Since my last post, I have heard from a number of people who have made me aware of some the troubling scams that are being pulled on artists. Mark Sheeky , a fantastic artist, commented on my previous post about scammers paying too much and wanting money back. I am not sure how the scheme works, but this story posted on the found-art blog, sounds similar and very scary. It reads like a detective story and I encourage anyone who is doing business on the internet to read it.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Art Scam
I am sure most of us have received those bogus emails telling us we have won something or someone died and left us a lot of money, etc. Internet con men and women spend hours thinking up new ways to defraud us and try to steal our hard-earned money. Over the years, I have received a couple of emails from them saying they are interested in my art. The latest one claimed they saw my work on www.theartsmap.com. The site is a great source for locating artists and their studios. A couple of very reputable artists created it to support other artists. I had forgotten registering to be on this map, but that is nothing new, besides if you are anywhere on the internet your information is no longer private. Unfortunately, there are those who use this information to try to run a scam and this site, unwittingly, is like a free mailing list of artists for them. The email I received was full of errors and very confusing. The sender’s name, the Yahoo address and the signature name and email were all different. It was rather oblivious that it was not legitimate, intrigued, but cautious I decided to explore the issue and asked many questions about them and their location. As expected, the reply was very vague but they offered to buy two pieces of my art. They said they would pay for the art with a travelers check. Since I had heard stories about these scams, I told them I would have to cash the check first before I could send them my work. I said if they wanted me to ship the work right away, I had PayPal and I would require this method of payment. As expected, I never heard from them again.
I hope anyone who reads this heeds my warning and makes every effort to protect them self. Do not tell anyone you do not know where you live unless you feel comfortable with whom they say they are. Never send anyone money who claims they are an agent or want a show fee unless you initiated the transaction. Always clear any type of check or money order with a bank, post office or credit union before turning over your art. Better yet, use PayPal as you form of money exchange. They are very good about providing safe transactions. Finally, yet importantly, never open an attachment from someone you do not know. Next to losing you money, losing your hard drive to a virus can be devastating.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Advocate
Heart String Eva Macie ©
I have neglected my blog again because doctor appointments and keeping up with a diet log for kidney disease has continued to consume my time. Fortunately, it has paid off. There has been some improvement in my condition and I lost a few pounds in the process! For the first time in years, the doctors ordered me not to lose any more weight. The caveat is my food choices and amounts are so limited that olive and flax seed oil are the only calorie loaded items that will keep my weight stable. The good news is my heart and I love that! However, I may have avoided all of this if my doctors had given me the “heads up” years ago. When I questioned them, their replies were defenseless malarkey. Therefore, my Valentines gift to you is that I will make you aware of some of the things to avoid, which may prevent or halt the progression of kidney disease. If you have high blood pressure and/or diabetes, (big precursors for kidney disease) avoid or limit taking over the counter painkillers, such as NSAIDS, on a regular basis. Other drugs and medications are listed on this PDF report that you can read at http://www.diabetesinmichigan.org/EdHandout/PDF/NKFDrugs&Kidneys.pdf
Please check out these sites to learn more about this to the silent killer. EARLY DETECTION IS CRITICAL. We have to be our own advocate, so the next time you visit your doctor ask her/him if you are at risk.
About The above painting:
It is an older painting with a heart shape stone I found. I plan to redo the painting, but before that, I thought I would use it as a background for the stone, (not attached), and use it as my Valentine post illustration. It is a 12” x 12” acrylic painting on a 1 1/2” deep, studio wrapped canvas. The texture is Golden’s lightweight molding paste.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I am wishing you all a year of love and good health.
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