I got ripped off and I need to hide it from my parents!?

I'm 17and I really want to be a model so I particapated in this mall fashion show and after it this lady came up to me and asked me if I was willing to talk to her about signing a contract since this is what I want to do I said yes. Anyway, I had been talking to this woman for a couple of weeks about my contract and she said I had to come up with $500 for photos for my portfolio and that i would get the money back when I made a profit from modeling. I emptied out my savings plus borrowed money from my boyfriend to do the pictures. And she told me to meet this photographer at this studio somewhere downtown so I can get them done but when I went there they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and didn't even know who the woman was! I tried calling her but I always get her voice mail and I also tried looking the agency up on the web but it's unheard of! Is there a way I can get my money back or at least press charges with out my parents knowing what I did?

firstly you should always do your own background check on a company to see if they are reputable and before giving them any kind of money.
You can probably go to the local police department and ask them what you should do, they may be able to trace the phone number and who owns the number and see if they possibly have any outstanding charges or complaints against them cause chances are your not the first person to have this happen.
You really should tell your parents, they might be able to help you and hiding something this important only shows you are deceitful, they are your parents and they love you and they do understand how foolish teenagers can be, but in the end they will help you sort it out.
Good Luck!

I don' t think so just tell them. And don't fall for scams like that.

Theres is not much you can do. You got scammed. Just be honest and tell your parents what happened. They will probably be upset but it will be better then them finding out on their own. It's a part of life. Live and learn. Sorry it happened to you!!

umm sorry but i think your screwed...thats why you should always check into things like that before you hand over money....if you can get the money back into the account before your parents find out umm yea good luck~

Might be a way.
HOW did you pay them, if it was cash, you've lost it for sure.
IF it was paid by some electronic or other traceable means, then YES you can report them for fraud.

unfortunately I'd say come clean to your parents, they'll be upset but more angry with the people that scammed you.

You NEED them on your side to try to chase this.

i'm sorry ur gonna have to let ur parents kno to get ur money back.. they can find out by themselves sooner or later and ur gonna get twice the punishment..

Unfortunately, since you cannot locate this person, the legal authorities won't be able to either.

You need to come clean with your parents before they find out on their own. Believe me, it will be worse if you are not the one that informs them of this.

Just accept it as a hard lesson learned and I'm sure it is one you will not make again. There will be other mistakes in your lifetime, we all make them. They are only beneficial if we also learn from them.

First off - What modeling agency would charge the new fire, for photos. This was a big mistake-and should of caught even your attention.

You are a minor still, and I dont think that without your parents help, you would be able to press charges. I think that if you told your parents they would be upset that you did that, but they would be able to help you possibly get your money back from this con woman.
You are still young, and should be able to rely on your parents to help you when you need it. Take advantage of it.

You really should tell your parents. They may get upset at first, but I think more than anything they will help you out --and yes you should report the scammer to the authorities (you can give them the name and phone number she gave you). For future reference, no reputable modeling agency will ever ask you for money up front. You are working for the agency so they should be the ones paying you, not the other way around. Pictures don't cost a lot and reputable agencies will either use your own photos or refer you to one. My daughter was signed up by an agency. We didn't pay anything except for the $20 it cost to print her photo cards.

no. there is no way. you will need their help. you'll never get the money back without coming clean and even then you may not get it back.

You were the victim of a well used scam. You never give money upfront for anything. Let this be a lesson to you.

Its going to be hard if you don't tell your parents...in fact it is probably going to be impossible to catch the woman if you do not tell your parents. Explain to the police what you just said to us and they might help you....but if you signed a contract it is going to be hard to get your money back plus the woman might have gone to England by now and you don't even know it. It must be really hard for you right now! I wish I could help you catch her in some way but it just doesn't sound practical I will pray for you!

im sorry. first you should have been honest w/ your parents from the beginning. this way they could have helped you look into checking into the lady.

did you pay cash or check? if cash then did you at least get a receipt? check you can have the bank trace it.

you are going to have to buck up and tell your parents. it is hard but well, you painted the corner yourself. sorry.

call the cops..tell your parents..they still might be able to catch the person

You should deffinetely tell them that you got scammed. The police could track down the number. They might be mad at first, but should understand. I'm so sorry this happened to you!