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

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!

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.

They're relentless! This one is about a "Mrs. Ibrahim Al-Azzawi."

Subject: Mrs. Ibrahim Al-Azzawi.
From: intro dollness <enstromose@web.de>

Dear Sir/Madam,

This scammer must be full of more sorrow than the others, because I received the same email from "her" twice (the second was sent 15hrs and 6 minutes after the first). The email is an obvious scam because it still follows the old format. The email was sent from msprisca7m@yahoo.com but has a reply-to address of camaramiss@yahoo.com.

Here's the email (spelling errors and bold formatting intact):

This came through my email last week:

I saw your discussion board post about art scammers. I just had a scam
attempt. I wanted people to be aware of it. It is from one of the same
people listed on your message board. Here are the emails I received from
this individual: tina_brown100@yahoo.co.uk

Here's another shipping scam email, from a "Tina Brown", which was sent via the Artists Space's Artists File Online website. Although websites like that are good for artists who want a small web presence, the artists are usually targeted for scams because there are so many in one place.

Notice the request for information on multiple paintings, all of which are irregularly sized, and someone who is moving overseas.

Art News Blog provides an update on a reader who was targeted for a scam.