ISTANBUL, TURKEY – In a bizarre case that illustrates the dangers of working with unknown entities, a group of nine young women aged 16-24 were reportedly duped into what they thought was an appearance on a Turkish “reality” show, when in fact they were being secretly filmed nude for adult sites.According to reports, the young women, a group that included one underage teenager, were told by “producers” that they would be appearing on a “Big Brother” style reality show. The aspiring models were told they would have to live together in a house for two months, could have no contact with the outside world, and would be fined £20,000 if they left early. The house, located in Riva near Istanbul, was wired throughout with cameras. The girls were asked to perform acts like staged fights or dancing in bikinis by the pool, but there are no charges that they were assaulted or abused.

But the cameras also captured the girls while they were naked but unaware that they were being filmed. Those images were sold to adult sites, according to Internet reports, but no information has been released about which sites carried the images.

The girls, who had responded to an advertisement and signed contracts that specified the fine for early departure, started to understand that something was up when the “producers” did not seem to be following the expected format of a reality show. Some demanded to be released, but were told they could not leave until they paid the £20,000 fine.

The girls were freed when police stormed the house after being tipped off by a captive girl’s relative. At least one Turkish man was arrested, and police claimed they could hear calls for help from outside the house.

“We were not after the money but we thought our daughter could have the chance of becoming famous if she took part in the contest,” said the parent of one of the girls, identified only as Remziye by a local newspaper. “But they have duped us all.”

YNOT asked around to get the reaction of professionals from legitimate adult companies.

“I’d love to see the 2257 documentation from these people, if they even bothered,” said Tom Hymes, Senior Editor, Online at AVN. “Or any kind of model release, for that matter. It’s unclear what sort of site these poor women wound up on, but I would not be surprised if the content in question finds its way to tubes, torrents and other places as well.”

“People will also say that this sort of thing can only happen in a country like Turkey or Russia, but I beg to differ,” he continued. “Like any sort of criminal behavior – which is all this is – it can happen anywhere. The usual tagline is ‘know your affiliate’ but maybe ‘know your content producer’ is just as important.”

Jo Merlone of KiwiSourcing.com, who is known in the industry as Kiwigirl, had some thoughts about the models’ own behavior.

“Obviously the models involved were uneducated and did not seek assistance (legal or management representation) when agreeing to partake in what they believed to be a reality show,” said Kiwigirl. “Personally I feel that the models involved are just as responsible for this occurrence as the assholes who created the hoax. My reasoning behind this is that it is apparent that the girls were interested in the easy money, potential celebrity status and anything else that comes along with being on television.”

“In addition to this, the families of these girls were obviously not intelligent enough to research the concept of the ‘show’ out of curiosity and for the protection for their child,” she added. “As for the 16 year old girl, sorry but the parents should be prosecuted for even allowing their child to be on such display.”

Kedra from 2Much.net and LiveCamNetwork.com expressed dismay that anyone would run a scam rather than film legitimate adult content, especially when there’s no shortage of adult models looking for work.

“With so many women who want to be a part of the porn world out there, is it really worth the prospect of jail time to do something this way,” Kedra asked. “I realize that the draw of ‘reality’ anything has become addictive to audiences the world over, but I’m disgusted that someone would use this sort of deceitful tactic to make a buck.”

“While the general public often consumes our products without much thought of where the content comes from, when something like this happens the entire industry takes a hit,” she added. “I’m proud to be a woman in the adult industry but the unfortunate reality is that there are far too many industrious, yet unscrupulous people out there who make my job that much harder to do because of the bad rap we get when an event like this occurs.

No stranger to shooting content for adult sites, Dirty D of HowIGotRich.com agrees that cases like these are bad for the industry’s image.

“This sounds like kidnapping and extortion to me,” said Dirty D. “A fine of £20,000 to leave early? How many chicks in Turkey can pay that? This is the kind of thing that gives pornographers a bad name.”

“Shooting [legitimate] reality scenes consist of girls signing contracts – it pays to read these things – and knowing exactly what is going to be shot.”

Industry veteran D$ of MarketingFirm.com has some experience with actual reality shows. He told YNOT that it definitely pays to know who you’re working with.

“In this case, I doubt too many women in Istanbul would know anything about who is credible in the reality show industry,” he said. “But this is a nice lesson for those reading to make sure they know who they’re working with. As a marketing firm, that’s one of the biggest perks I can offer to my clients, I’m well networked and know about most of the credible adult companies out there.”

“The other lesson is that you should never do a reality show in Istanbul,” he joked, before poking some fun at his own past. “Then again, I was one of the producers of the failed reality show that was featured in the movie American Cannibal.”