I get these sorts of questions quite often and while I’ve answered them before I thought it deserved to be repeated.
“An agency had an ad on Craig’s List which I responded to. A “friend of the agency” called me today saying he liked my script and wants to help me get it in shape before an agent or producer sees it. He claims the agency has a lot of connections in the industry. But there is a fee of $600. Do you think this is a scam?”
Yes. This is a scam. The whole way they got in touch with you seems very shady. Posting an ad as an agent and then passing you off to their script doctor friend is clearly a bait and switch tactic that screams scam.
There are legit script consultants out there who will give you detailed notes on your script, and many of these services are worth the money. But no legit script consultant sells their service with the vague promise of getting it to an agent with “lots of connections.” If you feel like you need help on your script by all means get help, but don’t deal with people who work in such a shady manner.
I wrote a post on Script Consultants where I mention a reputable one and also explain how you can get help on your script without paying for a consultant.