I'm sorry, but if this idiot takes you in, you deserve to lose the money and the painting. P.T. Barnum once said, " There is a sucker born every day!" Or was that W.C. Fields. I get those initials confused..:)
I get two to three of these a month. I've tried reporting them to the Fed's but they tell me they are aware of the scam and to ignore them.
I probably live a "charmed life" because I've accepted checks from buyer and...so far... not one has ever bounced. Of course, I cash the check BEFORE I ship the painting. I also accept checks at art shows and I must say I’m lucky to get a "real" buyer with money.
We have to be diligent and not be too eager to sell. If the proposition is too good to be true, you may end up with new wallpaper and lose your work.

I would like to thank you for bringing something similar to 'The Nigerian Scam' to our attention on your bi-weekly letter, about a year ago. (see How to spot a phony)
It was shortly after my website and artwork went onto the net that I too, began receiving bogus letters. However, being new to the situation of having my art on the net, I might have actually wondered if this kind of stuff was real if I hadn't had the scam brought to my attention by you.
Thanks again.

Be especially careful because you have little if any way of getting back your money. Plus remember if you do deposit a fake check and start writing checks to pay bills, make purchases, once the bank finds out the check is fake they are going to charge your account the amount of the check and then your checks will start bouncing, and you will be charged fees, and on and on. It can be a financial disaster for you. No matter how official a check looks from these guys, every time it is going to be fake.

I read an article in a business magazine on corporate and personal investments. It said, if the deal sounds like it is too good to be true, in all probability it is too good to be true.

I get one of these letters, not necessarily about art, at least once a week! The first thing I usually notice, after an enormous amount of money is mentioned, is that even when the English is pretty good, the grammar breaks down somewhere along the line. Somehow these letters never look like a bonafide business letter. Once, my husband and I decided to follow one up just to see how these people go about baiting the hook, but gave it up when they started wanting information from us. But really these kind of scams have been well advertised and it's amazing that people still get caught. There was one the other day forwarded from our Art Society asking for donations of paintings. It seemed a good cause but I was leary and simply held it for a few days to see what would happen. The Society investigated and warned all their members thankfully.

And it's not only money they are after. Your response to a suspect e-mail gives them a vaild email address (yours) which they can sell to bulk advertisers. When the fake "you have won $1 million" email asked you to supply full information, address, telephone, etc. this is even more valuable to them. Nothing is Free. Bill Gates in not going to donate money to some noble charity every time you pass on some silly message. The rule of Don't talk to strangers should be extended to don't communicate to them either. I know. My ID has been compromised and I have lost money out of my bank account for my carelessness ...and stupidity. Be like Robert. Don't be like me.

What makes me mad is that these scammers are showing as much creativity as we artists, maybe more.

Thanks very much for bringing this to the attention of your huge following of artists, Robert. I have personally received half a dozen calls or emails from artists of my acquaintance inquiring about this -- quite a few of them excited about potential sales, until I told them it was a scam.

Despite the serious issue you bring up, this was your funniest letter since I began to subscribe. "Why don't I tuck $3000 into the back of the painting?" indeed.

Since my mother passed away I have and am still receiving scams in the name of my bank, Exxon, you name it, that I stand to receive millions. Also a sob letter from a woman who had many serious illnesses and wanted to give her money to someone deserving. HaHa.
These letters come in all styles and are pretty funny. At least, they give me a good laugh for the day.
And remember, only the greedy get sucked into them, the letters are too good to be true!

There is a little village in China where they turn out these paintings (the ones mentioned for small amounts of cash), unfortunately people from the States and most likely Canada have been buying them over the Internet. They are taking images off the web of works like Genn's and selling them. China's copyright laws are more or less non-existent and they produce too many of them for the red tape to ever get cleaned up in time. Off topic, but more or less true.

The artists in our group, Art Helping Animal Artists, which has artists in several states from coast to coast in the USA, and in Canada, Australia, and UK , have gotten so many of these it's ridiculous. We have gotten to sharing with each other on our forum and to have to report everyone of these outrageous scams would take up way too much precious painting time!

I often get emails from deposed dictators wanting to send me money directly to my account. Of course I always comply as I really feel sorry for these folks as I know they really do need a safe haven for their money. I even went so far as to greet one at the airport after I sent him an airline ticket to the U.S., I had my guest bedroom all ready for him but he didn't show up.

Now please excuse me as I get back to painting, so I can sell more art, make more money to buy airline tickets to send to these generous folks in obscure countries. Everyone should get a chance to come to America.

If you've got some time to peruse, check out this very entertaining site: http://www.419eater.com/

There is a whole art to "scamming the scammers." If you click on the "letters archive," you can see some examples.

...Also is there a way to find out when European galleries offer an oportunity to exhibit??? as in ...you have been selected etc.?
Love to know how to discern ....of course there is a fee.
CHEERS, Gail Harper

The old adage still applies "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I received an email this year from someone who wanted to buy several of my paintings. And then a check with an extra amount that I would send back to them. My last contact with them was that I was concerned because I know that there are scams. I didn't hear back from them! I think it would always be prudent to make sure the check cleared your bank (not just deposited) before sending anything. AND I think it's always questionable when someone wants you to return a portion.

Hello, I got an e-mail from a Despina Tunberg, who says she is a art curator from Santa Barbara Calif. saying that she was interested in my work, and would I be interested in sending images of my work. They would be juried, and then if one or more was accepted, I could have up to 5 images published in an art book, at the cost of $600.00 per page, she said she saw my work from the Painter's Keys, I don't have $600.00 anyways. But would like to know if anyone else was contacted, and what do you think, is there something rotten in Denmark, or not. hmmmm Thanks D.

I had to chuckle at the 'scam' coverage. No doubt everyone has had hundreds of these requests. Last week we had a request to rent our B&B rooms for 6 people for two weeks and like you, they were sending a cheque for a few thousand over the cost and would we kindly mail him a money order for the change! We suggested they go to a local hotel!!
Love your letters and thought that I should really be responding to an art related item!! Next time.....Sandy

I understand that this is a serious issue, but you certainly gave me a great laugh with your description! And sadly enough.....some of our own citizens write in the same manner as "Bill". YIKES!

For Deborah Leigh---I have received several of those types of 'opportunities.' I have never responded as I don't see the point of spending that kind of money to be in a book. If I wanted to spend that much, I bet that American Style or some other art magazine would be a better investment. Reminds me of all the poetry contests where people pay to be published and get special rates if they agree to purchase x number of books.

I dealt with a woman named "Natalie Perkins" last year, and was able to determine that she became aware of me through your art directory - as she hadn't yet seen my website. Her English was almost perfect, and she placed a very reasonable order for 15 of my prints, by title and quantity. It wasn't until we were about to close the deal (after I'd prepared all the prints) that the request to cash the Western Union money order (for about $2000 more than the prints were worth) came through. Easy to figure it out then - especially after reading your "How to Spot a Phony". Thank goodness for artists watching out for each other. But it's a sad world.

Robert, I was just recently subjected to a very similar scam as yours. My client was from Alabama whose husband was in London, UK, but moving to Johannesburg, SA, where they were going to be moving into a new home. Their mover was supposedly from London who would be looking after shipping their household goods. The check was a good forgery but did not fool the teller at the bank, where I took the cheque to be "checked out". I had a bit of fun emailing the culprits back and suggesting that the RCMP would like to talk to them! The RCMP have little to no recourse in apprehending these types, who probably make quite a bit of dough at the end of the day.

That was hilarious. I get letters like that regularly too. I advertise my painting classes on Craig's list. The way I know my add is out and being seen is that I first get a couple letters like that one, always the same formula, always non-english english. It's good you warned people. There are a lot of scammers out there. www.paintwithjoanne.com

That's an interesting story. I've had the same experience a number of times. However, the last one shook me up a little. This time the person gave me a credit card number. I have a contract with which I can accept credit cards. When I checked on the credit card number I was told it was a valid card. I was about to proceed with the sale when I thought of asking for the name on the card. The company I deal with would not give me the name but I was able to convince them to give me a "yes" or "no" if I gave them the name. It was "no". So this 'crook' almost had me or someone because if he/she had been smart enough to note the name on the stolen card, a transaction could have been made. That means either I or the poor slob who owns the card could have been dinged. The other part that was scary was when I told the company about the attempted scam, they were not interested. I then called the appropriate credit card company and they too were very blasé about the whole transaction. So this business that the credit cards companies are interested in stopping fraud is simply not true. As long as they don't lose, they could care less.

A few months ago I got an email that read: "Hi gilda: I visited your website and I love your work. It is amazing. I live in Alabama at the present time but I have been transferred to South Africa. Nothing would please me more than to have a couple of your paintings in our new home. I want to buy: 'Philodendron and Quixote'. A friend of mine is going to visit Ottawa next week, so he will pick the paintings up at your place. He would give you a certified cheque in the amount of both paintings. Thanks, Bill".

I smiled and immediately started wondering what to buy with my $2,200 dollars. After having a cup of tea and still with a big smile on my face, I came back to the computer to read the email again. Something was telling me that it was too good to be true. It was the first time ever that a person was willing to pay full price without bargaining or asking about taxes. I did not even have to ship the paintings because they were going to be picked up right at my door. I decided to trust my instincts and went to google to type his name: Bingo!!!! He is a con artist who has stolen paintings from dozens of people. Most artists who have written their stories on the Internet say: "You get a certified cheque that looks like the real thing and without hesitation you hand the paintings to Bill's friend. You go laughing all the way to the bank. A few days later you get the surprise that it was a fake cheque and therefore the bank charges you 'handling services'."

Your paintings are gone, you don't even have an address or phone number and you are out of pocket the handling services. Artists beware!!!
http://ca.geocities.com/gildart77/

OK so here's my proposal.... everyone who gets this email and yes I get them regularly, some even name real work on my website. I say we do the deal with the cash in the back of the painting.... a nice charcoal rubbing of some coins, my great niece's sketch of some Euros, a one sided photocopy of a dollar bill..... you get the idea but the painting will be real.... it will be a 6"x6" painting of a lollipop.... you know a SUCKER.

So far whenever I have Google-mapped the addresses in these emails they have never come up with a location.

Oh yes and when the check arrives.... I think I'll just drop it off at the local police station. I'm sure they have a nice photo album to keep it in.

This one kind of hit home for me. A couple of years ago someone tried to steal one of my paintings via the Internet. I am very careful about these kinds of things, and highly suspicious of the type of e-mail messages you are talking about. This purchase seemed quite legitimate however, as it was made through eBay, the buyer wrote with perfect English and asked me to ship the painting as a gift to his friend in Vietnam. The credit card transaction was confirmed through Paypal.

Everything seemed well in order, and I packaged the piece up for shipment. I happened to check my e-mail just as I was on my way out the door to the post office, at which point I discovered a new message from Paypal stating that the transaction had subsequently been reversed due to a problem with the credit card. I contacted them for further information and they explained that the credit card had since been reported stolen by the cardholder.

I'm almost honoured that someone would go to such lengths to get their hands on one of my paintings. This was not the type of scam where I was asked to refund money, so all the thief could have to gain in the end would be one of my lovely pieces of art. Yes, kind of flattering in an ironic sort of a way.
www.tsunamigallery.ca

I had the exact same thing happen to me from someone in Australia who wanted to purchase hats and t-shirts associated with a comic book I have published this year. The order was very large and would have been great for my ego and pocketbook. That was until he offered to not only pick up the product as shipping was above $500, but he would pay me extra for my trouble. I didn't realize I was having trouble selling from my own business, but I guess it is so. I stopped all correspondence and have not heard back since. I'm glad you did not get scammed. He had the same bad spelling and the funny thing was I "googled" his name and the name was a respected university professor in Australia. I didn't think a university professor would have problems spelling his own name in his email address.

Yup, I had a couple of those scam emails. I was wise to them, but an incredible number of people fall for them. My brother was all set to take off to Lagos to meet a beautiful woman who just happened to be president of both an oil company and a gold mine...and another friend agreed to rent his old French farmhouse to a Nigerian family for 2,000 pounds sterling a week in the middle of winter...

I am on a painting holiday in Villefranche-sur-Mer. I happen to own the Citadel here, if anyone wants to make me an offer...

My “Bill Brown” was a “Mr. K” from Nigeria. I do custom framing on the side, so “Mr. K” phoned me via a tele-service used for the deaf, to buy large quantities of frames & glass. Fortunately, I had just heard of this scam prior to this call, so I was ready for him. Also, at one point I was receiving e-mails, at least twice a week, from all over the world, stating that I’ve been chosen to receive their deceased relative’s inheritance and they just needed my bank account for an immediate deposit! And then there’s the many English Lottery winnings – I can’t seem to win the lottery here, but doesn’t seem to be a problem in England!
www.sharonwill.com

I feel rather embarrassed that although this scam is known for years now there are still people who step into this trap. I am getting regularly mails suggesting this kind of stuff in all varieties.
Whenever someone is suggesting sending payment without further question regarding my work these mails go into the bin immediately. Whenever someone suggests sending checks although I have clearly stated on my website how I am going to accept payments the email goes into the bin.

You'll probably get a letter from every artist on this one. I posted these tips on my blog about a similar letter... man, if I had a dollar for every time I won the European lottery.

Here are some tips on what to look for in an art scam letter:
1) If they don't know your name.
2) If they are not so good with the making of english?
2) No checks, money orders or 3rd party checks, especially if anyone is overseas.
3) Credit cards only and whatever the transaction give it 10 days or more to clear.
5) Google the address and call the number that's associated with the googled info.
6) If they want to send a check for way more than the amount and want you to send the balance back with the art, it's fo sho a scam.
7) Anytime they put their name in all caps... this must be something they teach in scam school.
8) If they use the word trust or invoke the name of Christ. One hopes that there is a special place in hell for anyone who attempts to gain your trust by saying "one in Christ"
9) and finally only scammers end with "best of regards"

Much of what is apparent in these scammails is something simple common sense will tell you, just turn off the "ohboyasale" feature in your brain.

BEST OF REGARDS
LARRY MOORE

I had a similar experience when I was trying to sell some wheels on CraigsList. I received an email from a Hilmo Agic that said he would send me a certified check and overnight it to me. I received an overnight check from a New York address for $3250 (much more than I was asking for the wheels) on a check from a Virginia publishing company. I called the publishing company and they said that was a closed account and they'd had a lot of calls. I didn't even know it was from Hilmo until he sent an email saying hurry up and wire back the extra money so he could send his shipper down to pick up the wheels. The check looked legitimate so I could see where some might go ahead and cash it and wire back the difference. I realized it was a scam and told Hilmo the check was no good and he was a fraud, etc thinking that would end it. However, he sent ANOTHER check, this time from a business company in North Dakota. Urgent emails followed from him about when I would wire the money so his shipper could pick up the wheels. I told him to send his shipper down, I'd pay him in cash and the local law enforcement community would be here to talk to him about where he got hold of so many fraudulent checks. The emails stopped.

The next time I got a suspicious offer concerning a certified check, I told him cash or postal money order only. He went away immediately. In the U.S. the postal money order is a great option for transactions. They are available at any post office and the fee is quite low.

The same approach came to me about my car advertised in a local Oregon paper, from someone with middle-eastern accent ("as near as I could tell") in New York who had a bank in Quebec! I sold the car to someone here but eventually a check arrived clumsily addressed for three times the selling price which I took into Bank of America as directed, but to alert them of the activity. The bank recognized right off that it was bogus. The "friend" who was going to come pick up the car and the difference in the amount never arrived. The whole thing was wildly crazy and although I can be gullible I never bit.

I receive at least one of these inquiries per month. The first time that it happened I was very excited and thrilled that the Internet was working for me. My husband was not so thrilled. He told me to respond saying that all payments from abroad go through either my accountant or lawyer and that was the last I heard of that. So....if I suspect foul play that is exactly what I say. Wastes less time I figure.

Two days ago I had a different kind of inquiry. I actually responded to it with titles and pricing. I did my dudilligence (sp). The man that wrote had spellled colour with the 'our' so I figured that he was likely not an American. '' Maybe he was for real', I thought. I looked his up his name 'Robert Menard' on Canada 411 and sure enough there are several Robert Menards strung out across the country. That is when I decided to reply. Within the hour an answer came saying 'Thank you for the information' and that was it. I 'googled' his name only to find that there is an up and coming artist in France by that name. When I found a site that supposedly carried his work, I clicked on his images, the response was 'image not available'.

My conspiracy-theory self believes that I have been scammed. I wonder if this person is going to print off my images and needed to know approx. how much I charge for a piece so that they won't be found out. However, it could be the artist in France wants to know what Canadians, with my level of painting skill, gets for a picture. I will likely never know.

The part that ticks me off with all of this is that it took a lot of painting time away from my day, researching, responding and pondering. What a waste.

Hi Deborah Lee. Yes, I also got that e mail and I said yes. They selected one work but when I looked at the web site it said far too little: other "Masters", distribution, etc and the design didn't quite blow my skirts up either. Robert gave some good advice: land phone numbers, full contact addresses, faxes and names must be on the e mail, and no attachments, only a web site to look at with full information supplied.

I am not sure my scam was Nigerian..kept getting emails about my work….wanting to buy two or three….sending courier.

Next thing I know…a bank check in the amount of $7,000 arrives in my mail. The courier was stuck somewhere….could I send $3,000 to him and rest would be for my paintings. I took the bank check to my bank…being born in Brooklyn, N.Y., USA, I am naturally a skeptic and very street wise. The bank the check was drawn on was in Florida, USA….guess what?? My bank called the Florida bank and found out it was one of many bank checks that were stolen from this bank. Information was given to the FBI, but because it was such a “small amount of money,” they were not interested in chasing the scammer down. The saying used to be “Buyer Beware!” Now for artists the saying needs to be changed to “Seller Beware!”

These scammers have taken a lot of artists, I think because we tend to be more trusting individuals as a whole. I however have had 20 years of retail training and management prior to becoming a professional artist. I saw many swindlers, thieves, and no goods along with their antics. I guess the old adage if it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, smells like a duck, then it must be a duck holds true. Too good to be true usually is. I really wanted to prosecute the guy but the police just laughed and said that they had enough people calling daily to paper a bathroom. Nothing can be done because there is no real way to chase them or catch them. They also didn't feel it was a good idea for these people to find out where I was working and living.

I was not surprised about the art scam. I had recently inquired about a pet for adoption, or sale. I received a reply... 'the dog is free but the flight charges and other charges are $7,000. I am in can coon and cannot keep my pet, please give him a home' and I will send you back any $ remaining... Another one was here in the states and was the same context except the cost was $400. The first give-away to the scam was the language and spelling. So, they are targeting pet lovers as well as broke artists :) Deleted and hope not to get another, but I also found out that they use very common American names like, John Doe, Bill Smith, etc, so I do not even open them now unless I know the name. It is sad to loose so much trust in man-kind like this, best to be safe.

This couldn't have come at a better time. Following the stress of the election (down here) left room for a bit of humor and that was quite a bit.! I'm still chuckling as I think I've had dealings with him or his brother.

I appreciated your sense of humour about this pathetic scam! I had a close call a few years ago. It was rather more sophisticated than yours. It created a plausible persona who would receive the painting as a gift (along with a photo of the person). They were very excited to be gifting the exact painting they had ordered, not just anything in their price range. When I was ready to ship I notified them I had cashed the postal money order. They emailed back saying that the intended owner had been tragically injured in a traffic accident and would I return the money? I replied (fully alerted by now) that I was very sorry to hear that and I would as soon as it was fully cleared the system. Sure enough the money order came back in a week - it was counterfeit. The bank which cashed the money order had assured us it was as good as cash.

The warning signs I spotted were numerous; illiteracy, which I also attributed to her ethnic background, the oddity of an Australian email address wanting to ship a painting to Greece, and a postal order in US dollars drawn in Maine! The timing of the "tragic accident" was a little far-fetched as well.

Surely, anyone falling prey to that scam was born yesterday. However, here in the US, especially with the "global save the earth types" you could make a hefty profit selling those "shrooms", along with any other "herb" that alters their consciousness from the reality they face.

This scam happened to me out of Florida a few years ago. The people sent US Postal money orders, which seemed so much more solid than a personal cheque. I asked my bank to examine them carefully because I didn't know if they were legit. The money orders are tricky because they can take up to a month to clear. I stalled the buyer - who seemed much more legit than yours, and sent me so many biographical details that were so entertaining I got hooked on the narrative, never mind the sale - so that when the money orders came back fraudulent, I still had the paintings and the bank could take back the money. The truly ironic thing was that my bank threatened to prosecute me for fraud for depositing the fake money orders. They backed off - but it was nervous-making at the time.

I had contacted the Mounties as soon as my suspicions rose and they told me to just cut off all communications with the people as they were most assuredly crooks, but the stories they were sending me were fascinating so I went along for a while just for the theater of it all. To be noted, though, not all of these people are as obvious as your Bill. Some of them write perfect English and have very convincing and enticing proposals.

I am very leery of any contacts through my website since this happened, and I did tell CARFAC about it - they said they would alert their membership.

I had this happen to me a couple of years ago when someone wrote they wanted three of my paintings they saw on my website and would pay by Cashier's Check. Long story about moving to England, wanting shipper to pick up paintings and give me a check over amount I was charging and for me to give him the balance back, etc. Check came and looked authentic but I check with issuing bank and found out it was a good looking counterfeit.
Reported incident to FBI and local authorities but never a followup, too difficult to trace.

While a part time artist, I work full time in the computer field, and I have had some good friends fall into this. Someone offers to buy something, sends a check for too much (with some random reason- often it is a paycheck they can't cash quickly enough), and asks for money in return. .

Unfortunately, Bill most likely doesn't care much about getting your painting. (Hard to believe, I know... but true.) What he wants is the $3,000 in real money in exchange for the $10,000 in fake money. Not a bad living if you can keep the authorities off your back.

I was approached by a similar scam artist (maybe the word artist should be dropped - it's too flattering) about purchasing some of my artwork. I wrote about it in my blog.

The way that things are shaping up in just about any field of enterprise, an example that I have been taught, is a pretty good one. And one that I teach to anyone that I have ever taught in any line of work. Always get at least 50% deposit up front.
Either cash or Certified Bank Draft, validated & in your account. This method certainly separates the good from the bad. Global Economic situations the way that they are, dictate these types of procedures.

Even I get these pijun English queries from enthusiastic collectors who want to buy a train load of my paintings and are very willing to trade me a worthless check for them. It is sad that some of these scams are successful and artists are duped with little recourse to regain their works. There are no cops on the Internet. Dishonesty, deceit, manipulation are the norm and not the exception. It is a depressing example of unrestrained human nature in action.

I have been contacted many times by dubious potential purchasers. Usually poor grammar is the first tip off. I've played with the bees, replying and enticing them, then got too scared to proceed. I listened to a book on CD about the author's experience in "teasing bees." He wrote a fun novel about the experience called "419 Game Over" - see www.brianwizard.com.
I'm always amazed when people fall to such prey. Desperation and greed, wanting to believe despite the clues, I guess.

Gee, Bill hasn't gotten in touch with me yet!

Although I haven't received one of these "fishing" emails for quite a while, or else they hit my junk box, they have made me very cautious of doing art business via e-mails. Recently though, after hearing from several interior designers / art consultants who had seen my work in a sourcebook widely distributed in the states, I have experienced my first sale through totally virtual channels. It was a bit weird, particularly since I never even spoke to the designer, after she sent me an email saying they wanted to buy two of the paintings from the images I had emailed to her. I did, however, do my Google research and found the firm, and her bio, and called and left her a phone message. We communicated through e-mail exclusively! Then a check arrived from the design firm and I shipped out the work to an unknown client. Bizzarro world - yeah a bit - but since the check was good, I was happy to comply! Another thing that this brings up is having an accurate, calibrated monitor, so that when you do send out images in an email, you can be pretty certain folks are seeing the same work you are! It's very troubling to read that so many people have been taken in by scam artists though.

Just as I read your article on Bill Brown, I just cracked up laughing; you have a wonderful sense of humour, There are a lot of these bogus people or situations around. The Gallery I deal with here in NSW Australia, experienced very similar thing and they almost fell for it.

I once got a very convincing offer in the email to buy 2 of my paintings. The email originated in Canada and spelling was correct so I didn't see through it right away, but the way they listed the titles and sizes of the paintings was reminiscent of a "template" email.

I forwarded the inquiry to my dealer and got a response that was apparently supposed to be funny "It's a scam for sure, it's difficult enough to sell one of your paintings, let alone two".

Oh my oh my! I laughed out loud. It all sounded so familiar! Thanks for a great morning chuckle, and a warning for those unaware.

Hello all,

I would like to share this experience with you that you might have faced already or will. Almost, a year ago, I received a message from Brazilian curator with the name Cammile Lobo. She offered to organize a solo exhibition for me in Curitiba. She sent me the contract signed with all conditions, and that she will provide two tickets, Hotel reservation for one month. I had asked her many questions and she answered them saying that the Brazilian culture will cover all the expenses by law. She asked me to pay her 450 Euro for her work sent by Weston Union, ten images of my artwork and a copy of my passport.

I have done all that. Shortly, I received many messages from many artists, I know in person worldwide, and from different countries who have paid her for the same promise. Other artists warned me from her that she was a big fraud but was too late for me to correct my mistake. The news spread between artists, worldwide and many of them have fallen in the same trap. Cammile Lobo was in many different networks and artists have shared their experiences and made it public. The result, she was banned from many networks. However, she still around in other networks and has her own groups now. Not only that, but also, she is collecting money for the poor children in Brazil and then turned the business to Real Estate and called it art/Real Estate.!.

As much sharing this experience would make look like a fool, but, I do care about all artists who might have the kind of heart I had. I learned my lesson from the hard way. Of course, I reported the case to many offices and to this website: http://www.sid.in-berlin.de/nedkelly-world. I also wrote my article and posted everywhere and on my website: this is the link if you wish to read it: https://www.mona-gallery.com/news&articles/article27.php

Kind regards,

I've had a few of those guys contact me. So now I repond to inquiries, "Payment for exact amount of purchase only." If they write back wanting to pay more, then I know they're attempting a scam and I don't take the transaction any further.

Regarding the scams, I either just delete with no contemplation or tell them to send lots of cash, US dollars in cash. Never a response.

I must be as old as the hills as I have known about these scams since before computers. The letters came in the mail and were typed on manual typewriters (for you youngsters, they were sort of like a keyboard). It wasn't the painting scam thing, but to share millions, you only had to give them your bank account number! I have heard many of these people sending scam emails drive Mercedes...must be some artists or others willing to fall prey.

Judging from all the above replies, I wonder that this is a $100 million dollar a year scam. It seems everyone knows about them.
I got one last week offering, I told them I had just won the lottery here and was canceling my internet service and leaving on an extended vacation to parts unkown. i left no forwarding address. They never responded.

Fortunately I have yet to be bit by one of these scams. But, will share this as a heads ups for all the artists here.

Keep very good gallery records, and make sure you ask their lost policy before leaving any work with them...

I was in a gallery that was selling my work, (maybe 2 or 3 a month, out of a portfolio rack, they did the framing).
Well they lost three paintings. They said they never had them. I could tell by the phony grins that they were up to something. Needless to say I pulled my work and learned my lesson.

Also a friend of mine opened a gallery & handmade gift shop, she told me right off the bat that if anything gets lost, burned, or taken, its my loss. I let her have one painting for the sake of our friendship.

Are artists the only group that give free stock? Wonder how it would be for artists if every dealer had to buy the art outright before trying to make money off it.
Joyce

I regularly get 2 or 3 of these scams (I assume) every day both on my own email and my work email. Usually they involve some terrible tragedy that has befallen somebody (often a young girl) whose parent has died but has left them a fortune that they cannot access. They only need a UK bank account and an address. I have been offered almost every amount known to man in whatever currency I desire and often I am offered even more. Of course the letters are often written in halting English but are intended to invoke my christian feelings of brotherhood and justice and fair play. Despite my untold wealth I still end up coming in to work the next day.

Yes, these scams have been around the internet for years. I just delete them.
While it may be in your nature to trust that they may be real and you reply, or you feel the need for some entertainment by way of correspondence, please know that any time you hit 'reply' on one of these emails, you validate your email address and you will be GUARANTEED to get a nice variety of spam by being added to many more lists.

I’ve written this in years past but… The quickest fix for any email requesting work and wanting to know where they may send a check, is this:

Dear ?,

Thank you for your interest in my work. The paintings in question is priced at $--- and shipping will be an additional $---.

Due to the amount of fraud in the art business, the only form of payment I accept is Western Union. Please send the exact amount $--- to me via Western Union and email me or call me when you have. Once I go to my local Western Union office and have the cash in hand, I will promptly put the art in a box and ship it to you. Good day.

Trust me… you will never hear from them again on the issue if they are frauds. It works every time.

I receive many such e-mails and I delete them all. I really cannot believe that these scam artists think that anyone would take the bait after reading through the poor spelling & grammar. I also receive & delete all sorts of e-mails for employment opportunities . I like Beaman Cole's suggestion & Larry Moore had some good pointers. Reading JR Baldini's reply I can see why I should just delete these types of e-mail. Sometimes though I cannot resist reading them just to see what the scammers are up to. Unfortunately I think that the scammers are going to get smart about incorrect spelling and grammar. Recently I have received e-mails about PayPal transactions that I never entered into. They do not have my name on them so either PayPal is making a mistake or someone is ending an e-mail that looks like PayPal sent it so that when I click onto it they can gain access to my computer. There are all sorts of way to obtain ones personal info w/o you being aware of it. It is a shame that honest businesses such as PayPal might be used like this. I also keep finding e-mails from a bank in my in box that I never do business with requesting that click on and update my information. These type of e-mails look very official.I know that Amazon is interested when you receive what looks to be a legitimate e-mail asking about your account particulars and would like it sent to them. I guess the rule for internet sales would be to measure twice & saw once.

I got one from ‘Nicole’ who wanted a small painting she saw on my web site –I told her it would be $300, matted plus $20 for shipping. I received a check for $3,000 (from Santa Monica) & when I let her know that was too much & I would need a money order, their next try was a cashier’s check for another $3,000 (sent from London this time). Obviously they wanted me to deposit the check & when it was returned to them for insufficient funds they would get my bank number. Amazing how many of us are so gullible when we hear someone likes our work.

A few years ago, I was all excited when received similar message from an agent who informed me that he lived in USA and will pay the full amount in advance, with credit card, before shipping. I said GREAT what do I lose!. I told him, he would be responsible for the shipping costs, amazingly, he had no problem with that!! I packaged all the requested paintings as if they were ready to be shipped, went to FedEx to know the cost, stood in the line, gladly only, one person was in front of me. My turn came and once I opened my mouth informing the clerk where it was going, happily that man was still in the store. He immediately, warned me and asked “do you actually trust to send your paintings to this place!” I replied ”Why not, he is going to pay me in advance!” Then he kindly replied along with the clerk explained to me how this was the most tricky and settled way of having my paintings and even ask for their money back!!!.

Thanks God, they have opened my eyes and no wonder why the agent was so generous to pay me extra!!

Avoiding to make my comment long, I would end it here. But please artists, do not get too excited when you receive an offer, MAKE sure first, who is behind that little other screen, search for them on Google or anywhere way you know. I would not regret truing down the $27.000.00 on a painting I only asked for $6,000!! I would have been in Florida spending the Canadian winter.

My most recent scammer was Sheila Coey from Paris France (sheilacoey@yahoo.com) who said that she was visiting her twin sister in Paris while awaiting the arrival of her new baby (Sheila's that is.) Her husband was in the process of moving their home from New Jersey to Malaysia. Altho I mentioned my account with Paypal, he would rather send me a cheque (alert!). Nothing new here. Just wanted to leave the e-mail address in case there are others who might recognize it. Thanks for the opportunity to share experiences!

I always like to answer these scam emails with bogus information. Now, the emails telling me I have had a death in the family, of some long lost uncle in Africa, who had the good sense to hide millions of dollars in secret accounts, don't get much of a response from me. I just hit reply, copying the entire email back to the sender and writing at the very bottom, a two word reply that, well ... would earn me an R rating from the movie ratings people.

Those emails that I get t