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- - Scams (http://portraitartistforum.com/showthread.php?t=7879)

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While searching for artwork, I found your site. I like to buy Fruit Vendor and Sharpei. I will be happy to have these selected artworks in our new home.What are their prices exclusive of shipping cost? We are travelling from our Alabama home to our new apartment in Joannesburg, South Africa. Signed Elaine Holly

After a quick internet search of the name, I came across a scam warning on this wonderful site created exclusively for the protection of artists. I thought I share it with you...

http://www.bogusartfair.info/node/23

They're spreading out -- usually it's a "Nigerian."

The standard scam warnings from sites such as Craigslist might be useful to semi-memorize. A lot of folks who never imagined they'd fall into these traps, have.

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Avoiding scams and fraud

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"

NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

I received an email a while back from someone specfically requesting to purchase 3 still lifes from my site. They asked the price, I responded, and they said they would send money orders, but because of some complicated situation, these money orders would be from someone else, and for MORE than the asking price. Would I please be so kind as to return the overdeposit via Western Union?

If I had not googled him, I would have completely fallen for this. :( A month later, I would have been responsible for covering all those checks.

I have written several times regarding these types of scams. The tip offs usually are:

1. a Yahoo email address
2. poor English
3. nowawdays they mostly say they are from England (they will probably change in the future as they realize people are catching on)
4. they want to send you more than the required amount and you send the overage back to them; sometimes the overage is related to shipping
5. the sale seems too easy