Artist Scams - emails or contact form submissions

As an artist and web designer for many artists, I have a lot of artist friends and clients, and occasionally they are contacted online by fraudulent scammers who are trying to scam artists by offering to buy their work. I am sharing this post to warn any artists of these types of scams.

For example, the contact form submission notification lower below sounds generic and suspiciously familiar, I’ve seen these types of messages before. This is likely an Art buying scam – which often involve a fake buyer who uses methods like overpayment tricks bad checks or stolen credit cards to defraud artists. Scammers may pressure artists into sending back an "overpayment" which is later revealed to be fraudulent or they might claim to be an art gallery that requires an upfront "listing fee". To stay safe artists should be wary.

A big red flag is the large budget range of "$1,000 to $40,000" which is offered to make the offer sound legitimate and highly desirable. It's meant to put a creator at ease and override their suspicion.

The request to pay by check is a key step in the classic "overpayment" scam. The scammer will send a fraudulent check for more than the agreed-upon amount and then ask for the difference to be wired back to them. The bank will eventually discover the check is fake, leaving you on the hook for the full amount plus any returned funds.

Here is an example of this type of contact form submission scam:

Name: Tyler Cowen

Email: cowentyler67@gmail.com

Phone: 2694548492

Subject: An Anniversary Surprise for My Wife

Message: Hello, my name is Tyler Cowen and I am currently stationed at Naval Base Coronado, California. As our upcoming wedding anniversary approaches, I’ve been exploring artwork to find the perfect surprise gift for my wife. During my search, I came across your work and was truly captivated by the quality and detail. Your talent really stood out to me. (Red flag: this is all very generic, and could apply to any artist)

With that in mind, I’m interested in purchasing one or more of your pieces as part of our anniversary celebration. If possible, could you kindly share images of available works that are ready for immediate (or near-immediate) sale? I would also appreciate it if you could provide details regarding their dimensions and pricing.

My budget for this purchase is between $1,000 and $40,000. Additionally, I’d like to confirm whether you accept checks as means of payment.  (Red flag: a high budget range and asking if you accept checks are both signals this is a scam)

I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your available inventory.

Warm regards,

Tyler Cowen (likley a fake/scammer name)

I would delete this contact – and not followup! This is a very generic and suspicious contact form submission and should be ignored and deleted. When it sounds too good to be true, always proceed with caution! Best wishes to all of you artists out there for REAL customers who truly want to purchase your work.