CFDA was recently alerted to an apparent phishing scam that is targeting fashion models and potentially others, and we want to make you aware so you can better protect yourself and your personal information. This scam appears to start with an email from a “talent agency” claiming (i) they are affiliated with a fashion designer, (ii) they want to retain the model to work for the designer at New York Fashion Week events, and (iii) that the models need to pay for CFDA or NYFW “certification” in order to model for NYFW through an unauthorized website.

Please note that such “certification” is fake.  CFDA does not provide such “certification” to models, and the only valid and authorized website of CFDA is www.cfda.com.    If you receive one of these emails, or if you have already been victimized, we recommend that you report such activity to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and the New York Division of Consumer Protection at http://www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection.

Please also send us a copy of any email to info@cfda.com so that we can keep track of this fraudulent activity.  While we cannot completely stop these types of attacks, we can certainly work together to try to make sure we do not become a victim of them.