Angela Campanoni, of City Models Talent Agency in Halifax, says someone posing as a scout for her company is targeting young teens. (CBC)

A phoney modelling scout is using Facebook to solicit provocative pictures from young girls, a Halifax modelling agency warns.

Angela Campagnoni, the owner of City Models Talent Agency — a well-established company with a good reputation — said she didn't know anything was wrong until she got a frantic email from the mother of a 15-year-old Prince Edward Island girl.

"She [the teenager] was approached by this 'Laura McDonald' to become a model. She was claiming to be a scout for my company and asked for not only a list of friends, but also images of the daughter in undergarments," Campagnoni said Tuesday.

However, there is no Laura McDonald at City Models, Campagnoni doesn't use Facebook to try to recruit fresh faces and doesn't send emails asking under-aged girls to pose in their underwear.

The teenager's mother became suspicious and contacted the modelling agency when the fake scout said the first photo wasn't good enough and asked for more.

"All that happened was she sent photos in of her underwear," Campagnoni said. "There's no contract, there's no asking about the company and what they could offer. There was no seeing anybody.

"That's what blows my mind about this … that they never met anybody. It was all through Facebook."

Campagnoni has gone on Facebook herself to warn people about this scam. She's also talked to police in Halifax and Prince Edward Island.

"Unfortunately, where'd that photo go? It could have gone to Bob's computer, and Bob is sitting back and saying: 'Yeah, look at all these pictures I have of young girls in their underwear,'" Campagnoni said.

Halifax Regional Police Const. Brian Palmeter said he hopes that most young girls wouldn't fall for such a scam.

"I would certainly think that the majority of people would find this an odd request, unless they've made the contact with a respectable agency, [a] respectable business and there's a legitimate reason for such a picture or that type of information to be sent," he said.