I recently received an email like the one below.

  I am an artist and self-employed. However, I also put my career on job search sites with short-term work or projects in mind from time to time. However, this email came first from a place where I had not applied. They called me as a applicant. (In this sense, I feel that it's weird) It's a big company called Software AG. 

The company is founded in 1969, Software AG is an enterprise software company with over 10,000 enterprise customers in over 70 countries. The company is the second largest software vendor in Germany, and the seventh largest in Europe.

In general, there is no reason to show interest in one artist first in such a large company personally, and in the case of such a large company, there is a department in charge of recruitment, and there is a public offering to recruit employees on a regular basis every year, and they recruit employees through such a route. It is common.​

  ​And the most suspicious thing is that they are not using a corporate mail account, but using Gmail as shown below.

  However, at that moment, I responded to the interview with the same mind as a reporter to know how suspicious are they and also how can I get an information to report them, know to avoid a scam. I decided to interview via zoom the next morning.

 ​First, they give information about the company like this and present perfect and fancy conditions.

  ​It sounds like a fantastic job where you can get $18 for training alone compared to other jobs where the minimum wage starts at $18 to $20. ​Oh! also the insurance and various benefits are great. In general, people with a lot of experience in job hunting are suspicious when they hear these perfect benefits.

  ​However, the concern is that people who have started job hunting for the first time, people who are very eager to get a job, and people who are isolated from the outside world like artists are likely to fall victim to this kind of scam.

And their scamming techniques have evolved over time, making them look like very standard interviews on the surface.

​They'll probably interview you and ask if you can work remotely, what you feel is important about working remotely, and so on. And will be very interested in you and ask you to send your portfolio. And after a few minutes it will look like you're reviewing it and then you'll be notified that you've been hired.

  They will congratulate you very often and compliment you on how well your experience and skills are a great fit for their company. But remember! Too good to be true!

So good that it is hard to believe, or seeming very good but not real: their new job offer sounds too good to be true.

 ​But inexperienced or eager people are more likely to fall into this trap. Because being in a state of wanting very eagerly in the heart means that they do not want doubt even the scammer because they want to get their fancy future or solve their financial problem. ​And for another reason, there are many people in the world who are pure enough to believe the words of scammers. Another reason is that scammers' tricks are so sophisticated that you can't be careful no matter how careful you are. And the last reason is the biggest reason for being scammed.

  In the case of the scammer I met, he said that I was very suitable for the remote job and that I would get the job after a two-week training period. And after 3 months, he said that I would be a full-time job receiving the 4 major insurances and benefits. And he said I would get money to buy related software and hardware for remote work. This amount will be sent in the form of a check, and paid from the company. With this check, the employee should purchase the product through the fixed vendor designated by the company.

 There is a very important pitfall here.
​I asked them why they had to buy all new software and hardware when I already had it. They replied that the company was obliged to pay for these things and you did not have to worry.

I think if there was a company like this, it would have already been widely known in the world and featured in the New York Times. Is there any company like this in the world? So I asked. What if I quit after getting everything and installing it? The scammer looked puzzled for a moment, then continued. Still, the company has an obligation to provide new equipment and software to employers. (It's a personal opinion, but did the scammer also get the equipment from the scam company?)

  ​After all, job seekers should never react when this kind of offer comes. And you have to be suspicious. No company in the world sends or remits money other than wages to job seekers, or makes them buy things instead. It is also illegal.

 Job seekers only get paid for their labor. In this case, there is a high probability that the check will bounce and you will lose your money. You have to be very careful with checks coming and going.

 Above all, I want artists to safely continue their artistic activities in a legally protected environment when they are looking for a job. Doing art work itself is an arduous and difficult task, but how great will the despair be if you end up being scammed? In every sense, scams must be avoided and scams must be cut off.

Let's keep it mindful. Equipment required by the company must be purchased and sent by the company. Company employees do not purchase with employee's credit cards. It's not like the company sends money and buys it with that money. Also, it is recommended that interviews be reported on video as much as possible. Because scammers won't show their faces.

Even at this hour, it is impossible to predict how many scammers, fake artists and related companies will be looking for scapegoats. It is true that it takes a lot of trial and error to discern these things. However, I hope that by distinguishing this kind of proposal without trial and error, any artists can continue their work without being victims. In that sense, today's post has been released.

   I like the above verses from the Bible. And there are often when this phrase needs to be applied in life.

 In particular, artists are isolated due to their professional attribute. They are keenly interested in everyday life and  events, but on the other hand, they ultimately builds a wall surround them and pursues the beauty and essence of the matter. For this reason, artists may have possibilities to get lost without knowing how to judge the border between business and fraud when they take their work to the public. When this happens, artists often got a lot of mail that arrives at them and get confused. Some emails contain this. "I want to give the painting as a birthday present for my wife. I saw your work on the Internet, and it's fantastic. I am very interested in your career. I want to buy it. I can't use the card right away because I have to surprise my wife. The delivery company must also use the company I have chosen.
Please send your check as soon as possible. " This kind of scam is prevalent among artists communities. You should be careful if you ask for a bill without giving their information correctly.

 In this case, artists are opening their damage cases on the Internet. If you receive that kind of mail, be sure to search the Internet and judge. 

And back to my story, I got an email today.
As shown below, I am very interested in my work, and I will invite you to my art fair. At first glance, it looks pretty polite and official. There are no typos or grammar flaws in English that prevalent scams have. However, if you receive this type of mail, be sure to type the mail address on the Internet.

 Many artists have received unidentifical  mail, and some are complaining about damage. These kind of emails are distributed to artists indiscriminately and randomly.
Of course, I can understand that someone may want to try participating in this kind of art fair. If they have a lot of money, and can. However, for most artists, it isn't easy to make a living. And the money they make from selling their work is precious to them. You should be aware of artist scams, as it is possible to lose all this money all at once. I recommend that you first look up the email address internet.

There are many examples below. The best solution is unresponsive.
It is better not to do it if you think it is excessive and not helpful in your judgment. Artists have to protect themselves.

 ​How can I protect myself and engage in creative activities in the Internet world where countless information abounds? When I get spam, I worry about that

  Have you ever heard of Vanity Gallery? 
 If you focus only on your work as an artist, you may naturally become vulnerable to responding to harmful information. Because of this particularity, artists are often at risk of being exposed to scams. Therefore, artists must also research and study continuously before doing anything and before signing a contract.

 With the development of the Internet, anyone can easily achieve their dreams according to their purpose  if they wish.  And, perhaps, investing your money and effort will give you instant fame without any professionality. It is due to the weakening of barriers to entry by diversity and commercial marketing. As a result, the person who wants to pursue with sincerity to do something can suffer under the insidious pitfall of business and marketing slot. 

  Recently I have faced same problem. Looking back, I have been painting for nearly ten years, but I have never met a so-called vanity gallery and wasted my money before, so I can say that I am a lucky painter. Today I would like to share some of private experiences about the relationship between gallery and artist. 

 The galleries I exhibited were not fancy, glamorous, or luxurious places for anyone to see. It was a gallery run by membered artists who created and operated a cooperative. However, the paintings here have been vetted rigorously. The gallery did not charge any fees to the artist for the exhibition. And there were many benefits that an artist could take advantage of it. For example, a cooperative gallery in Germany helped set up an exhibition for me, an emerging artist, during a local festival. So many people came to see my paintings, and my works were sold. The director was delighted with my first success. Instead, I had to create a promotional brochure myself. I had designed it in Photoshop, printed it on my home printer, and cut it overnight with sharp scissors. An exciting experience was that I made and sold postcards, which sold quite well. And I took the profits from postcards and paintings to the proportion of 80 and 20 galleries.

 Some galleries also did not charge for the exhibition and gave me money for the performance after the show oppositely. 

 Maybe I didn't have enough money, and once the some vanity gallery asked for money, I couldn't answer it as their needs.  With the financial motivation, more fiercely, I searched for exhibition spaces that were provided for artists for free.   When the exhibition was held at a local cafe, it was quite good because it was a win-win strategies. The local gallery with cafe was a famous place for artists, the exhibition record remained on the Internet for a long time. They judged all paintings and curated by own professional staff. 

 When I came to the United States, a commercial gallery director rented a space for free (2 weeks) after looking at my work. At this time, I also made a promotional poster in Photoshop, printed it, because the gallery can't do it. Since it was a gallery in a tourist area, many people visited, and paintings were also sold. The owner himself hung and nailed the pictures for my exhibition and actively promoted my images. When my work was sold, I divided our portions  50/50 by my voluntary decision to repay for his efforts. Since then, I have joined a local art councils to exhibit and sell works mainly.

 However, after experiencing an artist open call, I noticed something suspicious. Since open Internet calls are not person-to-person, it is challenging to respond with detecting by instinct.   So it is an area that needs further research. I'll do more research on this and keep posting.   When submitting work through an open call, you must check whether the institution is reliable. 

  Also, I am often in a situation where it is ambiguous whether this is vanity or not. The standard is the expenses. In other words, from experience, there are many opportunities to expose my work without spending overpayment. It seems that something that looks flashy to see and hear must be verified first to avoid being deceived.

 In that regard, I modified the career section of my homepage. I plan to update again after confirming the parts that need verification.

The path of an artist is not only a path to painting but also an arduous side. You have to protect yourself, and you have to plow through the rough sea like a ship breaking through the waves. There are many temptations and shortcuts, but you have to close your eyes in front of the sweat calling. Sometimes I get deceived and upset, but I have to shake it off and get up again. Still, I have to go this route again. If you are an artist who has a hard time making a living, this process can be even more arduous.

 In the future, I plan to study how to protect myself as an artist and show and evaluate my work more authentically.

Reference : ​https://fineartviews.com/blog/33648/vanity-gallery-art-scam-or-art-opportunity