“They used to be easy to spot, but they're getting better. They are getting more and more convincing at weaving their stories." This week, Grant sat down with Lauren Sergy to talk about a new (and very) convincing speaker scam and, more importantly, how to avoid falling for it! “No transactions are made, no contracts are signed. Unless you have a zoom, ideally a face to face Zoom call or a phone call. There must be a phone call. You have to make voice to voice contact."Ready to jump into this episode? Here’s the layout: 00:00 What does Lauren speak on.04:13 When did Lauren start speaking?09:06 What does Lauren’s business book like today?12:11 How did Lauren build her speaking business? 12:52 The mindset Lauren brings to fluctuating seasons.16:09 Let’s get into this speaker scam… how did it come to your door? 20:31 Beware of weird or unconventional payment methods. 23:37 What has changed with modern-day scammers?25:49 How to logically think about gigs at the moment.30:56 Don’t forget to trust your gut and ask others if they have experienced something similar! “If you are in doubt, get a hold of the venue and double check with them and then understand how your payments work. If you want to be really safe with your payments, you could say, I will only accept payment by credit card."Episode Resources:Visit Lauren's Website Connect with Lauren on LinkedInFollow Lauren on YoutubeGet Free Speaker ResourcesBook a Call with The Speaker LabCalculate Your Speaking FeeJoin The Speaker Lab Community on FacebookSubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.