Different Art Commission Scams
Since more people might be curious about this, I'm gonna put it all in a post instead of replying as a comment. The art commission discord I'm in explains several scams linked to a commission in some way.
=> In short, the goal is usually either: private data, phishing, free art, or selling art as NFT.
You can find screenshots of these scams in action in the Art Commission server (too many images to upload here). I'm copying the explanation directly:
Fake paypal scam / Phishing via Invoice link
These scammers will message people asking for a commission, specifically for a commission of their daughter/son/pet for 500$. After successfully baiting their victim, they will ask for paypal email just to send a fake invoice that has a phishing link attached to it. Usually the email will be put in "Spam" section.
Digital check scam / Personal Info Scam
These scammers will message people for a commission but when asked for payment will ask to pay with a digital check. They will proceed asking for confidential information, such as name, surname and bank information.
"Actually, I am a… scammer" / Fake artist scam (?)
These scammers message people out of the blue using small talk phrases, such as "Hi!" "hey how are you?" or "hi, can i ask you something?". After exchanging a couple of messages with a user they waste no time and send this kind of message: "Actually I am a digital artist and I am looking for commissions, I can do 3D Models, Digital Art, Paintings, Banners, Graphic Design,... [the list goes on and on] ... lmk if you are interested so I can share my portfolio?"
"I want you to draw XYZ.."/ False Payment Screenshot
These scammer approach you with the lure of false hope that they'll commission you and accept any rate you offer them. They'll ask for your email and try to pay you via friends-and-family and send you a false screenshot that they've sent the money. If you receive an e-mail from Paypal informing you've received payment, please watch more closely as it's not from the official Paypal e-mail.
NFT Scam / Enquiry via Art Station / "Is this piece for sale?"
These are scammers who will email or message artists looking to buy an already existing artwork from their gallery. The artworks these scammers receive are forwarded/sold to NFT projects. These are not legitimate buyers but rather huge scam businesses. It is best not to interact with such messages, especially from unknown users even if you are doing it as a joke. Your information will be marked and they will keep flooding your DMs/email box. We advice everyone to just block these accounts and move on with their day. These scams usually happen on social media, like Twitter/X and Art Station.
Art Theft / Personal Info Scam
Anyone who gives away too much personal info unwarranted is likely a scammer looking to get personal info or art out of you for NFTs/AI/posters/etc. - similar to the ‘draw my child/pet’ (not my child/pet) scam where scammers bomb artists with photos and don't pay. To state the obvious, watch out for strangers online and don't doxx yourself by accident.
"Commission of my [family/pet/etc]" / Alternative Payment & Phishin scam
These scammers will DM you asking for commission information/ask for the commission straight away. They will specify that they are willing to spend the whole budget on just one commission of their relative/close person/pet. Usually the budget exceeds your own prices to easily manipulate people into agreeing to this request. However, they don't need the art, as they will ask you to sign up for their alternative payment method. The link is either a phishing link or an actual website that is hosted by these scammers to get a hold of your personal information information. This scam is more common for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X but Discord is no stranger to these scammers either.
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