How To Recognize An Art Scam

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

art scam

Have yous recently received an e-mail from someone who says that their wife saw your artwork online and brutal in love with it instantly? Or someone who would like to buy your artwork immediately? Or perchance an creative person's agent wants to testify your work at a prestigious art fair? Feels great, right? Of grade, but how practice you tell if it's real or an art scam?

The trouble with art scams that begin like this is that they are based on something you would like to believe. Past the time you've exchanged a few emails, you feel every bit 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 respond positively to someone who is praising your work.

The advice that is often given is just to retrieve that 'if information technology looks too skilful to exist true, it usually is.' Just while that is a adept rule of pollex, it's not enough to protect you if you're an artist – because, after all, in that location are times when something that seems as well skillful to exist truthful really does happen to an artist, and you may well have experienced this yourself.

Possibly a collector you take never had contact with before happened to attend the opening reception of an exhibition of your art, and instantly decided that he had found what he was looking for and bought four pieces. Or you were giving a demonstration of live painting at an art auction and ane of the people you lot got chatting to during the process turned into a collector of your piece of work and an abet for your creations. These things do happen – and you certainly don't want to repulse a genuine expression of interest. So, what can you practise?

art scams

Why Do Scammers Target Artists at All?

Well, why non? Artists are expert targets – they are familiar with the need to transport their work, sometimes to collectors who might be 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 dearest with their work on sight.

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

Types of Fine art Scams

Although the most common intention backside an art scam is money, there are other components, like your personal information and artwork images, that a scammer can take reward of. Here is a list of the types of scams that accept come to our attending.

Pay Shipping Payment Upfront

Sometimes, art scammers that show a keen interest in your works may ask yous to transfer them the shipping cost first before they tin can transact the full amount to you. They may even ask y'all to ship the artwork before making whatsoever payment. Never requite in to such requests. If the person is genuinely interested in purchasing your piece of work, he or she will virtually likely know how to go about it and volition never brand 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 cost upfront, do non that it could non be anything other than a scam to extort coin from you lot.

Overpayment by the Scammer

A very common example is when the 'client' overpays and asks you lot to transport the extra amount to their shipping company, using the details they take sent you. You ship the money on – from your own bank account – and only discover a calendar week or 2 subsequently that the cashier's bank check you had received from the 'customer' is not genuine.

How can this happen? Won't the bank protect you from this art scam? Probably not. Nigh 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 but reverse the transaction – leaving the customer responsible for whatsoever negative rest. It can accept up to three weeks to articulate a cashier'due south 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 accept overpayments. Request the person to behave out the transaction themselves or wait for the payment to be cleared.

Phishing Scams / Art Off-white Participation and Promotion Scam

Equally an creative person, you are e'er looking for a new, sometimes original place to show your work. This is why y'all should always search for options and keep an eye 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 it is legit and makes sense. Participation in any of the major art fairs usually costs thousands of dollars and requires an application process. If you are approached by someone who is offering this to you lot for very low fees and immediately tells you that you lot have been accustomed, information technology should raise a red flag!

Before accepting an offer, make sure to do a thorough inquiry about the organization. Your checklist should at to the lowest degree include the post-obit basic information:

  • Disregard any email that comes from private email accounts such as Yahoo or Gmail. Professional companies must have their own domain names.
  • Check the domain registration past doing a WHOIS Search – if the owner of the domain is hidden and at that place is no articulate contact data 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'southward proper 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 be vague or become important details wrong, thereby making them easily recognizable. The idea was to exist able to send the same email to thousands of artists – so a photographer might exist approached nigh a painting or a sculptor baffled by references to their canvases. But the emails have go more sophisticated over fourth dimension, and now information technology is common for the scammer to quickly fill up in the 'gaps' in his email with accurate data about your website or your artworks. All the same, don't let these details fool you – information technology takes very petty fourth dimension to fill up out these details, and information technology does not hateful the email or the person is genuine. If your instincts are screaming, pay attention to them, even if the email did become your medium and the title of your artworks right. Of class, if they're wrong – be very suspicious indeed!

Here are a few important clues that can indicate that an email you've received is an fine art scam –

The subject of the email will be something that screams for attention

Remember, the scammer can only be successful if the email reaches you, which is why almost of them would include words similar 'Of import' or 'ATTN' to grab your attention. A genuine person, withal, would not have that goal in mind while sending yous an inquiry.

The electronic mail is in your spam folder

This is perhaps the nigh obvious red flag. If the email concluded up in your spam folder, there is definitely a reason for information technology.

The person will have a fictitious name or the email address and proper noun will not be consequent

From the examples shared with us below in the comments, this seems to be a common chemical element in scamming emails. Art scammers sometimes employ made up names like John Cena or Terry Flowers and it can be a very like shooting fish in a barrel clue to resolve any suspicions you might have. In addition to that, sometimes, in that location are discrepancies in the writer's proper noun and email address. Ever, check the writer'south proper noun and e-mail accost first!

The person will frequently sound like they are in a hurry or insist on an firsthand purchase

This is partly to fluster you and give you less time to think, just mainly considering 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 bank catches on and you detect out.

At that place volition oftentimes be some complex story most why you need to ship money again

Sometimes involving the individual or their family moving to another country right at the time they desire to purchase the artwork, necessitating the sum you're going to exist sending to encompass the shipping. Yes, this does happen sometimes to honest people in real life, only it's not that common.

There are as well many grammatical errors

If the person mentions being from the The states but their English language is extremely poor, it is definitely a red flag. However, practise annotation hither to not dismiss everything because it has a few grammatical errors. The person might actually be genuine, and English might not be their native natural language.

They desire to arrange the shipping themselves

Well-nigh genuine clients are only too grateful to take you take the burden of shipping from them if aircraft is necessary. And if they practice desire to take care of it themselves, real collectors volition most likely employ a major company they've had positive experiences within the past – a company whose proper name you volition know.

art scams

Of course, none of these things are sure-fire means to tell that you're being approached by someone who is trying to steal your money or art. Just if y'all see them in an email, you should outset to get suspicious, and more wary of the advice. If the conversation develops in a way that matches the sort of design we've been talking about, then you tin feel confident that there'southward something wrong.

Stay in touch with us! Our Newsletter is packed with inspiring stories, art tips, and Agora Gallery'south latest exhibition announcements.

How To Avoid Art Scams?

Well, you can look out for the clues mentioned to a higher place, which volition alert y'all to the possibility that something might be incorrect and be careful rather than gullible in your approach. Be conscious that scamming is a possibility, and aware that it might set on you lot. If yous start to worry about a item example, don't let your prejudice in favor of people who merits to adore your work become in the way of your circumspection.

Y'all can too be firm most following your usual method of payment; explain politely that you're not willing to take payment through cashier'south checks or postal money orders, which are more open to this sort of art scam. Oft the nature of the art scam will center on the method of payment suggested past the scammer – if yous stick to your normal method, something you know to exist safe, they may be forced to give upward.

Also, make sure to never accept overpayments. This is not a common manner of doing business concern, and you probably haven't encounter it before in 18-carat transactions. You're selling, they're buying – no coin should exist leaving your business relationship. Make it your policy not to work this way.

If yous're suspicious for any reason, try googling the e-mail address of the contact you're corresponding with. Because scammers transport so many fine art scam emails, their address gets to be known equally one associated with the art scam they're running. Information technology might well be that the person contacting you is already on a 'blacklist' which y'all can find online. In situations like this, being represented by a gallery tin can also evidence to be beneficial.

For ane matter, y'all can rely on the gallery staff, who volition probably take had more than experience with art scam attempts than you lot have had, to make certain that everything is as it should be and protect you as necessary.

Useful Article: 8 Benefits Of Gallery Representation

Another important matter to make notation of is to never ship your piece of work before the payment has been cleared. This seems so uncomplicated that y'all read it and wonder how anyone ever gets caught acting differently – but when you're in the heart of a serial of emails going back and forth, and you've congenital up a flick of your correspondent's life in your head, and you're pleased that they appreciate your art. It can exist hard to remember.

Arrive a rule of how yous practise business organization, and if y'all're ever asked to make an exception, think very seriously virtually whether it seems like a practiced risk to be taking (if y'all know the buyer personally, for instance, it might exist a reasonable decision).

Art scams are becoming more than and more sophisticated by the day and it is very important for yous as an creative person to protect your fine art as well as your hard-earned money. Following the advice in this article will assistance you to avert fine art scams when selling your fine art. But what you really demand to do is take the messages hither to heart. Remember when you are selling your art on the internet, y'all demand to know and trust your potential clients.

As a promotional gallery, we have pride in the various group of artists from across the globe represented by united states of america. Want to give your art more than time, and leave the marketing and promotional hassles to someone else? Visit our Gallery Representation And Creative person Promotion page for more information.

Have you 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's representation process is transparent and it starts with our dedicated folio. Our representatives are presented on the website. If you lot are contacted by someone offer representation on behalf of the gallery, delight reach out to us at info@agora-gallery.com

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