5 Creative Scams – Artists, be careful!

Were you ever a victim of a scam or fraud?

In 2021, I went public with my art through my website, which is also my online store, and three social media channels – Instagram, Pinterest, and recently YouTube. This was an exciting time – I could share my art with art lovers worldwide; everything will be peachy, I thought, or better yet, coral, rose, and turquoise – my coastal colour palette – except, not really!

When I started, my fan foundation consisted of my family and friends (about 20 people). I thought I was still anonymous. However, this was not the case for scammers.

The scams I am going to describe are related to my virtual presence. If you know about more virtual scams or you went through an in-person art fraud, please write to me in a comment so we can work together to make more artists and art enthusiasts aware of these scams.

• Fake buyers

These people email you about how much they want to buy your art piece for their relatives (wife, aunt, etc.). When you answer, responding how pleased you are and that gladly, they can order originals from your website, they reject this option and ask for odd, tricky transactions. Don't waste your time; move on!

• False NFT buyers on social media, especially Instagram

I receive many impersonal comments and messages like "Hey, I love your art, and I want to buy it as an NFT." This put me in a situation where I now block the word "NFT" on my Instagram channel. When you click on the account of these swindlers, you can see these are fake accounts, usually created within the last 48 hours. They want you to sell your art as NFT on their suggested platforms for very high fees. This is terrible for people who are actually really interested in NFT art.

• Stealing photos and creating pretend social media accounts

Speaking of fake accounts, let's move into the third scam. I’ve seen that very talented artists with well-running social media accounts are victims of having their content stolen and their pictures copied into fake accounts presenting their artwork. I wonder how those scammers react when some fan proposes a commission art piece. :-)

• Exhibitions in smaller galleries

Showcasing paintings in traditional brick galleries is a prestigious and lucrative way of presenting your art; however, be alert. There are currently many small, unknown galleries collecting money from artists of $1500+ for a collective exhibition, for example, for one to two months. They also request that you take on the entire shipping, as well. They promise a vernissage and last minute add your credentials in their catalogues, etc. The good news is that your artwork will probably be hanging on the walls somewhere, as these brick galleries exist. The bad news is that these galleries don't provide a high level of networking in the art society. The vernissage is usually only an attraction for random people who can have cheap drinks for free and have zero interest in purchasing art, and the amount of gallery visitors is very low.

• Artist consulting

These schemes promise you that you’ll start to sell your art after six months for incredible prices. You have to invest "only" a minimum of $3000+ for pieces of training and creating community, and you will undoubtedly be a rising star. Let's face it –  when your art is phenomenal, you are active on social media, and you are generally a social person, customers and curators will discover you sooner or later. You have to work hard on your talent, technique, digital presence, and community, and you will get where you want to be. It takes time; miracles do not happen overnight. People will come by themselves if you focus on creating extraordinary art and are passionate about it. So, don't pay anybody thousands of dollars for just promising you something.

These are five of the most obvious scams I encountered and detected. Be ready also for tons of advertising emails from various companies offering website development, SEO support, etc. They will write to you, saying that they did an audit of your website, and it’s just terrible, and you need urgent help. I sometimes feel like I need urgent help, but not with the website. :-D If you want a service you cannot fix by yourself, go to a freelancer website like Upwork, for example, and find the specialist you require, and don't wait for some spammy emails.

Always do proper research, check online reviews, check social media accounts, dates of publishing, engagement, etc. It will take you some time to recognize if the sender is serious, but it will save you lots of trouble in the future.

This art blog is a bit rough, I know. I had to express myself by warning you because I am a bit disappointed that I was a witness for the last two years. But now, the pleasant matter is coming at the end – this was only a tiny part of the endeavor. You will meet many lovely people in person or virtually who will support and cheer you up, admire you, kindly ask you for advice, and are genuinely interested in purchasing your artwork. So, keep your eyes open and enjoy the progress, art life, and your magnificent creations.