NPO warns of fake audition calls targeting children
Children and young adults were approached for a non-existent youth series and asked to submit sexually suggestive audition videos.
The NPO is warning about emails inviting children and young adults to auditions for a non-existent youth series. The public broadcaster says it has contacted the police.
The fake messages purported to come from the editorial teams of NPO Zapp or the Dutch Public Broadcasting organisation. According to the public warning, children, young adults and sometimes their parents were approached directly. The youth series named, Nina’s Zomer, does not exist, according to the NPO.
According to the warning, the senders used a domain name resembling Zapp’s. That could give recipients the impression that it was an official casting call. The NPO stresses that the emails did not come from Zapp or the NPO and that someone was falsely posing as an employee of the public broadcaster.
Anyone who responded to the first email was sent a script containing sexual acts, according to the report. They were then asked to submit an audition tape. The NPO says it was alerted to the messages by several vigilant parents and children, and has informed broadcasters and producers.
The case shows why online casting calls pose additional risks. An audition video can contain personal information, recognisable images and intimate performances. In the case of minors, it is also not always clear who receives the data, where the video is stored and whether a call is part of a genuine production.
The NPO is urging recipients not to respond and to contact the police on 0900-8844. Parents and children can keep a received message as evidence, but do not need to make or resend the requested video. The public broadcaster has not disclosed exactly how many people were approached or whether a suspect has already been arrested.
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The text follows the NPO’s public warning as published by Fonk. Details that are not known, such as the number of victims and any arrests, have not been filled in.
Editor's note
The warning and the contents of the fake calls have been described publicly. An independent police warning and figures on the number of children approached were not available.More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „npo zapp”
- NOS — „npo zapp”
- Het Parool — „npo zapp”