How to Spot and Avoid Art Scams

These days, art scams or art frauds are turning out to be more refined and more convincing. Artist must be able to safeguard your art creations along with the money that you have worked hard for. In doing so, you can avoid future loss or bankruptcy. Consult a bankruptcy lawyer San Diego or in your locality in case this happens.

You or other artists may not have a sound judgment during the business deal or transaction because of your sheer delight and eagerness to sell your artworks Because of these mixed emotions, you may overlook some procedures or details and may eventually cause you to lose money, your art work, or worse both.

Guidelines To Avoid Art Scam and Fraud

Here are a few hints and guidelines to assist you and other artists to avoid art scam and art fraud when dealing with the public on a potential sale of your work.

Be acquainted with the person you are dealing with. As much as possible, do transactions with individuals in your locality. This means you are able to meet your potential buyer personally. This is one of the greatest methods to escape art scams and frauds. Usually, scammers and frauds will communicate from a different country, region, or area that is too distant that you are not able to interact them in person. They generally would want and ask you to send the artwork that you are marketing to them.

A common mistake that some artists do is wire transferring funds to individuals they do not know. Never send money to any person you do not know. When the purchaser of your art probes you to transfer back funds for more money to complete the deal, you are most probably transacting with an art scammer.

Be careful of cashier’s check and money orders. Credit unions or banks disburse and assure cashier’s checks. They make a certificate or document with the receiver’s name and the sum. Money order is similar to cashier’s check but is obtainable from retail stores, post offices, and businesses that have to do with money transfer. They say that these are the safest and easiest mode to give and receive disbursements. However, be extra vigilant because not all cashier’s checks and money orders are valid. If the person you are dealing with sends you the check and tells you to do anything or something else with the cash aside from keeping it, be wary. You are most probably dealing with a scammer.  You’ll have no alternative apart from trying to look for the person yourself which isn’t a walk in the park.

This is not only true to artists but to everyone else; do not give out your private and personal information or details to anyone. These include credit card numbers, passwords, bank account details, and others. One of the fastest rising criminality in the world is identity theft. When you share these details to scammers, they will be using your identity to create fraud and scam other people.

Be on your guard when taking relay calls. Relay calls is genuine provision for individuals with speech and hearing disabilities. Scammers may use this to connect with you introducing themselves as belonging to an enormous phone corporation. The scammer will make the deal and it may sound authentic since the service is for the impaired.  There will be an overprice amount to which the scammer will take.

Refrain from doing transactions with shipping and escrow services that you do not know or have not tried.  Art scammers frequently hire bogus or online escrow services to take care of operation.  Art scammer will make a proposal or a suggestion for you to use their delivery or transport company which is fake.

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