Instascam: Spot the Signs of Instagram Scams Targeting Artists
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We need to talk about Instagram.
I’ve been promoting my art on Instagram (IG) for several months now, and although it’s been great for getting my work noticed and making connections with galleries, I’m frustrated with the scammy behavior that’s rampant on the platform. It’s disheartening to work hard on a post showcasing you art and your skills and then get weird comments and DMs pressuring you to buy into a vague scheme. And when you’re an artist eager to get your art noticed and perhaps make a sale of your work, it’s easier to fall into a scammer’s trap.
In this article, I’m going to break down some of the common Instagram schemes targeting artists and how to spot them, and then provide tactics for how to handle scammers.
Spot the Red Flags
Here’s some red flags that may indicate a potential scam:
1. The user asks you to sell your art in a format different from the way you normally sell it.
2. The user asks you to DM them (instead of them DMing you).
3. The user has only a few posts on their IG page but a lot of followers.
4. The offer seems too good to be true.
5. The user gives excessive praise of you or your work.
Scammers of any sort rely on you being desperate, fearful, or careless. They want you to act on emotion so you’re not thinking and overlook those details and inconsistencies that signal something is wrong.
Slow down, don’t act immediately, and trust your instincts.
Next, I’ll talk about the common scams you might come across as an artist on Instagram.
Common Scams Targeting Artists
Here are three scams to watch out for if you’re an artist on Instagram.
Commission Scams
Commissioned pieces by artists usually fetch a higher price than the artist’s typical work and are a coveted opportunity for any artist. Commission scams capitalize on this desire by presenting a seemingly legitimate opportunity to make a commissioned piece, but the scammer has no intention of going through with it.
The scammer will reach out to you through a comment, DM, or even your email asking you to create a commissioned piece for them. They often use a story to garner sympathy, something like “I’m getting a gift for my wife’s birthday/our anniversary” or “I want a portrait of my son’s dog.” Many offer to pay a high price for the commission, or even ask you to “name your price.”
Here’s a few ways to tell if the offer is a scam:
· They offer to buy the commission at a price way higher than your typical fees
· You don’t create commissions; or you don’t create commissions for the type of piece they ask for
· When you ask for details about what they want, they don’t answer your question
· They don’t check out your website/portfolio and can’t get specific on what it is about your work that they like and what want to see in their commissioned piece
Promotion and Follower Scams
After you make a post of your work, you may get comments saying ‘send pic @ [instagram user]’ or ‘promote pic @ [instagram user]’ or even DMs complimenting your work which is followed up with a message saying you should work with them to get more IG followers (for a fee of course).
It’s hard to classify these tactics as outright scams sometimes because the behavior is pretty rampant on IG and it can fly under the radar as a legitimate service since you’re paying for the promotion, much like you would an ad. What makes this scammy though is the tactics they use to get you to buy their “service.” Here’s a few scammy tactics to look out for:
· Comments asking you to “promote your work at [username]” — be especially careful if the user’s account has no connection to you or your art.
· DMs from strangers complimenting your work, followed by an offer to promote your work (be particularly wary if the user uses sends messages in ALL CAPS or uses tons of emojis)
· Being tagged by a strange account in an effort to get you to promote your work with them.
These users want to get you to pay them money so they can “buy” you IG followers. I wish I had known this scheme before I started posting my art on IG. It was disheartening to get marketing scheme comments after sharing my art and heart on IG so I want other artists to be aware that this may happen so they don’t fall for anything and don’t get discouraged about sharing their art.
NFT Scams
This scam is becoming a real pain point for me lately because I’ve gotten so many messages about it. Users will reach out to you, via comment or DM, asking you to sell your work to them as NFT art. These users always soften you up with lots of compliments, and many will ask you to DM them if you’re interested in the offer.
NFT art is a real and legitimate art form that many artists are diving into (personally, I have serious reservations about putting my work out there as NFTs). But if you do not sell your art as NFTs, the offer is a blatant scam. If anyone offers to buy your work in a different format than what you’re selling, it’s a scam.
These NFT art scammers want to get your personal information and money, they have no interest in your art. Often, they will offer to buy your NFT art at an exorbitant price, sometimes higher than the price of your original work. And for those that do want your art as NFTs, they will benefit from the sale of your NFT art, but you, the artist, will never receive a profit from the sale.
If you want to create and sell your own NFT art, I encourage you to do it on your own terms. Do not follow the instructions for how to do it from a stranger on Instagram.
How to Deal with Scammers
We can’t stop scammers, but we can take steps to protect ourselves. Here’s a few additional steps and practices to follow:
1. Trust your Instincts: If something feels wrong, trust that feeling and proceed cautiously.
2. Don’t Engage: Don’t get into a back and forth with someone you think is a scammer.
3. Curb the Curiosity: Figuring out how the scheme works isn’t important, don’t try to engage with the user to learn more about how their scam will make them money. Knowing how isn’t relevant and can get you into a bad situation.
4. Do Not Share Personal Details: Never provide details like your bank or PayPal information, address, birthday, or ID information.
5. Block and Delete: Block the user and delete comments and DMs from them.
6. Adjust your Privacy Settings: Adjust your privacy settings to screen out certain terms related to these scams.
Conclusion
Instagram can be a helpful tool to get our work noticed as artists, but we have to be careful when we’re on the platform and be wise to potential scams. Always trust your feeling about any offers you come across and investigate things thoroughly before committing to something. Stay safe, and keep creating!
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