"Hi. I'm Eli "Atlas" Isaiah, a freelance Illustrator from California, and due to a FORGED Check I'd recieved, I'm $2000 in debt. With all the late fees and overdraft charges piling up, I risk forfeiting my rent, losing my home, my belongings, my art and much more. The artwork you're looking at, of Marvel Comics' Black Cat, is the piece of art at the center of my trouble.
About last week I was contacted via my ComicArtFans page by a man who claimed to be interested in buying my newest piece--Black Cat-- from me (whose account, I should say, had been SUDDENLY deleted after these events). He was asking some buyerly questions, "Is the item still for sale? What condition is it in?" type stuff. His english wasn't too great, but the internet is chock-full of people like that. He was pretty generous with his info. Well, it came around to the payment and the first thing he says (and I QUOTE):
"...I wish I could pay via PayPal, but I am having problem with my account..i can only pay via Bank Certified Check..."
OK, I thought, I'd heard of people having different issues with Paypal before, like Paypal not letting someone withdraw their own money, or putting a freeze on their account, or whatnot. Nothing TOO suspicious about that. The next email I get some days later he says:
"... I received an email from financial clerk you are going to receive the check tomorrow. But they is little problem from my financial clerk mistake over payment intend of $150 issued out $1,500.."
Long story short, the next thing I know this guy is throwing stories out about how urgently he needs the work and SUDDENLY his "mother" is sick and in the hospital. NOW I have to pick up the check ASAP, deduct the cost of it for myself, and return the rest of the overpayment back to him via Western Union. In retrospect, I should've used better judgement. The address I was shipping the work to (Oklahoma) was different than the address I was sending the money back too (California); when I opened the check in the mail, it was sent from somewhere in New Jersey. Well, my head was already spinning from the running around I was doing the whole day, so I did everything I was supposed to, not thinking much at all about it.
I wake up the next day and get the gut feeling to call the bank first thing in the morning.
"OVERDRAWN."
The bank says my "buyer's" check was COUNTERFEIT. I'd written another check at the store that same day (expecting his check was decent) and was being charged overdraft AND my art was STILL in transit.
The GOOD NEWS is UPS was contacted and the art is being intercepted.
The BAD NEWS is now I'm $2000 in debt to the bank and have to have the money back by September 27th. With all the extra fees I'll end up owing, and the little deduction fees from GoFundMe, I've set the campaign cost to $2300. I do take responsibility for what happened and my plain, stupid oversight, but I've always been an honest seller, communicative and cooperative with my clients and only always give %110 percent of myself when it comes to art and service. What happened isn't fair, isn't legal, and now I have to pay up, or else. So, aside from the Commissions I've opened up on my deviantART page to make the money back, I've started this GoFundMe campaign http://www.gofundme.com/4fzj0w , where you can donate to me directly.
NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL TO HELP!
And please, please, PLEASE, if you can do nothing else, just spread the word for me. Retweet your friends, Share this campaign on Facebook, Reblog it on your Tumblr, whatever you can do. If everybody pitches in just a little bit, I know we can make this deadline long before September 27. As far as this fradulent buyer is concerned, all the proper authorities are being contacted. In the mean time, please help me make this money to pay off the bank! I'll keep you guys updated as the days go by.
Thanks."
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