Art Scams

I received an Email from "Larry Douglas" in February. He said he was a collector who found my work on the internet and was interested in purchasing a piece he found online. The painting he referenced was sold by Pryor Fine Art in Atlanta. I forwarded his Email to the gallery director, who immediately responded that I was their third artist to contact them. They immediately sent out a warning to all of their artists.

This is how the scam works:

The scam is that they say they want to purchase your art, and that they have a shipper that they will put you in touch with. Then, this scammer sends a check exceeding the sale price, and when you bring it to their attention, they say, "oh my...I am sorry, you can just send me a check for the difference". Do not correspond with him. 

I've copied the text of the Email below:

Hi there,my name is Larry im an art collector from Connecticut,was browsing through the internet and my eyes caught this particular work on the subject,will like to have it for my new apartment probably this month.please let me know if the piece is available and if yes let me have the detailed price and more information about it.kindly reply me with your phone#.

Regards.

Sadly, there are many scams targeting artists and galleries. If you want more information, check out this blog by Katie Moe, a self-professed "Anti-Scam Samurai". stopartscams.blogspot.com

We can have an isolated work life in our studios. Special thanks to Judith Kindler for reminding me how important it is that we artists look out for one another.