There should be more articles like this one by Stephen Galloway warning wanna-be screenwriters about scams. There should also be more articles about the exploitation about wanna-be actors and people who think they can direct and aspiring costume designers, etc. I have lately seen some very horrible ripping-off of young folks who do a few funny voices and are preyed upon by "coaches" who will promise to make them the new Rob Paulsen…and all it will cost is everything the kid has or can borrow.
I absolutely understand the feeling that you have talent and want to pursue a dream. I am leery of those who tell you, "You can be anything you want in life if you just pursue it and don't give up." No, you can't be anything you want in life. If tomorrow I decide I want to pitch for the Dodgers, that ain't gonna ever happen and it won't be because I don't try hard enough.
That kind of belief — that success is merely a matter of persistence — can make a kid very vulnerable to someone who seems to be dangling the key. And the sad/infuriating part isn't even that they take your money. It's that when you might be doing something that really will help you sell your screenplay (or whatever), they lead you down a path that doesn't lead anywhere.
Do you get the sense that I'm a little infuriated by this kind of thing? And no, I never fell for any of what the article's talking about.