Artists, letβs talk about Instagram commission scammers
Thereβs been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists donβt know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.
Usually the scammer will write to you asking about a commission. Something deceptively cute - mostly I encounter asks about pet portraits, with one or two photos sent. Theyβll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like βItβs for my sonβs birthdayβ. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they donβt follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.
Their profiles will either be private, empty, or filled with very generic stuff, dating at most a few years back.
Their language will be very simple, rushed or downright bad. They might use weird emojis that nobody ever uses. They will probably send impatient β??β when you donβt answer immediately. Theyβre in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know.Β
Theyβll give you absolutely no guidelines. No hints on style, contents aside from (usually) the pet and often a name written on the artwork, no theme. Anything you draw will be perfect. Full artistic freedom. In reality they donβt really care for this part.
Theyβll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD. Theyβll often put in a phrase like βI am willing to compensate you financiallyβ and βI want the best you can drawβ, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. Thatβs because it is.
Where the scam actually happens
If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. Theyβll try to get to this part as soon as possible.Β
Usually, theyβll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. Theyβll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). Theyβll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - thatβs what theyβre after. If you insist on any other method, theyβll just circle back to the transfer βfor easiest methodβ. If you do provide them with the info, most likely youβll soon get a scam email. It most likely be a message with a link that will ultimately lead to bleeding you dry. Never, and I mean NEVER click on any emails or links you get from them. Itβs like with any other scam emails you can ever get.
A few things can happen here:
They overpay you and ask for the difference to be wired back. Usually it will go to a different account and youβll never see that money again.Β
Theyβll overpay you βfor shipping costsβ and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, youβll never see that money again.
The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize thereβs been something sketchy going on and request a refund via official channels. Your account will be charged with fees and/or you get in trouble for fraudulent transactions.Β
You will transfer the money from your PayPal credit to your bank account and they will make a shitstorm when they want their money back, making your life a living hell. They will call you a scammer, a thief, make wild claims, wearing you down and forcing you into wiring money βbackβ - aka to their final destination account.Β
Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how itβs supposed to go. Use PayPal Invoice for secure exchanges where the client needs to provide you with their email, not the other way around.
You can find more info on that method HERE.
What to do when you encounter a scammer:
Ask the right questions: inquire about the style, which artwork of yours they like, as much details as you can. They wonβt supply you with any good answers.
Donβt let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. Thatβs how they operate, thatβs how they make you lose vigilance.Β
Donβt engage them. As soon as you realize it might be a scam, block them. The sense of urgency they create with their rushed exchange, and pressure they put on you will sooner or later get to you and you might do something that youβll regret later.
Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info.Β
Donβt be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because itβs there now doesnβt mean it canβt be withdrawn.Β
Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized itβs a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very βby the bookβ with it.Β
Please share this post, make it reach as many artists as possible. Let young or inexperienced artists know that this is going on. So many people have no idea that this is a thing. Letβs help each other out.Β If you think I missed any relevant info, do add it as an rb!
Also, if you know other scam methods that you think should be shared, consider rb-ing this post with them below. Having a master post of scam protection would AWESOME to have in the art community.
