HOW TO IDENTIFY AN EMAIL SCAM
This article raises awareness of email scams and helps freelance illustrators identify an email scam before it’s too late.
Freelancers beware!
We can't stress this enough: please, beware of email scammers. They target freelancers, like us. Some of the email scams are very obvious, but many are very convincing!!
A Recent Example
We heard bad news from a fellow illustrator—they lost considerable money to a very savvy scammer. Here is what happened:
The scammer asked the illustrator to design a wedding invitation for his daughter. The scammer pays the illustrator a large check—in advance—that covers the illustrator's fee, plus printing costs. The scammer then asks the illustrator to pay the printer from that amount because he will be in the hospital. The scammer's check bounces, but the illustrator is not notified by their bank until after the funds were transferred to the "printer".
Some Red Flags
Is the request coming from a "generic" email address?
Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you from an account like Gmail or Yahoo. Be suspicious of anyone with no website credentials in their signature or corporate identity to support themselves. Do legwork to ensure this person exists.
Is the payment structure unusual?
Be 100% suspicious of anyone who requests any non-traditional payment method or asks for financial information up front. Be very suspicious of wire transfer requests. Ask for a partial payment (50%) up-front as a "start fee." Accept only a check or Paypal or Venmo and ensure the transaction clears your account. Never give a stranger your banking or CC info.
Does the request focus too much on payment?
No legitimate client is going to immediately be so intent on gathering payment information. Usually, a legitimate client is just as cautious as you—they too want to ensure that you are not a scammer!
Is it too good to be true?
When in doubt, copy-and-paste the email address or a sentence from the email and conduct a Google search. Chances are high that you will find a post or a tweet that confirms your suspicion!
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