Email Art Scams (Artists Beware!) - UPDATED 3/10/26

The Business of Art
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Email Art Scams
Email Art Scams1536×1024 256 KB

Greetings all—as art sales continue to grow on the web, so do the efforts of scammers trying to rip off today’s hard working creatives. These scams often take the form of emails directly to the artist rather than their gallery or dealer.) They appear to be from a rather nebulous collector who seems eager to take just about anything off of your hands and throw a few thousand bucks your way…

Fortunately, many of these email art collection/acquisition scams are somewhat easy to spot. Each one contains repeating language patterns and phrases as well as enough spurious vagueness to raise red flags rather quickly. Howard Rehs of Rehs Gallery in New York helped me to gather some of our “favorite” emails from these art phishers. See how quickly you yourself can assemble the criteria to identify the nature of the phishing expedition (the first one I received just a few days ago):

My name is David Burdeny , from Mineola Texas. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do. With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1500 to $7000.I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.

*Best regards *

- david burdeny ( davburdeny3320@gmail.com )

Hello my name is James Jaap from Indiana, Thoughts of the best anniversary gift of the century to my wife has been roaming my mind for a while now, having found your listings for sales they are quite impressive and intriguing, I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. I am making the purchase as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming 20th wedding anniversary a family reunion and my wife 50th birthday. It’s a surprise party for my wife and her families here in Mexico because we are both visiting presently for Holidays so am working on getting the piece over here, i think it’s worth it anyway. I hope my budget falls under your asking price, and if i have to pay more, there should be a reason in terms of worth and value. I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory… vehemently I will like you to get back to me with the details at your earliest convenience.

*Your final sale price

*More details on its present condition.

Regards
James

Hello, I was looking for some artwork online and i found yours while searching. I will like to purchase some of your work for my wife as a surprise gift for our 10th anniversary. Please kindly send pics and prices of some of your artwork which are ready for immediate sale within price range $2500- $3000. I hope to hear a lot more about any available piece in your inventory ready for immediate sale.

Thanks and best regards
Roch.

My name is Larry Evans from Clarksville, TN. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

With that being said, I would like to purchase a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5,000.

I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.

Regards,

Larry.

Hello,

My name is Alan Smith from Washington DC. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

With that being said, I would like to purchase a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $6,000.

I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.

Regards,

Smith

My name is Zev Rubin from Washington, DC. I was looking for some artwork online and i found your contact while searching. I will like to purchase some of your work for my wife as a surprise gift for our 20th anniversary. Please kindly send pics and prices of some of your art which are ready for immediate sale within price range $500 - $5000, I could be flexible with price. So i will hope to hear a lot more about any available piece in your inventory ready for immediate sale.

Thanks and best regards,

Rubin.

Here’s one that started out far more convincing. However, as Howard followed up some red flags popped up quickly.

Subject: ENQUIRY

Dear Sir/Ma,

We are interested in purchasing this work bellow.

Anthony Mastromatteo
A City Upon A Hill, 2018
Oil on canvas
36 נ48 in
91.4 נ121.9 cm

Could you please provide more information about the piece?
Kind regards,
Al Akeem Khalid
Eastern Eagle LLC
Emirate Tower

REHS RESPONSE: Thank you for your interest in the painting by Mastromatteo. You can see a nice image on this page of our website. https://rehs.com/Anthony_Mastromatteo_A_City_Upon_A_Hill_6277.html

Let us know if you need more information.

Howard
Howard L. Rehs
Rehs Galleries, Inc.
Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc.
5 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022
www.rehs.com
(212) 355-5710
(212) 355-5742 – Fax
(917) 690-7766 - Cell

Member
Internal Revenue Service’s Art Advisory Panel
Fine Art Dealers Association (Past President)
Antiques Council (Board Member)
Art & Antique Dealers League of America
LAPADA
CINOA

SCAMMER RESPONSE:

Dear Howard,

Thanks for your offer, we have accepted to purchase the work and we would be handling the shipping aspect by picking up the work from your location.

Kindly send us your bank details attached with proforma invoice and we shall transfer the total amount of the invoice as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to read from you.

Best regard,

Al Akeem Khalid

REHS RESPONSE: In order to generate an invoice, we will need your complete mailing address (Corporate name, street location, etc.), phone number, and would appreciate a link to your website. In addition, if you are picking up the work at the gallery, then we must charge sales tax.

Howard

Hello Howard,

I really appreciate your swift response, My Name is Daniel Blanc, I am the Curation of Rosenfeld Gallery Israel and i’m actually looking into your work for a client who is very much interested so i will gladly appreciate if you can give me your best price and shipment to Los Angeles California. However, Some other pieces caught my attention from your website and I would like to know their prices too.

I have attached them to the below link, Please give your best price on each of them.

[ VIEW ATTACHMENT ]

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.

Daniel.B

Fortunately Howard from Rehs Gallery actually knew the owner of the Rosenfeld Gallery. As soon as he referenced the owner in his response the scammer disappeared.

In addition—it is very important that you not click on ANY attachments or links in an email unless you can absolutely verify it is from a trusted source (and even then I would verify with the sender with an independent email, text or phone call.)

Have you spotted some patterns thus far? Aside from all the anniversaries going on? LOL!

The big ones I often find are :

Generic opening of email (not personalized)
Seldom any of any specific artwork or artwork characteristics
A mention of an artwork tends to have a different format (font, size) than the rest of the email

This article from the Artist Archive presents several more:

The Story Sounds Impersonal
The “Buyer” is in a Foreign Country or They Need an Outside Shipper
There is a Tight Timeline
There are Spelling, Grammatical, or Spacing Errors
They Request a Cashier’s Check, Bank Information, or Money Wire

Here’s a few more resources for you to reference when you get that email that raises an eyebrow:

Stop Art Scams– a blog by artist Kathleen McMahon that catalogues common art scams.

FTC Complaint Assistant– submit a scam complaint to the FTC.

Better Business Bureau– tips on avoiding art scams

Have you received any suspicious emails over the years regarding your artwork? How did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments below!

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Recent Art "Scam" busted by Rehs Galleries NYC
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Here another one I received today from Fredrick Patrick (patrickfredrick946@gmail.com). Notice the bizarre formatting and spacing:

Hello there,
My name is Patrick fredrick from Atwater CA and was looking for some arts online and i found your contact while searching.
I will like to purchase some of your work for my wife as a surprise gift for our 20th anniversary.
Please kindly send pics and prices of some of your art which are ready for immediate sale within price range $300- $3500
*I hope to hear a lot more about any available piece in your inventory ready for immediate sale. *

*Stay safe *

Thanks and best regards

Sent from my iPhone

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Dear kind sir, all that
being said,my offer still stands. I am eagerly awaiting your kindly
response and bank account numbers.

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New one this week:

Name: Ashley Jackson

Email: ashleyjac436@gmail.com

Website:

Message: My name is Ashley Jackson from Conway, Arkansas . I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1500 to $7000.

I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.

Best regards,

Jackson.

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these e-mails are great! i do love a good scammer e-mail.

…but now i’m wondering if maybe all those scammers are just my hubby looking to buy me a present for our upcoming 25th anniversary :slight_smile:

he could just buy some of my stuff, that way he’d save time and a whack of $$$ and i would have the satisfaction of selling something (at last!). if that isn’t a win-win situation!!!

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Here’s another:

Aloha!

How are you doing? I am Jacob Dimick from Wichita, Kansas. I have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife’s and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on to some of your works which I find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment? Best Regards.

- Jacob Dimick ( jacobdimick93@gmail.com )

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New one from 4/10/2021:

My name is Jason Raji from Washington DC.I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1500 to $5000.

I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.

Best regards,

Jason.
-Jason Raji ( rajijason79@gmail.com )

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Today’s Scam:

Hello, I actually observed your works. I’m impressed and amazed by your level of creativity; you are doing a great job. I would like to know if you have any piece of art available for immediate sales, attach it to your next email so i could get to select my preferred choice, then we talk about payment., So i purchased one of it as a surprise for my Husband, I hope to hear a lot more about any available piece in your inventory ready for immediate sale.

I would also like to know if you accept a check as means of payment.

Edward Sinclair
Houston Tx
(eddysinclair29@gmail.com)

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If these assholes ever hire a copy editor we could all be in trouble. :grinning: High entertainment value in their emails, however. Thanks for putting this together!

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:joy::joy::joy::joy: Right?!!!?

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Today’s Scam:

Hi, My name is Nelson from Arkansas, I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to i and my wife’s anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on to some of your works which I found quite impressive and intriguing, I must admit you’re doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do. With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some 6 pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes( bearing it in mind that my budget is within $400-$5,000 ) which are ready for immediate sale.I look forward to reading from you.

Best regards,

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Today’s scam (it seems some no longer bother with the “fluff”of a story. :joy:):

Subject: artwork

Email: bintasbe@gmail.com

Name: bintas benites

i’m interested in your artwork, kindly mail me back with more pictures of artwork at the range of $500 to $1000 8 Inches x 10 Inches or more.

thank you

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Here’s a new one from this week (June 26, 2022):

My name is Robert Nell from Richmond Indiana. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to our wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on to some of your works which I found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you’re doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.

With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $30,000.

I look forward to reading from you in order to know more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment.

Best Regards,

Robert…

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This one came through an Adobe Portfolio contact form (at least Adobe added a hyperlink to report spam in the email.) :

Name :
nicholas britton

Email Address:
nickbritton787@gmail.com

Message:
Hello,

I hope this message meets you well.
How’re you doing today? I’m Nicholas Britton from Lebanon, Virginia I was researching on the internet and came across some art page, I honestly love your work & i must say you’re very innovative with a wide sense of creativity, I’d like to know if there’s piece of art that could be presented as an wedding anniversary gift available and their asking price list.

I would love to purchase some of your art(Because i want my present to be Heartfelt)as a present to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary .As a matter of importance, Lastly I would also like to know if you accept a check as a means of payment. I await your response

Warm Regards
Nick.

If you believe this is spam, please avoid clicking links or replying with personal information. Learn more about protecting yourself from scams here

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Here’s a newer one from “talent@magazinepublic.com”

Good Morning,

I am contacting you on behalf of This Time Magazine. We publish artists, models, influencers, business owners, and creative people making an impact. One of your social media followers nominated you for an interview. Are you interested in an interview with our magazine?

Best Regards,

This Time Magazine

There’s some great articles on this newer scam here:

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New one on Sept. 18th, 3024:

Hello there,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Nicole Hicks, and I’m writing from South Carolina. I’m very interested in your artwork and think it could be the perfect addition to celebrate my 20th anniversary.

My budget for the artwork is between $300 and $3,500, depending on the piece that best fits this special occasion. I plan to make the payment by check.

Please let me know if you have any pieces available that fit within this range. I would love to discuss further and explore your collection.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm regards,
Nicole Hicks

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New Email Scam Targeting Artists — “International Artist Magazine” Cover Invitation

A colleague recently received what appeared to be a legitimate invitation from someone claiming to represent International Artist Magazine. The email asked permission to feature one of her paintings as the cover image for a future issue.

At first glance the message appears plausible. It references a specific artwork, uses professional language, and states that the artist would retain copyright while receiving complimentary copies of the issue.

However, after the artist accepted the invitation, the correspondence quickly shifted into an advertising sales pitch, revealing multiple red flags that strongly suggest this was a scam.

The Initial Email

The message began with a flattering editorial request:

Dear (ARTIST’S NAME),

I hope your week is off to a great start.

I am writing to you on behalf of International Artist Magazine to request permission to feature your stunning artwork, (ARTWORK TITLE AND INFO.) as the cover image for our June/July 2026 issue.

Our editorial team recently reviewed your portfolio, and we feel that this specific piece is not only visually striking but perfectly captures the essence of our upcoming publication. The June/July edition aims to explore themes such as “Nature in Art” and the convergence of technology and traditional media.

Regarding the terms of use:

Credit: You will receive full artist credit on the table of contents/masthead page.

Copyright: You will retain full copyright of your work; the image will be licensed for one-time use as the cover of this specific issue.

Compensation: We will send you 3 complimentary copies of the issue.

Warm wishes,
Wendie

Wendie Martin
Creative Director, International Artist Magazine
(929) 579-5488
Scottsdale, AZ
www.Internationalartist.com

After the artist replied accepting the offer, the tone changed.

The Follow-Up Message after Colleague replies with Interest. (Where the Scam Appears)

Hi (ARTIST’S NAME),

Thank you for collaborating with us. We’ll need a high resolution image of the painting from you, Our editorial team can also produce a high-resolution image of the painting incase you don’t have it.

As the cover image represents the themes explored within this and future issues, we would like to offer you a three-time, full-page, four-color advertisement at a 97% discount instead of the initial standard table of contents/masthead page credit. This provides an opportunity to showcase your portfolio to our readers.

A three-time full-page advertisement for the June/July, August/September, and October/November issues normally costs $3,200 per page, totaling $9,600. With the 97% discount, the cost is $60 CAD per page, totaling $180 CAD. This package also includes social media amplification across all our platforms.

Our magazine reaches a global audience of approximately 70,000 readers per issue through a combination of paid subscriptions and newsstand sales. The total readership is estimated to be significantly higher than the physical circulation due to the high ‘pass-along’ rate common in art studios, university libraries, and galleries, where multiple individuals view a single copy.

Our publication is distributed to major galleries and art consultants, such as Artelier and Schwartzman, among others. We also distribute to prominent museums in Canada, including the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

By committing to a three-issue advertisement campaign, we believe your portfolio will gain significant recognition among our collectors, leading to impactful sales and a long-term advertising partnership. Please let me know if this offer interests you or if you prefer the standard table of contents/masthead page credit, and I will send you a formal agreement for your signature.

Warm wishes,
Wendie

The Technical Smoking Gun

The email address used in the correspondence was:

wendie.martin@lnternationalartist.com

At a glance this looks correct, but the domain actually begins with a lowercase “l”, not a capital “I”.

Fake domain:
lnternationalartist.com

Real domain:
internationalartist.com

This is a common phishing technique called a homoglyph domain (using visually similar characters to mimic a legitimate website).

When the artist later attempted to reply again, the message bounced with the following error:

DNS Error: DNS type ‘mx’ lookup of lnternationalartist.com responded with code NXDOMAIN
Domain name not found.

In other words, the domain does not even exist as a valid mail server. So how is this poaaible if she was able to respond initially?

This can happen because scam domains are often temporary or disposable. Fraudsters frequently register a domain, configure it to send and receive email for a short period, send a batch of messages, and then abandon or disable the domain shortly afterward. Once the domain registration expires or the DNS records are removed, mail servers can no longer locate it. At that point, any new reply attempts will fail with an error indicating that the domain does not exist.

In practical terms, the likely sequence is:

  1. The domain lnternationalartist.com was briefly registered and configured to send email.
  2. Scam emails were distributed to targeted artists.
  3. The artist replied and received a response while the domain was still active.
  4. The domain’s DNS or mail records were later removed or expired.
  5. Subsequent replies resulted in a DNS NXDOMAIN error because the domain was no longer resolvable.

Disposable domains like this are common in phishing and impersonation schemes because they allow scammers to operate briefly and then disappear before complaints or abuse reports accumulate

Additional Red Flags

Even without the domain trick, several aspects of the email should raise suspicion.

1. Editorial departments do not commonly solicit advertising

Editors select covers based on editorial content.
Advertising sales and editorial selection are typically separate departments.

A legitimate editor would not contact an artist for a cover and then pivot into selling ad space.

2. The “97% discount” claim

The email claims:

  • normal cost: $9,600
  • discounted cost: $180

Such extreme discounts are a classic scam tactic used to trigger quick payment decisions.

3. Cover images are not tied to paid advertisements

In most established magazines, covers are chosen from:

  • featured articles
  • editorial features
  • commissioned illustrations
  • competition winners

They are not offered as part of advertising packages.

4. Implausible technical claim

The email also states:

“Our editorial team can also produce a high-resolution image of the painting in case you don’t have it.”

Editors cannot magically generate a high-resolution reproduction of a painting they do not possess. This line appears to be template filler.

How These Scams Work

The structure of the scam follows a predictable pattern:

  1. Flattery and legitimacy
    A specific artwork is praised and linked to a plausible editorial theme.
  2. Low-risk acceptance
    The artist is told they retain copyright and will receive copies.
  3. Upsell moment
    Once the artist agrees, the conversation shifts to advertising purchases.
  4. Artificial urgency and “discounts”
    The offer appears too good to refuse.

The scam relies on the excitement artists feel when a respected publication appears interested in their work.

Key Takeaway for Artists

Before responding to unsolicited publication offers:

• Always inspect the email domain carefully
• Verify staff names through the publication’s official website
• Be skeptical of advertising offers tied to editorial features

If the email domain does not exactly match the official publication, assume it is fraudulent.