Phony talent agent fakes bookings for cash

CHICAGO, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A phony talent agent posed as a prominent Chicago promoter and booked dates for clients he did not represent and collected fees from clubs.

Garry Buck of Monterey International in Chicago suspected something when he received a phone call from a Scottsdale, Ariz., club requesting a photograph of his client David Lee Roth, Pollstar reported.

"I've had four other people make contact with us about the scam with dates confirmed in tertiary markets in small clubs," Buck said. "The last two guys were smart enough to go to the Web site, see that we represented Dave and make contact with us."

Other alias and bookings have emerged with deposits sent to various Chicago addresses. Buck was referred by police to the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission to file his complaint.

In addition to Roth, the phoney agent promised shows by Poison, Bret Michaels, Alice In Chains and Axl Rose, Pollstar reported.

The contracts obtained by Pollstar show "bargain-basement guarantees for the acts" and content flaws, including force majeure misspelled as "force manure."