How To Recognize An Fine art Scam

Art scams are condign more than and more sophisticated by the 24-hour interval and it is very important for you, as an artist, to protect your art as well as your hard earned coin.

art scam

Have you recently received an electronic mail from someone who says that their married woman saw your artwork online and fell in love with it instantly? Or someone who would like to buy your artwork immediately? Or maybe an artist's amanuensis wants to bear witness your piece of work at a prestigious fine art off-white? Feels great, right? Of course, but how do yous tell if it'south real or an art scam?

The problem with art scams that begin like this is that they are based on something you would like to believe. By the time you've exchanged a few emails, you feel as if you lot know the 'person' you're communicating with – they volition oft include personal details nearly themselves or their families – and naturally, you are inclined to answer positively to someone who is praising your piece of work.

The communication that is often given is simply to remember that 'if it looks too good to be true, information technology normally is.' Only while that is a practiced rule of thumb, information technology'due south non enough to protect you if you lot're an creative person – because, later all, in that location are times when something that seems as well good to be truthful really does happen to an artist, and you may well have experienced this yourself.

Perhaps a collector you take never had contact with before happened to attend the opening reception of an exhibition of your fine art, and instantly decided that he had found what he was looking for and bought 4 pieces. Or y'all were giving a demonstration of live painting at an art auction and one of the people y'all got chatting to during the process turned into a collector of your work and an advocate for your creations. These things practice happen – and you certainly don't want to repulse a 18-carat expression of involvement. So, what can you practise?

art scams

Why Practice Scammers Target Artists at All?

Well, why not? Artists are good targets – they are familiar with the need to transport their work, sometimes to collectors who might be anywhere in the world. They're invested in their creations, then they're susceptible to the charm of the idea that a stranger barbarous in dear with their work on sight.

And scammers may believe that artists are less likely to be aware of the dangers presented by the sorts of art scams they depend on. You lot desire to make sure that you don't fall into that category. Be enlightened of the possibility, be skeptical – be careful.

Types of Art Scams

Although the nigh mutual intention backside an art scam is money, there are other components, like your personal information and artwork images, that a scammer tin have advantage of. Here is a list of the types of scams that have come to our attention.

Pay Aircraft Payment Upfront

Sometimes, art scammers that testify a keen involvement in your works may ask you to transfer them the aircraft cost offset before they can transact the full amount to yous. They may even ask yous to send the artwork before making any payment. Never give in to such requests. If the person is genuinely interested in purchasing your work, he or she will well-nigh likely know how to get about information technology and will never make such an unreasonable request.

If you however think that the person might be 18-carat, consider asking for a fractional payment at to the lowest degree earlier shipping your artwork. However, if the person asks you to pay the shipping toll upfront, do not that information technology could not exist anything other than a scam to extort money from you.

Overpayment by the Scammer

A very common instance is when the 'customer' overpays and asks y'all to send the extra amount to their shipping visitor, using the details they have sent you. Y'all send the money on – from your own bank business relationship – and simply notice a calendar week or two later that the cashier'south check you had received from the 'customer' is not genuine.

How can this happen? Won't the banking concern protect y'all from this art scam? Probably non. Most banks are willing to proceed with checks provided that the customer has a balance in their account that is able to cover the cheque. If the check bounces, they only reverse the transaction – leaving the customer responsible for whatever negative balance. It can take up to three weeks to clear a cashier'southward bank check, which the scammer is betting volition be long enough for them to persuade you lot to ship them the 'shipping' money they 'overpaid'.

Be aware to never accept overpayments. Request the person to carry out the transaction themselves or wait for the payment to be cleared.

Phishing Scams / Art Fair Participation and Promotion Scam

As an creative person, you are always looking for a new, sometimes original place to show your piece of work. This is why yous should always search for options and keep an center on opportunities. When an invitation to participate in an art fair or in a group exhibition knocks on your door, you should always make sure information technology is legit and makes sense. Participation in whatsoever of the major fine art fairs usually costs thousands of dollars and requires an awarding process. If you are approached by someone who is offering this to you for very low fees and immediately tells you that y'all have been accepted, it should raise a red flag!

Before accepting an offer, make sure to do a thorough research virtually the organization. Your checklist should at least include the following basic data:

  • Disregard any e-mail that comes from private email accounts such as Yahoo or Gmail. Professional companies must accept their own domain names.
  • Check the domain registration by doing a WHOIS Search – if the owner of the domain is hidden and at that place is no articulate contact information that is a clear sign of warning
  • Research the web and social media for reviews from other users
  • Make sure the company has a physical address and a contact person
  • Search for the contact person's name and come across what you can find about that person

art scams

How to Recognize An Art Scam?

Scamming emails in the by would frequently exist vague or get important details wrong, thereby making them easily recognizable. The idea was to be able to send the aforementioned electronic mail to thousands of artists – so a photographer might be approached almost a painting or a sculptor baffled by references to their canvases. Simply the emails have become more than sophisticated over time, and now information technology is common for the scammer to quickly fill in the 'gaps' in his e-mail with accurate information about your website or your artworks. However, don't let these details fool you – it takes very little time to make full out these details, and it does non mean the electronic mail or the person is 18-carat. If your instincts are screaming, pay attention to them, even if the e-mail did get your medium and the title of your artworks correct. Of class, if they're wrong – be very suspicious indeed!

Hither are a few of import clues that tin can indicate that an email yous've received is an art scam –

The field of study of the email will exist something that screams for attention

Recall, the scammer can only be successful if the email reaches you, which is why near of them would include words like 'Important' or 'ATTN' to grab your attention. A 18-carat person, withal, would non have that goal in mind while sending y'all an inquiry.

The email is in your spam binder

This is perchance the most obvious red flag. If the electronic mail ended upwards in your spam binder, there is definitely a reason for it.

The person will have a fictitious name or the e-mail address and name will not exist consistent

From the examples shared with us below in the comments, this seems to be a common element in scamming emails. Art scammers sometimes use fabricated up names like John Cena or Terry Flowers and it tin be a very easy clue to resolve any suspicions you might have. In addition to that, sometimes, there are discrepancies in the writer'due south name and email address. Ever, check the writer's name and electronic mail address first!

The person volition often audio like they are in a hurry or insist on an immediate purchase

This is partly to fluster you and give you lot less time to think, only mainly because if they know the check they're sending y'all is going to bounce, or the credit card is stolen, they need the transaction completed earlier the depository financial institution catches on and y'all detect out.

There will oftentimes be some circuitous story almost why you need to transport money again

Sometimes involving the private or their family unit moving to another country right at the time they desire to purchase the artwork, necessitating the sum you lot're going to exist sending to cover the aircraft. Yes, this does happen sometimes to honest people in real life, but information technology's not that common.

In that location are too many grammatical errors

If the person mentions being from the United states of america simply their English language is extremely poor, it is definitely a red flag. However, do annotation hither to not dismiss everything because it has a few grammatical errors. The person might actually be 18-carat, and English might non exist their native tongue.

They desire to arrange the shipping themselves

Virtually genuine clients are only too grateful to have you lot take the burden of shipping from them if shipping is necessary. And if they do want to take care of information technology themselves, real collectors will most likely use a major company they've had positive experiences within the by – a visitor whose name you will know.

art scams

Of grade, none of these things are sure-fire means to tell that y'all're being approached by someone who is trying to steal your money or art. Merely if you run into them in an email, you lot should first to go suspicious, and more wary of the communication. If the chat develops in a way that matches the sort of design we've been talking about, then you tin feel confident that in that location's something incorrect.

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How To Avoid Art Scams?

Well, you tin look out for the clues mentioned in a higher place, which will alert you to the possibility that something might be wrong and be careful rather than gullible in your approach. Be conscious that scamming is a possibility, and enlightened that information technology might assail yous. If yous start to worry nigh a particular case, don't let your prejudice in favor of people who claim to adore your work go far the way of your caution.

You tin likewise exist firm about post-obit your usual method of payment; explicate politely that yous're not willing to take payment through cashier's checks or postal money orders, which are more than open up to this sort of art scam. Ofttimes the nature of the fine art scam will center on the method of payment suggested by the scammer – if you stick to your normal method, something you know to be safety, they may be forced to surrender.

Also, make sure to never accept overpayments. This is not a mutual way of doing concern, and you probably haven't come up across it earlier in genuine transactions. You're selling, they're buying – no money should be leaving your account. Make it your policy non to piece of work this way.

If you're suspicious for whatsoever reason, try googling the email address of the contact you lot're respective with. Considering scammers send so many fine art scam emails, their address gets to exist known as 1 associated with the art scam they're running. It might well be that the person contacting you is already on a 'blacklist' which you can find online. In situations similar this, being represented by a gallery tin can besides prove to be beneficial.

For i thing, you tin rely on the gallery staff, who volition probably accept had more experience with art scam attempts than you have had, to make sure that everything is every bit it should be and protect you equally necessary.

Useful Article: 8 Benefits Of Gallery Representation

Another important thing to make annotation of is to never ship your work before the payment has been cleared. This seems so simple that you read information technology and wonder how anyone ever gets caught acting differently – merely when you're in the middle of a series of emails going dorsum and forth, and you've built up a picture of your correspondent'due south life in your head, and you're pleased that they appreciate your art. It can be hard to remember.

Brand it a rule of how y'all exercise business, and if you're ever asked to brand an exception, recall very seriously most whether it seems like a good chance to be taking (if you know the heir-apparent personally, for case, it might be a reasonable conclusion).

Art scams are becoming more and more sophisticated by the day and it is very of import for you as an artist to protect your art equally well as your difficult-earned money. Following the advice in this article will help you to avoid art scams when selling your art. Simply what y'all actually need to do is take the messages here to heart. Retrieve when you are selling your fine art on the internet, you demand to know and trust your potential clients.

Every bit a promotional gallery, we accept pride in the diverse group of artists from across the world represented by u.s.. Want to requite your fine art more time, and leave the marketing and promotional hassles to someone else? Visit our Gallery Representation And Creative person Promotion page for more data.

Have yous received an email from a potential buyer that looks like an art scam? Recently, a group of artists has informed our Agora Gallery staff that a so-chosen Catherine Nipps who pretends to be a gallery representative, is offering representation with our Gallery. Agora Gallery'southward representation procedure is transparent and information technology starts with our defended page. Our representatives are presented on the website. If you are contacted by someone offering representation on behalf of the gallery, delight attain out to the states at info@agora-gallery.com

In the comments below, share your stories with our community, offer your advice, and keep information technology a safe identify from scammers.