Art scams targeting artists - How artists can avoid being victims of art scams
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I have been hearing about different versions of the "Nigerian scam" and "advance payment scam" that target artists.
Today, I heard from an aspiring artist friend who was very excited that someone had seen his artwork online and wanted to buy it! This would be wonderful, except - yes, you guessed it - it was a scam. I hated to be the one to tell him. These scammers do more than steal artist's money - they also cause artists wrongly to lose confidence in themselves.
I already have several art-related pages on this site, and decided that a page with information for artists to be able to protect themselves from these e-mail scams would be a good idea.
What's in this page...
Students doing a report on an artist
I've since learned that sometimes these might not really really students, but that it could be a phishing scam (they want to get your inside information, like where you were born, your mother's maiden name, your birth date, pet's names, etc) - because these are the things often used as security questions.
So, if you get questions from a "student," either do your research into their school, make sure it really exists, talk to their teacher, etc (even then, be wary)...but be careful of giving out any precise information. It could really be a student, but on the other hand, we have to be careful. It bears some hallmarks of a possible scam, because it is flattering to have a student want to do a report on you.
Awards and Grants that you didn't request
Normally, an artist needs to research grants and awards opportunities for himself.
Think about their motivation: people don't go to the work and effort of emailing all the artists they can, to let them know they could win an award or grant.
Wait and do your own research on the offer before you get excited and act on the offer. Don't even click any links in the email, because there could be malicious code. Type in the website address yourself. Do a web search, find out if any art friends have ever heard of the organization.
Some are valid, but require an "application fee" for your grant. Is it really an application fee, or is this just some kind of artist's lottery, masquerading as a fine art grant?
Art Business and Marketing Books
News About Scams
- Scams prosper even if economy doesn't
- By Janice Podsada Tribune Newspapers Whether it's a new Internet scam or an old standby repackaged, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau and the state's ...
- Canadian con rips off Whittier man
- The scam often targets seniors and has been around for years. It's mentioned under telephone scams in Snopes.com, which is a Web site that checks out urban ...
- Four charged in lottery ticket scam
- Chicago police on Friday announced charges against four people in a lottery ticket scam targeting older Hispanic victims. The four, working as a team, ...
Talk in Blogs About Scams
- ArtScam: VistaPrint Scam
- Have you been contacted by the Nigerian Scam Artists? Does it sound too good to be true? Please add your stories and spread the word. Caroline Lewis from Dallas Texas and moving to Johannesburg is the current scammer. ...
- the value of an artist blog
- "internet art scams" on google "review liepke" on google "sylvia white art advice any good" on google "'miles mathis' gravity" on google "van gogh, ears of wheat, blotch" on google "red frog paintings" on google ...
Scams Targeting Artist Links
- Max Magnus Norman's Email Fraud Experience
- Examples on E-mail Fraud attempts against particularly art dealers, artists and other dealers. Mugu and Nigeria letters.
- Art Scams: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
- Art Scams: How Scam Artists Work, Tips to Protect Yourself, How to Stop Them.
- Artist Portfolio Fraud Alert - absolutearts.com
- A sign of a growing concern for artists - AbsoluteArts.com has found it necessary to create a long page about scams targeting artists to protect their website members.
- Handling overseas art sales - Art Biz Blog
- How do you handle overseas orders? Michael Lynn Adams asks:
I have a buyer who lives in South Africa (actually London, moving to South Africa)
Drop me a line...
ddixonart wrote...
in reply to meloyello Sorry, I'm not familiar with them. Ask them to give you names of some prior participating artists that you can call. Call several of them, if anything seems 'off,' I would avoid it.
meloyello wrote...
just wondering if this was legit? didnt want to enter [$15]. im skeptical bcuz there arent rules listed or judges names, etc. seems fishy. see site here.
http://artistgrants.org/Spring_2009.html
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My name is Darla Dixon. I am a mom of 4 - I work from home creating Pencil Portraits. My artwork has been published several times and has sold interna...
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