I hope this never happens to you.
As a core part of my business practice, I meet weekly with an accountability partner to review what’s working—and what’s threatening our livelihood as artists. This week’s conversation? The rise of art scams targeting creators. One scam she encountered could have cost her $90,000. Yes, 90K. Unbelievable—and terrifying.
Selling art is already challenging, but now we must stay vigilant against scammers who prey on artists’ trust and excitement about potential sales. While preparing this article, I found an excellent resource: a blog post from Agora Gallery covering common scams in the art world. If you sell art online or offline, it’s essential reading.
The first time I received a suspicious email, something felt “off,” but I wanted to understand the scam. Like many artists, I assumed a cashier’s check was safe. Wrong. After speaking with my bank, I learned that cashier’s checks can be counterfeited—and even years later, if the fraud is discovered, the bank can debit your account for the full amount.
I also knew from previous experience with merchant accounts that unless you physically swipe a credit card and get a signature, a buyer can dispute the charge for up to 60 days. And they will likely win.
So what’s the safest payment method?
After calling PayPal, I discovered they offer Seller Protection, which shields artists from fraudulent transactions. The moment I told the scammer I would only accept PayPal, communication stopped immediately. They knew they couldn’t exploit the system—and moved on.
The biggest rule? Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is. Google the sender’s name with the word “scam” and see what comes up. It’s your responsibility to perform due diligence before completing a sale.
And please—never accept an overpayment, and never send money back to a buyer. This is one of the most common scam tactics, and even seasoned artists fall for it.
Scammers keep targeting artists because it works. Don’t let excitement cloud your judgment. Stay smart, stay cautious, and protect yourself and your art business.
What do you think? What scams have you run across? The more we expose the scammers the safer we will all be.
Be well….be creative,
Is Payoal all that great? I’ve read a lot of accounts on FB about photogs using PayPal to accept payment then losing their money when a client disputes. It seems PayPal generally sided with your client, no matter if the disputes is covered by a well written contract or not.
Your thoughts?
I’ve never had any problem with Paypal Al. The few disputes that occurred went in my favor. You have to know what PayPal requires of you for protection. If you follow those rules there shouldn’t be a problem.