Who Is Wayne Young? Scam Warning

Wayne Young is a pathological liar/scammer based in Toronto / Calgary. He scams young women & various companies into believing that he has an impressive resume, typically while taking money from them. Wayne has gone as far as stealing thousands of dollars, lying to get a job, and wasting countless people's time and effort. Wayne Young is nothing more than a con artist. This is our attempt to warn people before he sucks them into his fake promises. We hope this will protect future victims, like we were, from his scams. Do not trust Wayne Young. 2022 UPDATE - HE IS STILL SCAMMING YOUNG WOMEN, STEALING THEIR MONEY, AND CLAIMING HE WORKS FOR COMPANIES HE DOES NOT (like LuluLemon and Nike).

[whoiswayneyoung]

I have a Wayne young story. He is currently in Toronto telling people he works for a large agency called Mosaic. He tried ton"hire" me to work the olympics. I I talked to my friend at the agency and she told me about this page. You guys are LIFE SAVERS

This blog WORKS!! No wonder he tries so hard to have us taken down. He messed with the wrong people.

[whoiswayneyoung]

hi there. just wondering if you happen to have a picture of this wayne young. seems to me like my friend might be dating the same guy.... i've heard similar stories to the ones I am reading here

Posted some photos below.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Did he really work at Lululemon?

No. Lululemon is also aware that he has been using their brand to scam people.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Getting many people asking for photos of Wayne to confirm that this is who they are dealing with. The top is a recent photo, bottom from several years ago. 

[whoiswayneyoung]

This is Wayne’s Instagram. I’m sure after seeing this post he will change the username yet again. But he’s not smart enough to change his real name with every scam he does so…who knows. 

[whoiswayneyoung]

Pinning this to the top.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Shout out to whoever created this very very important site. You guys saved me from more turmoil then you can imagine thanks to me coming across this! Wayne now claims he leads Creative Design for lululemon (I've informed lulu of this) and also is a consultant at Huawei. Thanks to the info here I was able to call him out on it and get him out of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm so glad we could help.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Do you know that Wayne now goes by the name Wayne Yeung. He has moved on to the consulting business and has lied about knowing famous DJs, working for well known Toronto based consulting firms and now owns a condo across from our friends place just so he has an excuse to worm his way back into their lives.

Interesting.

[whoiswayneyoung]

I met Wayne on woodbine beach (Toronto) playing Vball. Pretty much everyone is aware he is a scammer and a scumdog, primarily by the way he acts but also due to this page. His new name on Facebook is “Wayne Yg”

!!!

[whoiswayneyoung]

Hi there, I met Wayne recently through volleyball.... he claims to be working for Lululemon, and to have all these connections to Sick Kids hospital, have gone to Western.... I am just curious if any of this is factual or if its entirely lies.

Lies, Lies, Lies

[whoiswayneyoung]

This is Wayne’s Instagram. I’m sure after seeing this post he will change the username yet again. But he’s not smart enough to change his real name with every scam he does so...who knows. 

[whoiswayneyoung]

Wayne the Travel Instagrammer?

Wayne is now claiming he is a travel instagrammer and a professional diver while, you guessed it - stealing money from young women along the way. He uses stolen imaging and remember, is VERY manipulative. Don’t let him fool you. 

[whoiswayneyoung]

UPDATE: Wayne is now claiming he’s in the sports industry

Leanne’s Story: Wayne has relocated to Toronto, ON. I recently met Wayne through a volleyball tournament. He is playing through many recreational leagues (such Off Limits and Outtahand) and saying he works for a large agency called Mosaic Marketing. He describes that he works for Nike and has an amazing opportunity in Rio working for the olympics. Wayne told me he was hiring for this "opportunity" in Rio and we were scheduling an interview. I was saved by a friend who currently works for the agency who informed me he was fired from this agency. It seems he is currently using this as a means to talk to different women. I was lucky to have avoided any money loss or reputation damage and want to warn others from his lies. His new name on Facebook is WY Young.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Shawni's Story

My experience making an EP with Wayne was full of surprises. I don’t feel the need to tell my hellish experience regarding the musical aspect of the adventure, as it seems that it would be compatible with the other many stories on this blog, but there are a few things that I would like to share.  It was a long process. What should have taken one month of recording and editing stretched into about a year of nonsense. He used that time to try and get closer to me. During that time he apparently told everyone in Lethbridge that we were dating. He told others that we went on lavish trips to Europe together and that we were engaged, but my parents were the problem. He would even go so far to complain about me as his difficult girlfriend to our mutual friends and even to one of my cousins. Of course at the time I didn’t know about all this and my reputation has been forever tainted. Whenever I visit home, I still have people bringing up my “past relationship” with Wayne, where I was made out to be a real piece of work.  On a positive note, I was able to work with some very talented musicians and I met some great people who I still consider to be my good friends. One of these people was a relatively new studio owner who employed Wayne to bring in projects to his studio. He and his wife are two of the kindest people I know, but they made the same mistake as I did. Unfortunately, it took some awful experiences to realize that Wayne is not to be trusted. Wayne told him that he was bringing in all these huge projects and that there was a ridiculous amount of revenue to be coming in. I was also apparently nominated for a Grammy, which meant huge royalties coming into his studio. This news was more than he had hoped for so the studio owner quit his job to focus on his dream of making his studio his full time work. Of course, nothing happened. No big projects came in. Wayne even ended up stealing equipment and software from him. When I found out about this from his wife, it broke my heart.  I could go on, but I feel that this is adequate for now. I don’t wish any ill upon Wayne, but I don’t want anyone else to have to go through such a negative, possibly life altering experience. I believe that people can change. I wanted to believe that Wayne could overcome his issues, but I won’t be trusting him anytime in the near future. I hope that Wayne will take my advice and get long-term professional help.  -Shawni (Shimbashi) Westmoreland

[whoiswayneyoung]

I've seen this link going around a lot lately in my circles (I'm in Nashville AND I went to the same school that Wayne did). And I just want it to be known that 99% of the people who graduate from that school (OIART in London, ON) are honest, hard-working, genuine people who do real work with integrity. I just wanted to clear the name of the school and those who have attended. Wayne seems to be one of the very few exceptions to the rule. Thanks!

Thank you so much for clearing this up - the LAST thing we would want to do is shed poor light on an institution or person that Wayne was involved with. This was all Wayne's doing, and his conscious decision to lie and cheat his way through various industries. 

[whoiswayneyoung]

Hi! I've just been made aware of this page and sent it to an artist that I worked with recently that has also had some difficulties with Wayne. She said that Wayne sent the page to her already and claimed that he, himself, created it. I guess you could say I'd like some clarification on that. Did Wayne create this page? I suppose it'll be hard to believe any answer that comes back but I suppose it's worth a shot. Thanks!

Wayne did NOT create this page. Please email me at [email protected] - I can't believe he's now lying about this too. He proves over and over again that he will never change his sick ways. All of the stories on this site are completely legitimate and NOT posted by Wayne Young.

[whoiswayneyoung]

Stephanie Poort’s Story: The Music Business at its Worst

I am the lead singer of the Pop/Rock group Hello Bella from Ontario, Canada .  I met Wayne in fall of 2010. After years of hard work, our band was beginning to taste success with the release of our first full length album, continuous radio play, and a busy season touring around playing some great shows with many fantastic bands, including the Black Eyed Peas.  We began soliciting our music and were actively seeking a record contract.  To Wayne Young ... we were the perfect target.

He contacted us, dropping names like Hedley and Lights. He had an impressive resume, offering a strong interest in our band.  Wayne seemed to have a vast knowledge of the music industry, was talented and over time we grew to consider him a good friend.

Wayne had asked if he could remix a couple of our songs, (a difficult decision for us because we had a good relationship with our original producer) hinting that only then would his current employer, Sony Music Canada, consider us. This began a domino series of requests and decisions made through many emails and phone calls with Wayne.

Wayne also said that he had sent a couple of reps from Sony to our CD Release Party and that they were watching our every move since. Wayne spoke to us about changing our image to impress Sony Music, even suggesting weight loss at one point.  He insisted we spend another $3000.00 on our already released album to have it re-mastered, only then would Sony consider it, and this would lead to distribution to HMV and spins on their “in-house” radio station.  Interestingly, Wayne told us it had to be paid through him in order to receive this special rate and promotion, he would not let us pay the bill directly to the source.  Two months later, after paying Wayne, we found ourselves without any CD’s and major shows coming up.  Wayne claimed that credit card issues were the cause of the delay.  We later learned he used the money for a personal trip to Europe.  After two months and many phone calls to Wayne, we finally received the CD’s.  He admitted to having personal problems he needed to deal with and genuinely apologized.

During this period, Wayne sent me demos of current work he claimed to be writing and producing for possible slots on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill. He had sparked interest of possibly having me to redo the vocals on a song that he wrote, claiming it needed work. I remember thinking they were perfectly good vocals to begin with.  I was excited about the opportunity though, but after several failed attempts to schedule a date, my hopes were once again deflating.

At this time, Wayne also told us about a slot that had opened up at CMW in Toronto … a show with Our Lady Peace.  We began rehearsing for this amazing opportunity.  Once again, Wayne never came through, cancelling the show at the last minute, claiming another band had stolen our spot.  Tension was beginning to build within our band.

Then Wayne had more exciting news!  Sony had decided to offer us a contract. It was being drafted up and would be sent UPS.  Nick and I waited all day for a contract that never came. Wayne seemed as baffled by this as we were and gave us the tracking #.  No UPS office had any record of this number.  We had to be in Toronto for a show later that week so we decided to get in touch with Wayne while there and drove to Sony Music. We were making it perfectly convenient for him to be able to get us this contract in person. We spoke over the phone and he said he would see what he could do. After an hour of waiting, Wayne called and advised the contract had to be watermarked and no one was available to do this.  It was a depressing trip home.  Reality was sinking in, things were looking too shady.

All this had taken its toll on myself and the band.  I am a person of faith and believed Wayne’s claim to being a Christian. He shared stories of touring with Brit Nicole, and having ties with “John Mays of Centricity Music”, I naively thought we shared common ground, and couldn’t grasp how he could have put us through all of this.  My band, along with our producer had written Wayne off. He had caused enough damage, it was time to move on. I continued to struggle with my pain and anger, questioning why he was brought into my life.

Time moved forward and wounds were beginning to heal.  Then, another call from Wayne, crying, utterly apologetic, depressed, suffering from ulcers ... I tried hard not to pity him.  But then he shared a truly sad, yet inspirational story about a 16 year old girl from his hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta that pulled at my heart.  Suffering with terminal brain cancer, this brave young girl had selflessly given her Children’s Wish toward building clean water wells in Uganda.  Wayne knew her personally, just visited with her and claimed to be a changed man because it.  Her generosity had snowballed and to date, over 12 wells had been placed in communities across Uganda.  What a testament this girl shared with her selfless faith!  I wanted to help.  My band agreed to do a show, covered by local radio, with all proceeds donated to “Kaitlin’s Legacy”.  It felt good to be able to help.

A couple of months later we received the heartbreaking news that Kaitlin had passed away.  On the day of her funeral, I sat at my piano and started to play a soft melody … overwhelmed by sadness for her family.  Then the words of a chorus came to me, “I’m coming home, coming home, to see the light and see the throne, and all the beauty I’ve ever known, cannot compare to His kingdom.”  I wanted to write a song that told her story and also offered comfort to those who loved her.  The words and melody came together on that day, and I recorded the song on my video camera.  Some of the members of my band would not work on the song if Wayne was involved (understandably), but I felt since Wayne knew Kaitlin personally, he could help express the true emotion of the song.

Wayne was excited and urged to be a part of it, working for free.  To make things easier on tracking, he wanted his friends from the band, “PHAO” in Lethbridge, Alberta to record the instrumentation. They also had personal ties to Kaitlin and it would mean a lot to them. My bass player would also be involved and the plans were made to record a demo in London, Ontario.  The song was sounding beautiful, my faith in Wayne was somewhat restored as he was actually coming through on a project.  Afterwards, I received an invoice from “Wayne Young Productions” for the time spent in the studio in London. This, once again, seemed sketchy.  Why are we paying Wayne and not the studio itself?  Wayne got angry, saying we got a deal and he paid up front so we owed him. 

The song was then set to be recorded in Nashville. This was a life-long dream for me as it is for many musicians.  The studio was booked, promo began and Compassion Canada (who housed the charity) was on board. We decided that all proceeds from the release of this song would go straight to Kaitlin’s foundation.  All was well … until Wayne argued that his flight should be paid by us since he was going to produce the song for free.  We were all dedicating our time and covering our own costs so this took me by surprise. We were too far in to back out now. With hotels and studio booked, we reluctantly agreed to his terms, borrowing the extra money from my own parents, and the Nashville plans remained in place.

Tension was building.  Once in Nashville, Wayne drove us around in his expensive rental car, pointing out areas where he worked and also the church he attended with Carrie Underwood.  He claimed to he was on the brink of having a contract in Nashville, doing prep work for bands like Paramore.  I was still finding it hard to believe that I was actually in Nashville and heading to a recording studio. My childhood dream realized.  I was not prepared for what happened next.  Wayne turned my dream into a nightmare.

The time spent in the studio doing vocals for Kaitlin’s song can only be described as brutal.  Wayne’s demeanor changed.  He tore my vocals to shreds and was critical of everything.  My confidence was destroyed.  In that moment, I was a small town girl, with a big dream, trembling in a small dark studio in Nashville, wishing that I could just go home.  Wayne Young had shattered my dream and I was crushed.  The final vocal track on Kaitlin’s song was disappointing.  I wanted to go home, forget and move on.  But conflicts with Wayne Young were far from over.

Kaitlin’s song was set for release in March 2011.  I had to connect with Wayne to discuss registering the song with SOCAN and delegating percentages.  Wayne was claiming 50% of the composition rights. I objected and things grew even more tense.  He claimed to be forwarding 100% profit from iTunes sales to Compassion Canada.  Wayne also had advised that we would be reimbursed by Compassion Canada for the cost of the studio time we paid for in Nashville.  When he failed to answer several emails regarding this, I contacted the charity myself.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  Another one of Wayne Young’s lies, there would be no reimbursement.

After the song was released, the chaos began.  Kaitlin’s song was very well received, climbing up the Inspirational iTunes chart in Canada.  It was generating dollars for Kaitlin’s charity and we were thrilled.  Kaitlin’s family sent a personal message expressing their gratitude that her story was being shared.  

Our song hit the #1 spot!  There were interviews and press releases.  But it was Wayne Young being interviewed talking about his song “featuring the vocals of Stephanie Poort and accompanied by PHAO.”  My heart sunk. There were full blown articles with only a few paragraphs about the charity and the rest of the story focusing on the career of Wayne Young.  This had become the “Who is Wayne Young?” project.  Yes, there is emotional heartbreak as an artist when you see someone else slap their name across something you created, but to see him actually take advantage of this charity and use it for his own gain was sickening.  Part of me was so angry at him for claiming that he wrote the song, but I kept my mouth shut … telling myself “It’s not about you. It’s about Kaitlin.”

Then Wayne decided to make a video of the song, having pictures and home video of Kaitlin mixed in with footage of Phao and myself performing. Since I could not be in Vancouver for the shoot, we shot some footage and sent it over via the web. According to Wayne, the footage we sent was incompatible, so he hired a double to represent me.  If you watch the video, take note of the very first person seen performing; none other than … that’s right … Wayne Young.  We opted not to feature this video on any Hello Bella sites.

I refused to answer Wayne’s continued calls, until the messages became threatening.  I agreed to talk, informing him of my intention to sever all ties with him.  Wayne countered back with threats of legal action in a tone that was verbally abusive.  He demanded I sell him my half of the song.  I refused.  He accused me of not caring about the charity.  He cried.  He only wanted to work with honest people.  How dare I do this to him?  He ended the call by informing me that I would soon hear from his lawyer.  Of course there was no lawyer.  That was the first and last time anyone will threaten me like that again.

The ties were officially cut.

Letting Wayne Young into my life had left scars.  I hit rock bottom, emotionally drained, and was not sure I wanted to pursue my music dream any more.  I had been the victim of a con artist.  This man that we met, befriended, and trusted was slowly drawing us into his trap of deceit. I’ve been reading all of the other stories on here and have heard from many other people who encountered this same treatment from Mr.Young.  While I feel sad for what we all had to go through, I am even sadder for him. He has to live with his own demons.  I am sure every day is a battle in the mind of Wayne Young.  I hope he gets the help he needs although I am not sure he will ever change.  This is why I am sharing my story, to prevent another person from falling victim to guys like Wayne Young.

I have recently been motivated again and have been writing up a storm. I have learned that even though I was put through this awful experience, I’ve since grown stronger. I am back at it and excited for the future.

 Here is a little song his story inspired. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you can relate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atfXqfNhGkk

  Stephanie Poort

[whoiswayneyoung]

I'm truly sorry that Wayne's lies actually turned into hurting people. I went through elementary and then high school with Wayne. People would always call him out on his shit. I even see him at the University of Lethbridge where he was initially telling people the University hired him as a professor to teach music eng. The U had to get involved and Wayne got into a lot of trouble for doing that. I guess he's upped his lies to a whole new level since no one in Lethbridge believed him.

Wayne scammed college students from the University of Lethbridge, claiming to be a professor.