The “Record Our Commercial” Recording Studio Scam Email — and How to Spot It

If you run a recording studio, sooner or later a booking lands in your inbox that looks almost too good: an overseas company, a full-day commercial session, no haggling over price. Before you reply with a quote, read this. It’s very likely the recording studio scam email that’s been making the rounds — and it’s designed to drain money from your business, not bring it in.

Here’s a real example we received at Violet Recording:

Important: the company named in this email — Trafilerie Alluminio Alexia — is a real, legitimate aluminium manufacturer in Italy and is not behind this scam. Their name and identity have been hijacked by fraudsters, most likely off the back of a 2024 data breach. They are a victim here too. We’re naming them only because the email does, and to show how convincingly scammers borrow real businesses.

How the recording studio scam works

The email is the bait, not the trap. The scam unfolds in stages:

1. The friendly inquiry. A polite, professional booking request for a commercial or advert — full day, mixing, mastering, sound design.
2. You send a quote. They accept immediately, no negotiation. That’s your first real warning sign.
3. The overpayment. They pay by cheque or card — but for more than you invoiced. “Our accounts team made an error,” or “that includes the talent’s fee.”
4. The ask. They request that you refund the difference, or forward it to their “voice actor,” “sound designer,” or “agent.”
5. The reversal. Days later the original payment bounces or is charged back as fraudulent. The money you forwarded is gone — and it was your real money, not theirs.

This is a classic overpayment scam, and recording studios are prime targets: every quote is a custom amount, so an odd, oversized payment doesn’t look out of place the way it would at a shop with fixed prices.

The red flags in a recording studio scam email

Once you know the pattern, it’s unmistakable:

• Free webmail, real company name. The message claims to come from an established business but is sent from a @gmail.com (or similar) address — never the company’s real domain.
• Geography that makes no sense. A European manufacturer recording an English-language radio advert in a studio on the other side of the world. Real clients book near themselves or their talent.
• A generic greeting. “Dear Sir/Ma” — no studio name, no contact person. Mass-sent, not researched.
• Vague where it should be specific. An unnamed “actor/comedian,” no script, no production company — yet strangely insistent on getting a full all-inclusive quote fast.
• Pre-emptive reassurance. Lines like “this is not original music that requires a license” exist to shut down your first objection before you raise it.
• Pressure dressed as flexibility. A “flexible” date, but a constant nudge to confirm and quote quickly.

How to protect your studio

You don’t have to be paranoid — just disciplined. These rules neutralise the scam entirely:

1. Never refund or forward money to a third party. No legitimate client pays you and then asks you to pay their talent or vendors. This single rule defeats the entire scam.
2. Take a non-refundable deposit, and only confirm on cleared funds. “Payment sent” is not “payment received.” Wait for the money to actually clear before doing anything.
3. Verify the client independently. Look up the real company, find their published contact details, and confirm with them directly. Genuine businesses email from their own domain.
4. Treat any overpayment as a red flag, not a windfall. An incorrect, larger-than-quoted payment is the scam’s signature move.
5. When in doubt, walk away. A real client won’t disappear because you asked for standard, sensible terms.

What to do if you receive one

You can simply delete and ignore it. If you’d like to do more, report it to your national fraud authority — for example, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). It’s also a kind move to alert the real company being impersonated, so they know their name is being misused.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “record our commercial” email a scam?

In most cases, yes. The format — an overseas company requesting a full commercial recording with an all-inclusive quote, sent from a free email address — matches a known overpayment scam targeting recording studios.

How does the recording studio overpayment scam work?

The scammer books a session, overpays via cheque or card, then asks you to refund or forward the “excess” to a third party. The original payment later bounces, leaving you out of pocket for the amount you forwarded.

Is Trafilerie Alluminio Alexia a scam company?

No. Trafilerie Alluminio Alexia is a legitimate Italian aluminium manufacturer whose identity has been impersonated by fraudsters. They are not involved in the scam.

What should I do if I get a recording studio scam email?

Don’t reply with payment details, never forward or refund money to a third party, verify the client independently, and report it to your local fraud authority.