BogusArtFair.Info

Art News Blog reports another scammer, "Maxwells Brown". They seem to be getting lazier with sending readable emails....

Although unverified, I'm going out on a limb and saying that Isabella Trimper with Art Services International is not a legitimate art consultant. The biggest giveaway?

She said there is no written proposal or agreement and has never been asked for one even when 'Motherwell was commissioned by her company a $1. M piece for the lobby at the GE HQ in Fairfield CT, there wasn't such formality',

Whether legitimate or not, the folks at ATcultura are persistent. I received my third email from them today (first one in early November, second one in mid-November) , and the persistence makes me more suspicious of their legitimacy. Search results for ATcultura continue to be inconclusive, with a red herring being their name showing in the resumes of many artists who have profiles with artist directories (and in few other places). Why a red herring? Because these artists are the easiest targets for scammers (like fish in a barrel). Proceed with caution!

I wasn't quite sure how to categorize this one, because it's an online extension of a traditional scam: the sale of fake works of art. Coxsoft Art has the story.

There has been a call circulating for the "Toronto Art Show", and the Ontario Crafts Council has issued a warning on it. In recent correspondence the Ontario Crafts Council has confirmed that the three major sponsors listed on the show's website: Tim Horton's, MacDonald's and Coca-Cola have stated that they are not associated with the show.

I think I have pointed to them before, but the Artists File Online Community Board has a good listing of active scammers. Because they are an active online artist community with sale opportunities, they're an excellent place to harvest scammers!

When we are constantly bombarded with suspicious emails from supposed galleries, agents and art fairs, it's easy to forget that financial danger to artists exist in the real world. Bloomberg covers the story of Lawrence Salander's mishandling of his gallery, and his persistence in trying to scam someone...anyone.

Lawrence Salander has just the man to save his bankrupt New York gallery.

Salander asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Cecelia Morris in a Feb. 15 motion to authorize his Salander-O'Reilly Galleries LLC to rehire him. He's proposed to help in identifying its 4,000 artworks and eventually in selling pieces whose ownership are not in dispute.

His salary was $50,000 a month running the business, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in November. Salander has asked the judge to determine what pay, if any, he merits.

I recently received a call for artists for the International Exhibit Contemporary Art "STRAPPI E FERITE", organized by Sabrina Falzone. I couldn't find much on either the exhibition or the organizers which is in English. The Google-translated version of the call can be found here, and the Google-translated version of Sabrina Falzone's website can be found here.

artenzie has reported a scam email from an "agent" (Steve James) who is reportedly looking for artwork in Scotland. The bold, to-the-point tone of the email (and the fact that real agents don't work this way) is the biggest hint that it's a scam. Beware!

Every time I wonder whether the scammers are still targeting artists, I read about someone else who has been sent one of these emails. Art News Blog just reported a scam email from johnson_mark_arts01@yahoo.com. You can read the full scam email at Art News Blog.