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Starting in 2009 we started hearing from a number of NSA members about a man by the name of Pastor Mark Grahm Smith contacting them claiming to be from the London Youth Conference. This person would contact NSA members initially by email and tell them they came across their profile (they never say where they found their profile) and invite them to come speak at a their event for the speakers' full fee. The scam comes in when this person tells the speaker that in order to speak at the event they must first acquire a work permit. The work permit costs money and can sometimes give these people access to your bank account.

In the past few months we have seen a major resurgence of this scam. A few things to be aware of:

1. They will contact you at the last minute and tell you the other speaker had to back out
2. They will agree to pay your full fee often before you even tell them what it is
3. A person will call and email you back--this can convince people it must be legit if someone is actually calling them
4. Typically the grammar is very poor in these emails if you read closely
5. They will eventually tell you all you have to do in order for them to fly you out there and pay you is to obtain a work permit--this is where the scam comes in

If you've encountered this or another scam, share your experience in the comments below. If you think you are potentially being scammed, contact NSA at (480) 968-2552.

NSA 2012 Winter Conference is just around the corner and co-chairs Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP, and Bill Stainton have been working hard to create a meeting focused on how speakers can better monetize their messages. For the Winter Conference this means learning how to create a business that incorporates several income streams. How do you go from being just a keynoter or just a trainer or just a coach? That question will be answered at the conference but what we want to know is:

What are some of the best ways speakers can better monetize their messages?