Be aware of the possibility, be skeptical РІР‚вЂњ be careful. You want to make sure that you donРІР‚в„ўt fall into that category. TheyРІР‚в„ўre invested in their creations, so theyРІР‚в„ўre susceptible to the charm of the idea that a stranger fell in love with their work on sight.Р”Р„nd scammers may believe that artists are less likely to be aware of the dangers presented by the sorts of art scams they depend on. Well, why not? Artists are good targets РІР‚вЂњ they are familiar with the need to ship their work, sometimes to collectors who might be anywhere in the world.

These things do happen РІР‚вЂњ and you certainly donРІР‚в„ўt want to repulse a genuine expression of interest. Or you were giving a demonstration of live painting at an art auction and one of the people you got chatting to during the process turned into a collector of your work and an advocate for your creations.

Perhaps a collector you have never had contact with before happened to attend the opening reception of an exhibition of your art, and instantly decided that he had found what he was looking for and bought four pieces.

The advice that is often given is simply to remember that РІР‚Вif it looks too good to be true, it usually is.РІР‚в„ў But while that is a good rule of thumb, itРІР‚в„ўs not enough to protect you if youРІР‚в„ўre an artist РІР‚вЂњ because, after all, there are times when something that seems too good to be true really does happen to an artist, and you may well have experienced this yourself. By the time youРІР‚в„ўve exchanged a few emails, you feel as if you know the РІР‚ВpersonРІР‚в„ў youРІР‚в„ўre communicating with РІР‚вЂњ they will often include personal details about themselves or their families РІР‚вЂњ and naturally, you are inclined to respond positively to someone who is praising your work. The trouble with art scams that begin like this is that they are based on something you would like to believe. Have you recently received an email from someone who says that their wife saw your artwork online and fell in love with it instantly? Or someone who would like to purchase your artwork immediately? Or maybe an artistРІР‚в„ўs agent wants to show your work at a prestigious art fair? Feels great, right? Of course, but how do you tell if itРІР‚в„ўs real or an art scam?

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