#scammers

[commie-raccoon-raymond]

Hello, I am from Gaza, due to the shortage of medicine in Gaza, my mother who is a type 1 diabetic and was supposed to undergo urgent eye surgery, has not been able to get insulin or any medical care for the past three months. . Some members of my family fled to the southernmost part of Gaza (Rafah) in tents. But my parents and sisters have nowhere else to stay. They are forced to stay in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which has been bombed since the beginning of Christmas. "I am on my knees asking for your donations. Please help me. where you can, Goal: $700

Nb/REBLOG,DONATE & SHARE WITH FRIENDS ❤️

[deleted]

-> this is scam, please be careful folks

[cy-cyborg]

Hey just a heads up for my Aussie disabled people (or anyone on centrelink) I just got a fake notification from someone claiming to be MyGov saying there was an issue with my dsp. Be careful and check the app if you get a text, don't click the links they send you.

This one was pretty obviously fake, the sender was "MyOv" instead of MyGov and called my DSP an allowance - also it wasnt that definitive MyGov brand of ominously vague lol, but I get the scam messages a lot anyway and they usually get better with time. Be cautious and make sure your less tech-savy relatives/friends know about it!

[maikaartwork]

Artists, let’s talk about Instagram commission scammers

There’s been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists don’t know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.

How they begin

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. They’ll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like “It’s for my son’s birthday”. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they don’t follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.

What to look out for:

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 “??” when you don’t answer immediately. They’re in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know. 

They’ll 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 don’t really care for this part.

They’ll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD (EDIT: I know it might not be a lot for some work. What I mean here - way higher than your asking price, 100 and 300 are standard rates they give). They’ll often put in a phrase like “I am willing to compensate you financially” and “I want the best you can draw”, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. That’s because it is.

Where the scam actually happens

If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. They’ll try to get to this part as soon as possible. 

Usually, they’ll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. They’ll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). They’ll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - that’s what they’re after. If you insist on any other method, they’ll just circle back to the transfer “for easiest method”. If you do provide them with the info, most likely you’ll 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. It’s 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 you’ll never see that money again. 

They’ll overpay you “for shipping costs” and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, you’ll never see that money again.

The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize there’s 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. 

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 “back” - aka to their final destination account. 

Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how it’s 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 won’t supply you with any good answers.

Don’t let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. That’s how they operate, that’s how they make you lose vigilance. 

Don’t 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 you’ll regret later.

Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info. 

Don’t be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because it’s there now doesn’t mean it can’t be withdrawn. 

Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized it’s a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very “by the book” with it. 

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. Let’s help each other out. 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.

[atavist]

His mother got duped by a man who claimed to love her—so he headed to Nigeria to find the con artist who broke her heart.   The Romance Scammer on My Sofa. The latest incredible true story from The Atavist.

[dduane]

"Since the Wonka fiasco, Coull has taken steps to scrub various social accounts, taking down both a LinkedIn profile and a YouTube channel where it appears he presented himself as something of a business guru and life coach. His personal site, also deleted, touted a number of dubious academic degrees and said he worked as a “consultant” for a brand called Empowerity, which is now defunct. As of 2021, he was co-directing a Glasgow foodbank that he claimed fed thousands of families a month — that, too, no longer exists, and some Glaswegians suspect it was not entirely above board."

And also:

"The 16 books on Coull’s Amazon author page were all published in the summer of 2023 — some of them on the very same day. The synopsis for each is AI-generated, according to GPTZero analysis, and so is the text between the covers, as one irate reviewer has complained. Coull couldn’t even be bothered to pen his own author bio..."

[fvck-you-bitch]

THIS PALESTINE SCAM BLOG IS ALSO GETTING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO 100 NOTES!!! LET'S FIX THAT BY REPORTING THEIR ASSES!!

DO NOT DONATE TO @rashidoraq!!!! AMONG THE OTHERS LISTED IN THIS POST!!!

THEY ARE A SCAMMER TAKING AWAY LITERAL LIFE SAVING MONEY FROM ACTUAL PALESTINIANS!!!

[perryfellow]

[pinkwritings]

DISCORD HACK BULLSHIT;

SO, today I got a message from a friend on discord saying the following;

immediately sus, no? well, I got panicky and then played into it because scammers deserve to be fucked with. so, they ask me to add this person and I do.

and then this.

long story short, be careful. check in with your friends. make sure your account is safe, don't give out your personal info and most definitely DON'T change your email to the one they asked you to changed it to.

[8pxl]

🗣️ PSA

if ur a pixel artist or u use instagram please be wary of this account @pixel___art__._

they’ve not only stolen pixel art from a LOT of artist (including myself and @waneella) but they’re claiming to be the artist behind the artwork. it’s just so wildly cringe lmfaooo but please block them so you don’t accidentally interact with this account, thank you!! 🖤

[wyomingweasel]

Posting this here too because fuck ‘em and they advertise everywhere: do not buy from or support @strikegentlyco . They’ve been caught using generative ai for a handful of their blanket designs. “By independent artists” my ass. They’ve since removed the ‘in collaboration with Dalle’ from the capybara blanket btw, this is 100% intentional.

[nonenosome2]

I love fucking with scammers.

Understand, I don't know any Eliza and that 2:19 message was the first contact from "her".

[gloopqueen]

These pendants are sold with bunk science claims, but we can use real science to prove how dangerous they are.

By filling a chamber with supersaturated alcohol vapor, any ionizing radioactive particle that jets through will cause a cloud to condense. And these "health" products pack thorium & burp radiation constantly. Yikes.

[atavist]

His mother got duped by a man who claimed to love her—so he headed to Nigeria to find the con artist who broke her heart. A rare look inside the world of the so-called Yahoo Boys. The Romance Scammer on My Sofa. The latest incredible true story from The Atavist.

[small-brain-witch-bitch]

How the Hazbin cast would react to spam calls:

Angel Dust overdoing it on purpose; "I'm supposed to send you 1000$? How about we spend a night together and call it even, no Extra charge ;*"

Husk: "Fuck off"

Vaggie: doesn't pick up unknown number

Charlie: "1000$? Oh dear, that's a lot of money, you should really get a lawyer instead - I could ask my dad, he's the king, so he'll probably -" disconnect

"Odd..."

Pentouis: "I don't have this kind of money! Who do think you are?! A prince? Well then ask the princess, I'm sure she-" disconnected

Nifty: sends dead bug crown instead

Alastor: "Are you sure you're not a baker? No? Why, it seems like you're awfully keen on collecting more dough!" Canned laughter "It looks like I have guest for my radio show!"

[cacodaemonia]

Heads up y'all