First, let me say that I absolutely welcome potential clients, or anyone else who has a question for me, to use my website’s contact form. I have received many worthwhile correspondences from that form, including many that turned into perfectly good private commissions or other professional contacts. I always get a little thrill when a new contact comes into my email from that form. So, please, contact me if you want. I promise not to be too suspicious of you until after you insist on paying me way too much money immediately by echeck without a contract. 

Anyway…

My contact form also brings in scammers. 

A few days ago I received this from my website’s contact form: 

Name: Jason
Email: ROBERTJASON844@GMAIL.COM
Message:
Hello,

Hope this email finds you well? I would love to make an inquiry regarding our Invitation Card Design.

We would love to illustrate and incorporate a picture from our wedding event on our ready made Wedding Anniversary Invitation card design. Please let me know if you are free to take on a project such as this, so I can keep you updated with the necessary information.

Thanks. Regards

Robert

I suspected this was a scam. Why? 

They gave my form the name Jason and signed with the name Robert. The email address contains both names, but this seems off. 

Although I can absolutely do an illustration for a wedding anniversary invitation, it’s not typical for me. I’m primarily a children’s illustrator. It’s a little odd that someone would request this from me. Not absolutely unbelievable, though. I do get the occasional legit off-genre illustration requests. I created an illustration for the cover of a rap album once, for example. Odd is not necessarily a scam. But it is a concern. It is a sign that this potential client may not have looked through my portfolio and isn’t actually familiar with any of my work. 

“…so I can keep you updated with the necessary information.” ??? Keep me updated? Weird way to phrase that. How about just sending me the details? Does that seem off to you? 

I’m skeptical, but it could be legit. I do tend to get cynical real fast, but it’s best not to let that tendency scare off what could still very well be a perfectly good client. It’s happened before, someone who seemed super suspicious turning out to be a great client. So, I sent a polite response: 

Hello Jason,

Thank you for contacting me.  Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. 

Yes, I have time available to do an illustration for you.  What sort of image were you looking for?  You say you want it based on a wedding photo.  Are you looking for a caricature based on the photo or are you wanting me to do layout work, positioning pretty text and decorative elements to frame the photo? 

Sincerely,

Karen B. Jones
Illustrator

https://www.KarenBJones.com

I decided not to include my FULL contact info at this point. If it’s legit, the website will be sufficient for now, and I’ll send more info later. If it’s not, no need to tell the scammer my street address and phone number. 

Robert/Jason responded with: 

Hello Karen,

Thanks for getting back to me regarding this project. As mentioned earlier, we already have a lovely design of an IV card made for us by a Graphic Designer, but we thought of illustrating the image of the hands in a black and white style, as it brings back great memories. 

I’ve attached some pictures in the email, and a PDF  file of the IV Card. I believe you will be able to create something nice based on your level of creativity as an Illustrator. 

If you don’t mind, I’d love the delivery date/deadline for the submission of the designs to be no later than 10th of March, 2024. Also, I’ve already made an arrangement with a printing company to handle the finished work and have them delivered to me. 

Do let me know if this project is doable for you within the above stated deadline?, and my budget for this project is $800.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers.

Robert

He attached the following two images. Since I don’t know who actually owns these images, I’m not uploading them at full size and I’m superimposing a watermark to spoil them. These are NOT my images. 

So, he didn’t entirely answer my question. I guess he wants me to make a line drawing out of this photo to go on the back of this “lovely” invitation he had a Graphic Designer make for them? But he didn’t actually say. For all I know he just wants me to apply a nice black and white photo filter to the photo. 

Notice the invitation says Jason and Rita Robert? I’m not sure if him signing correspondences with his last name is suspicious or not. I have known people who went by their last names among friends, but I don’t think they signed emails that way. But maybe I’m being picky? 

You’ll note the address. I looked that up on Google Maps. This is a real address, but I find it unlikely that they intend to have their anniversary party at CDL Scrap & Metal. (I have no reason to think they’re anything other than a perfectly reputable metal recycling company, and I’m not implying they have anything whatsoever to do with our Jason Robert.)

Also, the date. If the party is going to be held on Feb. 17, 2024, then a due date of March 10, 2024 doesn’t make any sense. But perhaps it was an invitation template without the final details on it. But if they customized it enough to have the right couple’s names, you’d think they’d put in the correct info for the rest of it? I don’t know. Suspicious, but not definitive. 

The hands photo looks… fine. Looks like a stock photo, but it could be a real wedding photo of him and his wife. I did a google image search and didn’t find the image, but that doesn’t prove anything one way or the other. 

He plans to handle the printing himself. That’s fine. 

The real red flag is that he has volunteered a budget of $800. That’s 90% of why I’m comfortable calling this a scam. He didn’t ask me what I’d charge him, he just came to me with a price. And a high price at that. Whether he’s looking for a black and white filter or a custom line drawing, neither should cost $800. Not in any style I have ever posted to my blog or portfolio, anyway. 

He’s hoping I’m greedy enough leap at the prospect of getting $800 to do very little work, but without being at all suspicious of someone offering me $800 for doing very little work. 

Hmmm… Let’s give him just a little more rope. 

Hello Robert,

The deadline would be fine.

To be clear, you want me to make a line drawing of the hands pictured?  In a style that would go with the custom invitation you already had designed? 

Karen B. Jones

And he responded: 

Hello Karen,

I must say it’s my pleasure to work with you on this project. 

For better Clarifications, below is the deliverables the printer is looking forward to;

• 5×7 Inch 300 DPI
• Silver Color Palette
• AI or Source file / PDF
• Send with Bleed

Moving forward, I would appreciate it if you proceed to the project as soon as possible. I’m okay with a deposit payment of $400 to kick start the project, and the balance once the project is completed.

At this time, the easiest way for me to do that is via E-check. I can easily prepare the check on my Tab and have the PDF file sent to your email. All you need do is to open the file and deposit via your mobile banking app by taking a picture of the check.

Let me know if that is doable for you, and please provide your full name or payable name to proceed with the payment.

Thanks. Regards

Robert

I must say, he still hasn’t verified what, exactly, he wants me to do. A line drawing, I assume, but he has yet to say. I do know the size and color he wants. But… that’s not quite what I asked, was it? 

I will say that it’s odd that he’s asking for 300 dpi for an AI file. AI. Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics. Almost as if he doesn’t know the difference between pixel and vector art. Now, not all potential clients that come to me would know this. That’s fine. If I still thought this might be a legitimate client, this is where I’d be happy to explain the terms and the pros and cons of each. But I don’t really want to take the time for that since he’s clearly a scammer. 

Funny he hasn’t asked about a bid or contract, while being very specific about the payment method he wants. And exactly how to do it. Kudos to him for refraining from asking for my bank account information yet. He’s also considered that throwing the full amount at me right off the bat is going to look suspicious. (No real client is going to pay me the full amount upfront, before any work has even started.) So, he’s offering half. For a project that size, it really should be half after the sketches are complete, not up front, but he’s trying to look normal. I’ll give him that. 

Let’s see what happens if I tell him, like I would any real client, that I don’t accept echecks. 

Robert,

I’m sorry.  I only accept payment through PayPal for most private commissions.  It’s safer for both parties that way. 

Thank you for sending the specifications on the size and file format.  However, you haven’t confirmed that you’re looking for a line drawing of the holding hands image. 

Karen

So, I’ve waited several days now, and I have not received any further responses. Sad. I guess he decided I wasn’t going to fall for it and cut his losses. Too bad. I kinda wanted to read how he tried to wiggle out of paying me with PayPal. 

Anyone else receive a similar scam email? What did they tell you? How did you respond? I hope no one lost anything but time. 

If you’d like to read other posts I have about scams, you might look at Scam Alert for Artists and Another Scam Alert for Artists.

Stay alert and good luck! 

1/29/2024 UPDATE:

I heard back from him last night. He sent this message through my comment form: 

Name: Karen
Email: roboertjason844@gmail.com
Message:
Why are you so stupid ?

So, clearly, we’re dealing with a very mature individual. 🙄