Does this modeling opportunity sound legitimate, or are we right to be concerned?

A friend in North Carolina is working with a freelance modeling agent who claims to connect models with European companies but lacks a verifiable online presence. The situation involves hotel-based photo shoots, cash payments without tax paperwork, secrecy around contracts, and offers of housing and car use from unfamiliar individuals. The National Human Trafficking Hotline suggested it may be a scam or fraud rather than trafficking.