with a prominent brand.

Con artists know claiming to be associated with Penthouse or another well-established adult brand gives their scam verisimilitude and the ring of legitimacy. From there, the scammers count on their victims lacking the skepticism (or the wherewithal) to confirm the claim.

It’s easy to be a cynic and shrug this off with a callous “Caveat emptor, baby.” If you’re a legitimate producer, director, distributor or consumer of porn, though, scams like this should piss you off on several levels.

Let’s start with the most obvious reason this scam should get your blood boiling: It’s just all kinds of fucking wrong.

Scams like this take advantage of people who likely are already feeling trepidation and hesitation about the choice to perform in porn, because this form of trap is going to be most effective in snaring newcomers and novices, young performers who aren’t represented by an agent, or may even be trying their hand at performing for the first time.

I don’t know about you, but I hate thieves — and I revile them most when what they steal is a person’s dignity.

Can you imagine the humiliation and self-doubt the victims of this scam feel once they realize they’ve been had? I can, and it makes me want to stab the cons behind this right in their shriveled little balls with a leather punch.

Beyond the cruelty and heartlessness of the scam, this should piss you off because it will, inevitably, be used as another exhibit in the perpetual public-relations case Decent People v. Porn Industry brought by critics from all sides of the socio-political spectrum. Sure, it’s absurd to hold an entire industry responsible for something done by people who aren’t even a part of said industry, but since when has that absurdity prevented anti-porn crusaders from trying?

Finally, it should go without saying it’s in the industry’s collective best interest to support the performing talent who make this business possible.

Whether it’s a veteran performer with hundreds of titles on her resume or someone just looking to break into the business, “having their back” has to mean more than filming someone doing it doggy style.

Image © Janaka Dharmasena.