Ugh, whyyyyyy?!
1. NFT Scams
This is a screenshot from Instagram, courtesy of Reddit user /u/yetanotherpenguin. This is a very common scam that targets artists. How it works is someone claims to want their artwork for an NFT (NFT stands for non-fungible token, they are digital files with unique digital codes on each one); promising to buy the NFT for a lot of money – this user was offering over $5,000! The scammer will then direct the artist to an NFT website, where the artist will pay high fees (could be hundreds of dollars) to upload and offer the artwork as an NFT… and then both the scammer (and sometimes the website, too) will disappear completely, leaving the artist with no way to get their money back. Personally, I have had concerns over NFTs from the start as it all sounds like a money laundering tactic to me.
Sorry, not sorry.
2. Digital checks
Here is a conversation from my own Instagram, where a user offered to buy my artwork with a digital check. Digital checks are not a thing. This person was offering to send me an image of a check to my email, and then said I can just upload it to my bank app. This sounds similar to a mobile upload, but again, digital checks are not a thing. You cannot just upload an image to your bank like that. I ended the conversation by flipping their own excuse back on them: "Sorry, that won't work with my bank account."
Just stop already!
3. Promotions
This happens all the time on Instagram, usually in the form of comments on posts that say “Send/DM to…” or “Promote on…” or even a message asking to "collaborate." Basically, you pay a fee, and then they will add a post promoting or sharing your account. Here’s where the scam comes in: even though they have 100k followers, that doesn’t mean that they actually have that many followers. You can create more than one Instagram account (I have two, one for my art and one for my personal posts) and comment from all of those accounts. I once blocked a really pushy “promoter” and instantly lost 6 followers, as it blocked ALL of their accounts at the same time. Let’s all remember that “followers” and “likes” on social media do not equal sales, and you can’t feed your family with “exposure.”
Make like a tree and "leaf" me alone!
This screenshot is from a scam-alert post by u/J-DubT. In this scam, which has actually been around for many years and covers a wide range of targets (not just artists, but all types of businesses,) the scammer contacts an artist wanting to purchase some artwork for a birthday/anniversary gift for their spouse. They will mail a check for the artwork, but the amount on the check is for quite a bit more than was originally agreed upon. They ask the artist to wire the overpayment back, quickly, and after a few days the check will turn out to be fake. Now the artist has paid hundreds of dollars, with no chance of getting the money back.
One way to tell if someone who is messaging you over social media to buy your artwork is (probably) sincere about purchasing is if they have a history with your page. Are they following your page, and how long have they been following it (did they just start following today, or has it been a few weeks or more)? Do they leave thoughtful comments on your posts? Do they “like” your posts as you add them, or did they just go through and “like” them all in one day? These are a few questions to ask yourself if you are unsure about someone who is messaging you.
All of this said, there are real people online who genuinely like and want to purchase artwork. I have a few devout followers who “like” most of my posts, and will message me every so often to buy something. I have even messaged artists I find on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. and asked them if I could interview them here on my blog. I don’t charge for my interviews, however, and I certainly don’t promise massive exposure. 😉
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