How To Recognize An Art Scam

Art scams are condign more and more sophisticated by the day and it is very important for y'all, as an artist, to protect your art as well every bit your hard earned money.

art scam

Have yous recently received an email from someone who says that their wife saw your artwork online and brutal in honey with information technology instantly? Or someone who would similar to purchase your artwork immediately? Or peradventure an artist's amanuensis wants to bear witness your work at a prestigious art off-white? Feels great, correct? Of grade, but how practise you tell if it's real or an art scam?

The trouble with art scams that brainstorm like this is that they are based on something you would like to believe. Past the time you lot've exchanged a few emails, you feel as if you know the 'person' you're communicating with – they will often include personal details about themselves or their families – and naturally, you are inclined to reply positively to someone who is praising your work.

The advice that is ofttimes given is simply to call back that 'if information technology looks too practiced to be true, information technology ordinarily is.' But while that is a good rule of thumb, information technology's non enough to protect you if you're an artist – considering, after all, there are times when something that seems as well skilful to be truthful actually does happen to an artist, and y'all may well have experienced this yourself.

Perhaps a collector you have never had contact with before happened to nourish the opening reception of an exhibition of your art, and instantly decided that he had establish what he was looking for and bought four pieces. Or you were giving a sit-in of alive painting at an art auction and 1 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 do happen – and y'all certainly don't want to repulse a genuine expression of interest. So, what tin can you do?

art scams

Why Practice Scammers Target Artists at All?

Well, why non? Artists are good targets – they are familiar with the need to send their work, sometimes to collectors who might exist anywhere in the globe. They're invested in their creations, and then they're susceptible to the charm of the idea that a stranger fell in love 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. Y'all want to make sure that you don't fall into that category. Be aware of the possibility, exist skeptical – exist careful.

Types of Fine art Scams

Although the almost common intention behind an art scam is money, there are other components, like your personal information and artwork images, that a scammer can take advantage of. Here is a listing of the types of scams that have come up to our attention.

Pay Shipping Payment Upfront

Sometimes, art scammers that prove a keen interest in your works may ask you to transfer them the shipping price first before they can transact the full amount to y'all. They may even ask you to ship the artwork earlier making any payment. Never give in to such requests. If the person is genuinely interested in purchasing your work, he or she will near likely know how to go near it and will never make such an unreasonable request.

If you still think that the person might be genuine, consider asking for a partial payment at least before shipping your artwork. However, if the person asks you to pay the shipping toll upfront, practice not that it could not exist anything other than a scam to extort money from you.

Overpayment by the Scammer

A very common example is when the 'customer' overpays and asks you to send the actress amount to their aircraft company, using the details they accept sent you. You send the money on – from your own bank account – and but discover a calendar week or two later that the cashier's check you had received from the 'customer' is not 18-carat.

How tin can this happen? Won't the depository financial institution protect you from this art scam? Probably not. Most banks are willing to proceed with checks provided that the client has a balance in their account that is able to cover the check. If the check bounces, they just contrary the transaction – leaving the customer responsible for any negative balance. It tin take upwards to three weeks to clear a cashier'southward cheque, which the scammer is betting will be long enough for them to persuade you to ship them the 'shipping' money they 'overpaid'.

Be enlightened to never take overpayments. Request the person to carry out the transaction themselves or await for the payment to be cleared.

Phishing Scams / Fine art Fair Participation and Promotion Scam

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

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

  • Disregard any email that comes from private e-mail accounts such every bit Yahoo or Gmail. Professional person companies must have their ain domain names.
  • Check the domain registration by doing a WHOIS Search – if the owner of the domain is hidden and there is no clear 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 concrete accost and a contact person
  • Search for the contact person'due south name and run across what you can find about that person

art scams

How to Recognize An Fine art Scam?

Scamming emails in the by would often be vague or get important details incorrect, thereby making them easily recognizable. The idea was to exist able to transport the same email to thousands of artists – and so a lensman might be approached about a painting or a sculptor baffled by references to their canvases. But the emails take get more sophisticated over time, and now it is common for the scammer to speedily fill in the 'gaps' in his electronic mail with accurate information about your website or your artworks. All the same, don't allow these details fool you – it takes very little time to fill out these details, and it does non mean the email or the person is genuine. If your instincts are screaming, pay attention to them, even if the email did get your medium and the title of your artworks right. Of grade, if they're wrong – be very suspicious indeed!

Here are a few of import clues that can indicate that an e-mail you've received is an art scam –

The subject of the e-mail will exist something that screams for attending

Recall, the scammer can only be successful if the email reaches you, which is why most of them would include words like 'Important' or 'ATTN' to take hold of your attention. A genuine person, nonetheless, would non have that goal in mind while sending you lot an research.

The electronic mail is in your spam folder

This is perhaps the most obvious cherry-red flag. If the email concluded up in your spam binder, there is definitely a reason for it.

The person will have a fictitious name or the e-mail accost and name will not exist consequent

From the examples shared with united states below in the comments, this seems to exist a mutual element in scamming emails. Art scammers sometimes use fabricated up names like John Cena or Terry Flowers and it can exist a very easy clue to resolve whatsoever suspicions y'all might have. In addition to that, sometimes, there are discrepancies in the author's name and email address. Ever, check the writer's name and email address first!

The person will often audio similar they are in a bustle or insist on an firsthand purchase

This is partly to fluster you and give you lot less time to think, but mainly because if they know the check they're sending you is going to bounce, or the credit carte is stolen, they need the transaction completed before the bank catches on and yous observe out.

There will often be some complex story well-nigh why yous need to ship money over again

Sometimes involving the individual or their family moving to another country right at the time they want to buy the artwork, necessitating the sum yous're going to be sending to cover the shipping. Yes, this does happen sometimes to honest people in existent life, but it'south not that common.

There are besides many grammatical errors

If the person mentions being from the United States but their English is extremely poor, it is definitely a red flag. However, do note here to non dismiss everything because it has a few grammatical errors. The person might actually be genuine, and English language might not exist their native natural language.

They want to arrange the shipping themselves

Most 18-carat clients are only too grateful to have you take the burden of aircraft from them if shipping is necessary. And if they practise want to take care of it themselves, real collectors will most likely utilize a major company they've had positive experiences inside the past – a company whose proper name you will know.

art scams

Of grade, none of these things are sure-burn ways to tell that yous're beingness approached by someone who is trying to steal your money or art. But if you run across them in an email, yous should commencement to become suspicious, and more wary of the advice. If the chat develops in a fashion that matches the sort of blueprint we've been talking about, then you tin can feel confident that in that location's something incorrect.

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How To Avoid Art Scams?

Well, yous can look out for the clues mentioned above, which will alert you to the possibility that something might be wrong and exist careful rather than gullible in your approach. Be conscious that scamming is a possibility, and enlightened that it might attack you. If you start to worry virtually a item case, don't let your prejudice in favor of people who claim to admire your work get in the way of your circumspection.

Y'all tin can besides be house about following your usual method of payment; explain politely that y'all're not willing to accept payment through cashier'southward checks or postal coin orders, which are more than open to this sort of art scam. Frequently the nature of the art scam will eye on the method of payment suggested past the scammer – if you stick to your normal method, something y'all know to be safe, they may be forced to give up.

Also, brand certain to never take overpayments. This is non a common way of doing business organization, and you probably haven't come up across information technology before in 18-carat transactions. You lot're selling, they're buying – no coin should be leaving your account. Go far your policy not to work this way.

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

For i thing, you lot can rely on the gallery staff, who will probably have had more feel with art scam attempts than you have had, to make sure that everything is as it should be and protect you as necessary.

Useful Article: viii Benefits Of Gallery Representation

Another important thing to brand note of is to never transport your piece of work before the payment has been cleared. This seems so simple that y'all read it and wonder how anyone ever gets caught acting differently – merely when you're in the centre of a serial of emails going back and forth, and you've built up a picture show of your correspondent'due south life in your head, and you're pleased that they appreciate your art. It tin can be hard to remember.

Make it a dominion of how yous do business, and if you're ever asked to make an exception, retrieve very seriously about whether it seems similar a skilful take a chance to be taking (if y'all know the heir-apparent personally, for example, it might be a reasonable conclusion).

Art scams are becoming more and more than sophisticated by the day and it is very of import for you every bit an creative person to protect your art also as your hard-earned coin. Following the communication in this article volition help you to avoid art scams when selling your art. But what you actually need to practice is take the messages here to heart. Remember when yous are selling your fine art on the net, y'all demand to know and trust your potential clients.

As a promotional gallery, we accept pride in the diverse group of artists from across the earth represented past us. Want to requite your art more fourth dimension, and leave the marketing and promotional hassles to someone else? Visit our Gallery Representation And Artist Promotion page for more data.

Have you received an email from a potential buyer that looks like an art scam? Recently, a grouping of artists has informed our Agora Gallery staff that a then-called Catherine Nipps who pretends to exist a gallery representative, is offering representation with our Gallery. Agora Gallery's representation process is transparent and it starts with our dedicated page. Our representatives are presented on the website. If you are contacted by someone offering representation on behalf of the gallery, please achieve out to u.s.a. at info@agora-gallery.com

In the comments beneath, share your stories with our community, offer your advice, and continue it a safe place from scammers.