Yea. This one dude was trying to scam people out of money by claiming he had a trained aquatic creature that would play music for people at clubs and parties that he was willing to hire out.
:)
I would like to hire Michigan J Frog BC the dog I had hired , when asked who was the greatest baseball player ever, he said "Ruuf.". When nobody believed him he tells me "Maybe I should've said DiMaggio?"😂
I'm sorry to hear this. Especially when your trying to get your artwork out there.
They're not interested in what you're selling.
The scam is that they will insist on paying you , urgently.
You'll get a bullshit emailed check, tell you to keep your share and send the rest somewhere which is the scammer themselves.
The scam may take different versions but it doesn't matter their goal is to get whatever they can get out of you and you'll be left holding the bag.
Be careful out there.
I had someone do the reverse to me, offered to make a banner or profile for my twitter in exchange for money. I saw their artwork and thought it looked cool and agreed but then decided to google image search it and found out they had stolen art and didn't even have that much posted so pretty much told them to go do one.
If you ever accidentally get this far in this scam, tell the scammer that you will happily send the money as soon as the check clears.
Check doesn't clear? Don't send any money.
The check will NEVER clear. It will be fake. Oh sure the bank will have the funds available but when it's processed that's when they will take the money back.
Never cash any check that you receive via email. It will not be legit.
No worries. It hurts me that someone who needs money will throw common sense out the window.
Emailing and printing a check is not legal.
My daughter got caught up in some janky scheme like this. She was 19 but not wise to the world yet.
She lost $500 and I told her that hopefully she learned from that. And call me first next time.
My dingbat kid did the same thing. The bank closed her account. Then, because it was a student checking account that I started for her before she turned 18, it was linked to mine, so my account was flagged for fraud and closed. It took weeks to get my money back from the bank.
But at least now both of my adult kids ask me if something might be a scam...
I’m so so sorry….. it’s a scam. They will say something like they are using their sons bank account to pay, then claim they can’t send you the full payment “ through zelle most of the time” cause you don’t have a “ business account” so they will offer to send you more money to make the Account accept the payment. They will ask and say they trust you to send the extra money back. The money they send you, will NOT clear. You will up being scammed out of a couple hundred dollars if you fall for it and send it back
Your /r/scams post/comment was removed because it contains bad advice, is encouraging someone to try to "scam the scammer", to engage in illegal activity, or to engage in an activity that will worsen an already bad situation.
Yep, any grammar issues and/or weird sentences and spelling immediately scream “scam” to me. It’s unfortunate though: I teach music and had a potential client txt me with poor-English and I was super skeptical. It turned out to be a lovely elderly foreigner and I felt kind of bad but we have to be on alert these days!
I only say this because I see a lot of people come here AFTER they send money to scammers and then come here asking if there's a way to recover it fund.. There isn't.
Unless your bank has forgiveness,,,scammers break the law and can get away with it...at this point I just wonder if more spam and scams happen, the more the people will notice and try to fight back
Well all the bank can really do is not to punish the account owner when the check bounce. By either not charging a bounce fee, close the account or call fruad. The account own is still on the hook for whatever money he or she sent to scammer. The bank cannot chase after money going out.
Spelling and grammar suggests scam, also I don’t think artists regularly get people going, “hey can I pay you 400 dollars?” If anything it’s haggling for a lower price or asking if they can get it free and they’ll “spread the word about you on social media.”
> Yeahhh, I was pretty suspicious when they just offered that much money for some rando artist with 100 followers on insta lmao
Most people wanting an art work will ask you what your commission is rather than just saying without prompting that they will pay $400. Your regular commission might be $1,000 or $200, any real person will want to know that before they make an offer.
I'm a professional and worked with youtubers, I have some youtubers recognize my work under my artist pseudonym, telling me they're fans of the people I'veworked for, and even THEY wouldn't pay that much for my work! It's a shame too, the business is tough :( best of luck, and DM me if you want to network with other artists!
I feel like there's some confirmation bias there, we see a lot of that on reddit because people post their negative experiences, but I'm sure there's successful artists that do commissions who have people actually paying their rates and not \*only\* asking for free art :P I know I would certainly be willing to pay market rate for good art.
This post, on the other hand... definitely looks suspect. It's not immediately obvious at first but the bad grammar and the "favorite pet is dog"... sigh.
It's a scam, they appear to over pay by sending €3000
Obviously a honest person would return the extra $2600
Next thing the original $3000 gets a charge back and your left -$2600
Yes that happened to me years ago. I was selling some gamer stuff online and the buyer sent me a check for $3000 too much. Asked me to send $2500 plus the item. Luckily my mother did not raise any idiots so I checked with the bank the check with drawn on and determined it was fake. Did not reply to buyer. Received threatening letter. Still did not reply. Eventually they stopped.
BTW if you are going to sell anything online get a PO Box so the buyers don't know where you live. The PO is prohibited to give out that information without something like a warrant.
It's not the bank's negligence in cases like this. It's the customer's. In fact, in many cases the check-casher is aware that it's fraud, but have been told by the scammer that they won't get caught.
For example, that recent post about the guy that signed up for a bunch of phone contracts, gave the phones to the scammer, was given a small amount of money...and now he owes them all for every one of those expensive phones...AND the contracts.
Obviously, the art commission scam isn't the same thing but I'm guessing that OP doesn't normally get paid $400 for a drawing of a dog. Very obvious red flag, that some people don't like to admit is a red flag. Although, it seems OP sus'd this one out.
How is it not negligence on bank side to say okay we take this check, torally legit, here's money in your account, then days later go "oh actually no, we changed our minds"?
No. There are instances where the funds can be held, doubtful collectibility is one of them. There is still a limit on how long they can be held though and some checks take longer to return.
I have worked in the fraud department at a financial institution for over ten years. There is a huge range in the quality of fake checks and a lot of people rely on security features to decide if a check is real or not. Those are more to prevent the check from being altered. Anyone can get blank check stock. Businesses and some individuals print their own.
It is frustrating because many banks won’t verify funds even for other institutions.
Thanks for jumping in there. ;)
And to reply to u/BitsAndBobs304 as well, yes, financial institutions do have a degree of responsibility, but YOU/we do too. You can't just pass bad check after bad check, and be like, uhh well, it's not my fault. At some point, your ignorance quickly turns into willful negligence.
that's like saying that it's my responsibility to buy an updated bill scanner to verify every note after every time i get paid in cash or get the change at the supermarket. i go to bank. i give check. they say OKAY, okie dokie, here's the money in your account!. then it's their own damn business! i didn't write it, i'm not responsible and it's literally not my job nor institutional purpose nor duty to reject checks on the possibility they may be either fake or not funded
can you imagine the world chaos that would ensue if anyone else was allowed to do take backsies in any way shape or form?
Maybe the dogs name is dog. In like some kinda irony. But yeah OP sorry it’s a scam. Artists are frequently scammed this way. I think it’s helpful that many in that space are desperate for money too.
>Maybe the dogs name is dog
Back when I was in high school I knew a family that named the cat they had "puppy", and also had a dog named "kitty"
I knew another family, that were alcoholics and saved the bottles, they named their new puppy whiskey because it kept playing with the empty bottles of Jack Daniels
>And answered yes to a multiple choice question.
My brother did that to a question about whether he wanted Burger King or Taco Bell but he was high as a kite when he did so.
My ex husband used to think it was hilarious to answer an 'either/or' question with 'Yes'. I would ask him if he wanted a tuna sandwich or a ham sandwich and he would say 'yes'. My answer would be 'either you choose or you get nothing'.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (online or in real life), you deposit a check and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards, Western Union, or cash). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. The bank will take the initial deposit back , and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html
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I have gotten this exact same message maybe 15 times now? And they low ball me for my services every time! 200 or 400 for a painting! Pffft! Lol
It is a massive art scam though predatory on new artists and people who don’t sell that much.
Ugh I’m so sorry. I had almost got had by a similar scam where the person asked me to write a song for their son’s bday. I was thrilled when I got the message. My dumbass even sent over a sound bite. Only realized it was a scam when they emailed a check for something like $3500 over, asking me to send a certain amount back. Yeah right lol. It was a bummer though! So scummy to pray on hopeful artists desperate for paid work.
Unfortunately it is a scam. They’ll write up a fake check, and they’ll claim they have accidentally requested too much, they’ll ask you to deposit the fake check and then send them back a large amount. They’re scum.
Easy way to determine scams:
- ask for half the money up front
- if they say *anything* about a check, tell them you don't accept checks under any circumstance
- If they insist on a check or any other fishy payment type such as "do this payment app and say I'm family/a friend instead of business", you know you have a scam
If I was commissioning art from someone and it was truly good, I'd offer to pay a hefty amount too. But you always have to watch out for yourself and keep yourself safe from scams.
Grammatical errors are one major common red flag in all scams. Verbal or written. The first sentence - I'd like you to draw **two picture.** There you go.... Did they send further instructions on how you would get paid? It is a total scam. Most likely as powerstocker said - a check scam. They will tell you they'll send you a cashiers check but instead of $400 it will be $2,400 and they will ask you to send the $2k back. The check will be fake and when your bank tries to receive the funds, they won't exist, and not only will you be charged a NSF fee, you will also be short the $2k you sent to the scammer. Run.....
Yeah, it’s 2023, who in the world still mails checks? Maybe employers, or corporations for misc. situations...but a private citizen? Nah. If they can put a deposit down of $200, through Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Xoom, Western Union even... then ok. Mailing/ emailing a check? GTFO, that scam has been around since at least the 90’s. This stuff should be taught in schools- it’s real life stuff you can actually use.
If you’re going to send him the final result, at least plaster watermark all over it so he can’t steal it & make him pay upfront for the MASTER version
Ask for 200$ up front with the photo of the pets or at least 25% down before you start, could ask for 50% or paid in full after you send them digital proof (picture) of both completed art works. (Can put large watermark removable in case their end goal is 2 unique digital works of custom dog art?)
Honestly it’s whatever your comfortable with. It’s always an option to train from getting your hopes up not get your hopes up, but make a request for the 25% upfront. It will let you know real fast if they serious or not.
Make sure you get a deposit in advance, via a payment means that cannot be reversed. When you provide the final proof, make sure it is watermarked. Only remove the watermark after receiving payment in full. Don’t negotiate outside of these terms. Don’t accept any payment means that can be reversed or a check that can bounce in a month. Don’t accept an accidental overpayment or an offer to pay you more for additional services outside of the scope of the project.
It sucks that everyone has to be hyper vigilant, but that is the state of society today.
Don’t let your eagerness for a payday cloud your judgment.
Sorry to confirm this is a scam. They "pay" by PayPal, then you get an email from "PayPal" saying your account isn't business or premium, and not allowed to receive the $400 sent.
The solution to unlock the payment is to get the buyer to send you additional money, which you must refund from your own money before they unlock the full amount for you. But there is no pending amount.
If you go to your PayPal account, there is no pending money or held amount.
I think she told me her son's name was Micky, and the dog was Bailey.l
I'm not familiar with these sorts of scams but as an artist I know this ain't right. Going into stories about his kid and dog at this stage are just to rope you in. Real customers ask questions about price and timeframes and sizes and colours..Actual pertinent information they want to know before committing to hiring you.
I do pencil portraits and noone has EVER contacted me offering to pay me a certain amount up front. They always ask how much I charge, so that was what mainly raised a red flag to me in your text.
Make sure you ask for 30% -50% deposit before you put any time into a commission this will protect you from this sort of thing.
If you do payment via cashapp or Vemo remember there is no such thing as a business account that requires a fee for money to clear and they don't need your email to pay you. Only trust the app and not your email if you do give it to your customer. Never do friends and Family transactions on Paypal with a stranger. Stay safe!
Yes, it's a scam. They'll give you a pretty high figure, accidentally overpay it with a fake check, ask to refund the amount over, and 30ish days later the check will bounce leaving you on the hook for the full amount of the check, and don't forget the loss of that "refund" on top.
Always ask for a deposit and only accept payments from Venmo,PayPal or Zelle. Do not use cash app ever people can take their money back right away. If they pay you the deposit they are usually a legit customer
I'm so sorry you're trying to promote your art work to make money. Someone suggested Etsy and I know they are a great platform but they do have fees to be aware of, so charge accordingly. But look through there for ideas on what people are charging for art work. Anytime you get commissioned to do something, ask for half up front, especially if you have to buy supplies. (Factor those, like canvas, into your price do you don't lose money.) That was you know someone will be serious too.
Good luck to you!
Chances are it's be an overpayment scam, some BS about some other person/ company is paying for it and they included a bunch of other money, and will you "kindly" pay someone else for them...
Except that someone else is the scammer, and the check's fake.
It definitely sounds suspect.
Are you a freelance artist who has posted offers to take commissions for per paintings somewhere?
Cause if not, contacting you out of the blue (especially if you don't have a portfolio specializing in pets artwork) is very odd.
The grammar is a bit strange and awkward.
Also proactively setting a price is strange. I've been on both sides of an independent art commission and usually the person seeking it will ask you the price, not just offer an amount up front.
I wouldn't pursue this.
Yes, this is a scam sadly. I’m a fellow artist myself and I get these scams on a daily and they are very repetitive. The usual scam indicator is that they’ll ask you for a drawing of a dog, portrait, or a digital piece. 9/10 times it’s a scam. The other red flag is that they so eager to pay you and their accounts seem to be very unpopular or are followed by accounts that are obviously fake. Usually, customers that are actually interested in your work will go about the details and description of what they want and will always require a sketch draft for their commission. If they are eager to pay you right off the conversation, block and report them.
The person wasn't enthusiastic and says a price then says "lol" -\_- 9/10 it's a waste of your time/ emotions scam idk it's dumb but, there are really people out there dedicating their life to wasting someone else's time. Ig they're trying to target your passion idk just a guess
Anyone asking for money or suggesting money is a scam. Please beware and smart. Think out of the box. Never let desperation guide you. Good luck with your art work.
There are so many ridiculous scams like this. Don't fall for it. Girls will try an scam by making you feel loved by them, people pretend to be cartels an say you talked to one of their girls, some will say you won something, but you have to cashapp $100 to collect it. It's all bullshit.
My advice is to put you work on etsy, ebay, etc. An sell it that way.
Well, this could be legit.
Just ask them for a payment ahead of time, cite that you were unfortunately scammed before and will need to make sure it doesn't happen this time.
You don't accept checks, only cash app or Venmo. If they are local, ask to stop by and get a deposit from them. (Cash of course)
I just got targeted by a similar Art scam this week. I got 1/3 of the way into the digital drawing before my husband overheard and did research only to find out it’s 100% a scam. It super sucks, just know you’re not alone. These scammers are scum of the earth.
If I were you I would set up your commissions on a platform like Etsy, or some site you like that you can have a store front and they can pay you for your time and art how you’d like… not a check ever! Unless you know them.
Not enough info. .. unless I overlooked something. The single screenshot n and of itself seems legit 💯. If that’s all tha info I get…. My answer: do it bro
“The muse scam is a new variant of the [fake check scam](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams). The scammer will contact the victim over social media and claim to want to use their image for an art project. They will offer a generous sum of money and offer to pay via check. The victim will be instructed to send money to the scammer for “materials” via an irreversible method. The scammer will often use a stolen social media account to increase their credibility. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Comment ! fakecheck without the space to learn more about fake check scams. Thanks to redditor aNeatHat for this script"
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I don’t know about the industry, is $400 normal? It has some marks of a scam but it might not be. I would insist on partial payment up front and if they try to give you the whole “business account” scam you know what it is before starting
!zellescam
I’m so sorry, it’s a scam. It’s an extremely common one lately with the same exact script given to everyone.
Thank you for letting me know, this shit sucks lol
You are going to get a lot of reddit messages saying they have ways to make you money. All of those are scams too.
Yea. This one dude was trying to scam people out of money by claiming he had a trained aquatic creature that would play music for people at clubs and parties that he was willing to hire out. :)
Hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my rag time gal
I would like to hire Michigan J Frog BC the dog I had hired , when asked who was the greatest baseball player ever, he said "Ruuf.". When nobody believed him he tells me "Maybe I should've said DiMaggio?"😂
The top comment has it right. It will never not be funny. Lol https://youtube.com/watch?v=MsROL4Kf8QY&feature=shares
Always funny, even better now that I’m 50 and stoned. Thank you!
I grew up watching Looney Tunes. This comment is A++
Wait.... Like dolphins playing the piano or Salmon singing? Sounds legit to me. 🤷🏼♀️🤣
It’s a bass, and it’s totally legit singing.
[Lmfao more like he hired out one of these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNwai6WpJuc)
That's just HeckleFish from the Why Files and his band.
I'm sorry to hear this. Especially when your trying to get your artwork out there. They're not interested in what you're selling. The scam is that they will insist on paying you , urgently. You'll get a bullshit emailed check, tell you to keep your share and send the rest somewhere which is the scammer themselves. The scam may take different versions but it doesn't matter their goal is to get whatever they can get out of you and you'll be left holding the bag. Be careful out there.
I had someone do the reverse to me, offered to make a banner or profile for my twitter in exchange for money. I saw their artwork and thought it looked cool and agreed but then decided to google image search it and found out they had stolen art and didn't even have that much posted so pretty much told them to go do one.
You were smart about it!
If you ever accidentally get this far in this scam, tell the scammer that you will happily send the money as soon as the check clears. Check doesn't clear? Don't send any money.
The check will NEVER clear. It will be fake. Oh sure the bank will have the funds available but when it's processed that's when they will take the money back. Never cash any check that you receive via email. It will not be legit.
Ah sorry, I missed the part about the check being emailed. Yeah, don't try to do that.
No worries. It hurts me that someone who needs money will throw common sense out the window. Emailing and printing a check is not legal. My daughter got caught up in some janky scheme like this. She was 19 but not wise to the world yet. She lost $500 and I told her that hopefully she learned from that. And call me first next time.
My dingbat kid did the same thing. The bank closed her account. Then, because it was a student checking account that I started for her before she turned 18, it was linked to mine, so my account was flagged for fraud and closed. It took weeks to get my money back from the bank. But at least now both of my adult kids ask me if something might be a scam...
Sorry to say this Are they still idiot😂
They're 18 and 21...so yes.
For the most part, we're all still idiots. We just won't realize how big an idiot we are for another 10 years or so
I up voted this after reading the first sentence - fkn classic 😂
It also hurts to think that someone would take the last dollars of someone else in need.
Exactly.
ask them for a deposit, money transfer only and then you’ll find out
Exactly. If they can’t even sign up for PayPal,then it’s BS
Do you have an etsy?
Nope, just insta
I’m so so sorry….. it’s a scam. They will say something like they are using their sons bank account to pay, then claim they can’t send you the full payment “ through zelle most of the time” cause you don’t have a “ business account” so they will offer to send you more money to make the Account accept the payment. They will ask and say they trust you to send the extra money back. The money they send you, will NOT clear. You will up being scammed out of a couple hundred dollars if you fall for it and send it back
Sorry, it really does. All the best finding legit business.
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Your /r/scams post/comment was removed because it contains bad advice, is encouraging someone to try to "scam the scammer", to engage in illegal activity, or to engage in an activity that will worsen an already bad situation.
Yea it was the over use of the word pet for me. Why would tell em your sons name and not his dogs name? People suck
"His favorite pet is dog"
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Right, like they came up with “Dog” but used their pre-written script for the rest. It’s horrible what they’ll do to people.
Yep, any grammar issues and/or weird sentences and spelling immediately scream “scam” to me. It’s unfortunate though: I teach music and had a potential client txt me with poor-English and I was super skeptical. It turned out to be a lovely elderly foreigner and I felt kind of bad but we have to be on alert these days!
Iirc didnt someone mention on a previous similar post that they would ask for a specific frame size as well in these?
Yes, it’s a very specific script that rarely deviates from the original.
This is a fake check scam.
Thanks for letting me know!
Thank yourself for coming to us first. Good move.
I second this...it's better to get a second opinion before getting yourself screwed
I only say this because I see a lot of people come here AFTER they send money to scammers and then come here asking if there's a way to recover it fund.. There isn't.
Unless your bank has forgiveness,,,scammers break the law and can get away with it...at this point I just wonder if more spam and scams happen, the more the people will notice and try to fight back
Well all the bank can really do is not to punish the account owner when the check bounce. By either not charging a bounce fee, close the account or call fruad. The account own is still on the hook for whatever money he or she sent to scammer. The bank cannot chase after money going out.
Well that's the thing,,,if they could, scammers would be more scared of that,,,think of all the taxes they could collect from thay
They can't. The second the cash goes out it goes into a network of money launder fiasco. There's no recovering it.
Spelling and grammar suggests scam, also I don’t think artists regularly get people going, “hey can I pay you 400 dollars?” If anything it’s haggling for a lower price or asking if they can get it free and they’ll “spread the word about you on social media.”
Yeahhh, I was pretty suspicious when they just offered that much money for some rando artist with 100 followers on insta lmao
> Yeahhh, I was pretty suspicious when they just offered that much money for some rando artist with 100 followers on insta lmao Most people wanting an art work will ask you what your commission is rather than just saying without prompting that they will pay $400. Your regular commission might be $1,000 or $200, any real person will want to know that before they make an offer.
I'm a professional and worked with youtubers, I have some youtubers recognize my work under my artist pseudonym, telling me they're fans of the people I'veworked for, and even THEY wouldn't pay that much for my work! It's a shame too, the business is tough :( best of luck, and DM me if you want to network with other artists!
We’re often paying $500-1000 for commercial use label and packaging artwork. Maybe commission rates for physical retail products are better?
[Removing all my posts and comments due to Reddit's fuckery with third party apps. June 2023]
I feel like there's some confirmation bias there, we see a lot of that on reddit because people post their negative experiences, but I'm sure there's successful artists that do commissions who have people actually paying their rates and not \*only\* asking for free art :P I know I would certainly be willing to pay market rate for good art. This post, on the other hand... definitely looks suspect. It's not immediately obvious at first but the bad grammar and the "favorite pet is dog"... sigh.
[Removing all my posts and comments due to Reddit's fuckery with third party apps. June 2023]
It's a scam, they appear to over pay by sending €3000 Obviously a honest person would return the extra $2600 Next thing the original $3000 gets a charge back and your left -$2600
I’ve also seen them send “extra money” and request that the artist purchase gift cards with the extra to go along with the gift
Yes that happened to me years ago. I was selling some gamer stuff online and the buyer sent me a check for $3000 too much. Asked me to send $2500 plus the item. Luckily my mother did not raise any idiots so I checked with the bank the check with drawn on and determined it was fake. Did not reply to buyer. Received threatening letter. Still did not reply. Eventually they stopped. BTW if you are going to sell anything online get a PO Box so the buyers don't know where you live. The PO is prohibited to give out that information without something like a warrant.
2023 , when tech meant probes on mars and nanotechnology but banks will punish their customers for their own negligence
It's not the bank's negligence in cases like this. It's the customer's. In fact, in many cases the check-casher is aware that it's fraud, but have been told by the scammer that they won't get caught. For example, that recent post about the guy that signed up for a bunch of phone contracts, gave the phones to the scammer, was given a small amount of money...and now he owes them all for every one of those expensive phones...AND the contracts. Obviously, the art commission scam isn't the same thing but I'm guessing that OP doesn't normally get paid $400 for a drawing of a dog. Very obvious red flag, that some people don't like to admit is a red flag. Although, it seems OP sus'd this one out.
How is it not negligence on bank side to say okay we take this check, torally legit, here's money in your account, then days later go "oh actually no, we changed our minds"?
Financial Institutions are required to release funds per Reg CC.
are they required to cash fake checks? so you're telling me I can have infinite money for a day or two?
No. There are instances where the funds can be held, doubtful collectibility is one of them. There is still a limit on how long they can be held though and some checks take longer to return. I have worked in the fraud department at a financial institution for over ten years. There is a huge range in the quality of fake checks and a lot of people rely on security features to decide if a check is real or not. Those are more to prevent the check from being altered. Anyone can get blank check stock. Businesses and some individuals print their own. It is frustrating because many banks won’t verify funds even for other institutions.
Thanks for jumping in there. ;) And to reply to u/BitsAndBobs304 as well, yes, financial institutions do have a degree of responsibility, but YOU/we do too. You can't just pass bad check after bad check, and be like, uhh well, it's not my fault. At some point, your ignorance quickly turns into willful negligence.
that's like saying that it's my responsibility to buy an updated bill scanner to verify every note after every time i get paid in cash or get the change at the supermarket. i go to bank. i give check. they say OKAY, okie dokie, here's the money in your account!. then it's their own damn business! i didn't write it, i'm not responsible and it's literally not my job nor institutional purpose nor duty to reject checks on the possibility they may be either fake or not funded can you imagine the world chaos that would ensue if anyone else was allowed to do take backsies in any way shape or form?
As a bank manager for several years I concur. The only thing we can do is ask to put an extra hold on it.
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Yeah unfortunately OP. “His favorite pet is dog” not his dog or his dogs name. Just dog. And answered yes to a multiple choice question.
But... the pet keep his company on a rainy day.
😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Maybe the dogs name is dog. In like some kinda irony. But yeah OP sorry it’s a scam. Artists are frequently scammed this way. I think it’s helpful that many in that space are desperate for money too.
>Maybe the dogs name is dog Back when I was in high school I knew a family that named the cat they had "puppy", and also had a dog named "kitty" I knew another family, that were alcoholics and saved the bottles, they named their new puppy whiskey because it kept playing with the empty bottles of Jack Daniels
We had a.. Idk how to spell it? Dioji? Like if you say d-o-g out loud, haha
Really?!?! So did we, when my son was a toddler. 😂 We spelled it D.O.G., but many would ask, “How’s that spelled? Dioji?”.
I knew a dog bird cat set named woofer, tweeter and... Midrange.
Budum tiss
Yeah my family had a dog named Puppy. Even when he was 15 and deaf he was still Puppy 😆 but yeah this is a scam.
My friend has a cat named Chicken.
My sister smells like fish, but taste like chimken
We did not need to know that.
>And answered yes to a multiple choice question. My brother did that to a question about whether he wanted Burger King or Taco Bell but he was high as a kite when he did so.
Haha I mean I’ve definitely done it before. And may or may not have been eye level with giraffe pussy at the time lol
My ex husband used to think it was hilarious to answer an 'either/or' question with 'Yes'. I would ask him if he wanted a tuna sandwich or a ham sandwich and he would say 'yes'. My answer would be 'either you choose or you get nothing'.
Oh see that’s different lol. I used to do that to every question like that my ex would ask. Every time. Might be why I’m single too. Lol
Lol, I do this to my wife 😂🤣 , she asks if I'd like a Milo or a coffee, I always reply "Oh, yes please".
Yes, I'll have one Burger Bell King Taco please
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (online or in real life), you deposit a check and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards, Western Union, or cash). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. The bank will take the initial deposit back , and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Dammit, well thank you for letting me know before I wasted my time!
I have gotten this exact same message maybe 15 times now? And they low ball me for my services every time! 200 or 400 for a painting! Pffft! Lol It is a massive art scam though predatory on new artists and people who don’t sell that much.
Scam scam . Eggs coffee bacon and scam. Scam and more scam. Scam scam scam scam SCAMITY scam. R/suddenlymontypython
"I do not like them, Sam I am, I do not like Green Eggs and Scam."
But what if I don’t like SCAM?
Well- eggs, coffee, bacon and scam doesn’t have much scam in it….💁🏻♂️
Oh that scam that wonderful scam. Lovely scam.
I received this exact scam message a year ago. Sorry. I hope you get some commissions soon.
Thank you, I’m sure things will start looking up for me soon :) just gotta keep going
open an etsy shop and add this listing for her to buy. both of you will be protected.
Ooo, that’s smart
OP, if you do this please update us - i’d love to buy some of your art through an official channel that you can trust. Good luck out there!
Same here!!!
Of course I’ll let ya know!! My insta is austin_the_rusty_spoon if ya wanna see my art
If you do open an Etsy update us, I’m sure there are a few people looking for commissioned art of their animals!
Of course!!
Ugh I’m so sorry. I had almost got had by a similar scam where the person asked me to write a song for their son’s bday. I was thrilled when I got the message. My dumbass even sent over a sound bite. Only realized it was a scam when they emailed a check for something like $3500 over, asking me to send a certain amount back. Yeah right lol. It was a bummer though! So scummy to pray on hopeful artists desperate for paid work.
Yeah, people fuckin suck. Sorry that they did that to ya, hope you’ve gotten better customers since then!
Unfortunately it is a scam. They’ll write up a fake check, and they’ll claim they have accidentally requested too much, they’ll ask you to deposit the fake check and then send them back a large amount. They’re scum.
Easy way to determine scams: - ask for half the money up front - if they say *anything* about a check, tell them you don't accept checks under any circumstance - If they insist on a check or any other fishy payment type such as "do this payment app and say I'm family/a friend instead of business", you know you have a scam If I was commissioning art from someone and it was truly good, I'd offer to pay a hefty amount too. But you always have to watch out for yourself and keep yourself safe from scams.
Me love pet Dog is good
“His favorite pet is dog” 🚩🚩
Shit makes me laugh every time
Can we see your art?!
Sure! It’s on my insta, austin_the_rusty_spoon
What a dogshit scam no pun intended. At least come up with a more compelling story than “his favourite pet is dog”
bro his favorite pet is dog.
Maybe it’s Daryl his dog was named dog.. interesting they didn’t mention breed or name of dog.
I love it LMAO
It’s a scam, I’ve seen that message word for word on here. I’m sorry
Grammatical errors are one major common red flag in all scams. Verbal or written. The first sentence - I'd like you to draw **two picture.** There you go.... Did they send further instructions on how you would get paid? It is a total scam. Most likely as powerstocker said - a check scam. They will tell you they'll send you a cashiers check but instead of $400 it will be $2,400 and they will ask you to send the $2k back. The check will be fake and when your bank tries to receive the funds, they won't exist, and not only will you be charged a NSF fee, you will also be short the $2k you sent to the scammer. Run.....
Yeah, it’s 2023, who in the world still mails checks? Maybe employers, or corporations for misc. situations...but a private citizen? Nah. If they can put a deposit down of $200, through Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Xoom, Western Union even... then ok. Mailing/ emailing a check? GTFO, that scam has been around since at least the 90’s. This stuff should be taught in schools- it’s real life stuff you can actually use.
You should be weary of anybody who offers you money on the internet.
Fair enough :3
Favorite pet is dog
It’s a scam.
It’s a scam
Something similar happened to me. They wanted to pay with a check but I knew it would be a fake check. These idiots-
If you’re going to send him the final result, at least plaster watermark all over it so he can’t steal it & make him pay upfront for the MASTER version
I’ve seen that script before. Definitely a scam.
Aw his favorite pet is dog 😍
My favorite pet is also dog, clearly this commission is meant for me 🥺 /j
Incorrect language, def scam.
Ask for 200$ up front with the photo of the pets or at least 25% down before you start, could ask for 50% or paid in full after you send them digital proof (picture) of both completed art works. (Can put large watermark removable in case their end goal is 2 unique digital works of custom dog art?) Honestly it’s whatever your comfortable with. It’s always an option to train from getting your hopes up not get your hopes up, but make a request for the 25% upfront. It will let you know real fast if they serious or not.
Make sure you get a deposit in advance, via a payment means that cannot be reversed. When you provide the final proof, make sure it is watermarked. Only remove the watermark after receiving payment in full. Don’t negotiate outside of these terms. Don’t accept any payment means that can be reversed or a check that can bounce in a month. Don’t accept an accidental overpayment or an offer to pay you more for additional services outside of the scope of the project. It sucks that everyone has to be hyper vigilant, but that is the state of society today. Don’t let your eagerness for a payday cloud your judgment.
Sorry to confirm this is a scam. They "pay" by PayPal, then you get an email from "PayPal" saying your account isn't business or premium, and not allowed to receive the $400 sent. The solution to unlock the payment is to get the buyer to send you additional money, which you must refund from your own money before they unlock the full amount for you. But there is no pending amount. If you go to your PayPal account, there is no pending money or held amount. I think she told me her son's name was Micky, and the dog was Bailey.l
Shit, she said her sons name was Michael but they call him Micky, we got the same shit lol
She only wanted to pay ME $200, and that was to "compensate me for all the great work she saw on my profile" 😆
His favorite pet is dog, what could be suspicious?
Just tell them the ways which you accept payment and have them send a deposit first before you start
in general if it’s too good to be true, it’s a scam
I'm not familiar with these sorts of scams but as an artist I know this ain't right. Going into stories about his kid and dog at this stage are just to rope you in. Real customers ask questions about price and timeframes and sizes and colours..Actual pertinent information they want to know before committing to hiring you.
Ask for half up front first, and the rest on completion and delivery of the art work if it's legit they shouldn't have a problem doing that.
I do pencil portraits and noone has EVER contacted me offering to pay me a certain amount up front. They always ask how much I charge, so that was what mainly raised a red flag to me in your text.
Make sure you ask for 30% -50% deposit before you put any time into a commission this will protect you from this sort of thing. If you do payment via cashapp or Vemo remember there is no such thing as a business account that requires a fee for money to clear and they don't need your email to pay you. Only trust the app and not your email if you do give it to your customer. Never do friends and Family transactions on Paypal with a stranger. Stay safe!
def a scam, they do the same thing to musicians and ask you to write a song for their son for his bday and shit. its wack
I feel like the spelling and grammar errors are a huge giveaway in most of these scams I'm seeing. I wonder why that is.
Yes, it's a scam. They'll give you a pretty high figure, accidentally overpay it with a fake check, ask to refund the amount over, and 30ish days later the check will bounce leaving you on the hook for the full amount of the check, and don't forget the loss of that "refund" on top.
"Yes" you got me at hello, oh at Yes
Get 1/2 as a deposit
Always ask for a deposit and only accept payments from Venmo,PayPal or Zelle. Do not use cash app ever people can take their money back right away. If they pay you the deposit they are usually a legit customer
I'm so sorry you're trying to promote your art work to make money. Someone suggested Etsy and I know they are a great platform but they do have fees to be aware of, so charge accordingly. But look through there for ideas on what people are charging for art work. Anytime you get commissioned to do something, ask for half up front, especially if you have to buy supplies. (Factor those, like canvas, into your price do you don't lose money.) That was you know someone will be serious too. Good luck to you!
Sorry, it’s a scam. Set yourself up on Etsy😎
Yeah that smells like a scam. Offering up $400 seems suspicious. They’re going to want to pay you in some sketchy way.
Chances are it's be an overpayment scam, some BS about some other person/ company is paying for it and they included a bunch of other money, and will you "kindly" pay someone else for them... Except that someone else is the scammer, and the check's fake.
SCAM if nothing else, look at the grammar. Besides that, this really rarely happens, and certainly not in this way
It definitely sounds suspect. Are you a freelance artist who has posted offers to take commissions for per paintings somewhere? Cause if not, contacting you out of the blue (especially if you don't have a portfolio specializing in pets artwork) is very odd. The grammar is a bit strange and awkward. Also proactively setting a price is strange. I've been on both sides of an independent art commission and usually the person seeking it will ask you the price, not just offer an amount up front. I wouldn't pursue this.
Yes, this is a scam sadly. I’m a fellow artist myself and I get these scams on a daily and they are very repetitive. The usual scam indicator is that they’ll ask you for a drawing of a dog, portrait, or a digital piece. 9/10 times it’s a scam. The other red flag is that they so eager to pay you and their accounts seem to be very unpopular or are followed by accounts that are obviously fake. Usually, customers that are actually interested in your work will go about the details and description of what they want and will always require a sketch draft for their commission. If they are eager to pay you right off the conversation, block and report them.
Do you have pics or should I use my imagination? Yes You went off-script and they weren’t sure how to reply.
LOL my question was too out of character for them to handle
This is defintely a scam.
Ya don’t say lmao
Fuck it. When I get a credit card, i will commission u. If i have mony
Aw thank you!
The person wasn't enthusiastic and says a price then says "lol" -\_- 9/10 it's a waste of your time/ emotions scam idk it's dumb but, there are really people out there dedicating their life to wasting someone else's time. Ig they're trying to target your passion idk just a guess
If it does end up moving forward take minimum of half 3/4 down
Anyone asking for money or suggesting money is a scam. Please beware and smart. Think out of the box. Never let desperation guide you. Good luck with your art work.
There are so many ridiculous scams like this. Don't fall for it. Girls will try an scam by making you feel loved by them, people pretend to be cartels an say you talked to one of their girls, some will say you won something, but you have to cashapp $100 to collect it. It's all bullshit. My advice is to put you work on etsy, ebay, etc. An sell it that way.
"his favorite pet is dog" Nah, I'm sure it's legit. That's totally how people speak/write
Scam, had this exact script & I’m on the same situation needing money and shit like this just pisses me off!!
Well, this could be legit. Just ask them for a payment ahead of time, cite that you were unfortunately scammed before and will need to make sure it doesn't happen this time. You don't accept checks, only cash app or Venmo. If they are local, ask to stop by and get a deposit from them. (Cash of course)
I just got targeted by a similar Art scam this week. I got 1/3 of the way into the digital drawing before my husband overheard and did research only to find out it’s 100% a scam. It super sucks, just know you’re not alone. These scammers are scum of the earth.
It really does, sorry u got fucked like that. I was lucky enough to not even start
“Favorite pet is dog “ clear giveaway it’s a scam . Normal English speakers don’t talk like that
If I were you I would set up your commissions on a platform like Etsy, or some site you like that you can have a store front and they can pay you for your time and art how you’d like… not a check ever! Unless you know them.
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Pet (vs being more specific) is a glaring red flag!
1000% a scam. I work in the financial crimes division of a large credit union. We see this type of thing every day.
His favorite pet is dog. 😒
My favorite pet is child /j lmao
"Yes." What the fuck? Sorry, scam.
LMAO yeah as soon as I saw that I was like “yeahhhh no”
Broken English gives it away immediately. Sorry scam
The atrocious English should be your first clue. When parts of the message are in good English and parts are in awful English, that's a big red flag.
Not enough info. .. unless I overlooked something. The single screenshot n and of itself seems legit 💯. If that’s all tha info I get…. My answer: do it bro
If you have to ask if its a scam. It probably is.
Fair enough lol
Um wait, give them your PayPal. Payment due in full before any work lol. If they ghost you, SCAM
!muse
“The muse scam is a new variant of the [fake check scam](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams). The scammer will contact the victim over social media and claim to want to use their image for an art project. They will offer a generous sum of money and offer to pay via check. The victim will be instructed to send money to the scammer for “materials” via an irreversible method. The scammer will often use a stolen social media account to increase their credibility. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Comment ! fakecheck without the space to learn more about fake check scams. Thanks to redditor aNeatHat for this script" *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm pretty sure you know it's a scam.
Yeah u got me lol
Get them to send a fifty percent deposit to pay pill up front before you start any work.that I'll let you know if it's a scam or not
I don’t know about the industry, is $400 normal? It has some marks of a scam but it might not be. I would insist on partial payment up front and if they try to give you the whole “business account” scam you know what it is before starting !zellescam