Another Scam Email (The Row)

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Leave a comment

Yesterday I received the following scam inquiry through my website’s contact form. (I’ll explain why it’s a scam below.) Has anyone else seen this one?

Name:
Elizabeth Wolfson

Email:
info@throwbrands.store

Message:
Hello

I hope this message finds you well.

My name is Elizabeth Wolfson, and I am a Human Resources | Organizational Development at The Row. After reviewing your profile on Behance, We believe your skills and experience align well with our needs for an Digital Art. We are currently seeking a remote (full-time/freelance) creative individual to join our team.

I would like to invite you to an interview via Microsoft Teams to discuss the position further and to get to know you better. At Alexander Wang, We are always looking to grow our team with talented and creative individuals who can help us achieve great things together.

Please let me know if you’re available for an interview. If so, I would be happy to coordinate via Microsoft Teams using the following link:

https://teams.live.com/l/invite/FDAt4arZR2MkTVbAAM?v=g1
OR
live:.cid.ac501b3f24141ffc

The work hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm. The position offers a competitive salary of $60 – $125.00 per hour, with availability for full-time, part-time, or freelance work.
I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Wolfson
Human Resources
Organizational Development
At The Row

The first indicator that this is a scam is that I don’t actually have a Behance account. Nothing wrong with it, but it’s just not a social media that I use. So, she very well did NOT see my profile on Behance. However, Karen Jones is not exactly an uncommon name. So, maybe that other children’s illustrator named Karen Jones (yes, there is one) has a Behance profile and she’s got me mixed up with her.

Second, she mentions “At Alexander Wang…” which I assume is a copy/paste error. She has another version of this email set up as if it’s from Alexander Wang, and she swapped it out for The Row. But missed one mention. BTW, The Row is a company started by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Alexander Wang is a completely different, completely unrelated fashion house. So, it’s not like they’re two names for the same family of companies.

Third is just a typo. “We believe your skills and experience align well with our needs for an Digital Art.” Should be “a digital artist” to make sense. On it’s own, not a flag at all. People make typos. But it just looks like a copy/paste error.

Fourth is the domain on her email. She should have stuck with a gmail address, frankly. It would have looked less suspicious. (Still a little suspicious, but not as much as throwbrands.store looks.) So, the actual domain name for The Row is, unsurprisingly, therow.com. Looking closer, Elizabeth’s version is throw brands dot store. Not even the row brands dot store. I went to ICANN and looked up Elizabeth’s throwbrands.store domain. It says the registry was created “2025-09-29 20:11:39 UTC”. As I post this, it’s October 2, 2025. So, she only just recently created the domain. Not what we’d expect from a fashion house founded in 2006.

I am not going to touch those Microsoft Teams links with a ten-foot pole.

So, people. Don’t get caught by this one. Elizabeth Wolfson certainly is a predator, and us artists are her prey.

Today’s Email Scammer

March 8, 2024February 4, 20254 Comments

So, today I got this in from my website’s contact form:

Name: Anthony Steven

Email: anthony311steven@gmail.com

Message:
Good day,
How are you today? I trust this email finds you in good health. My name is Anthony Steven, a learning facilitator, and I feel privileged to reach out to you. I discovered your contact details on your website, and I am currently seeking the services of an illustrator, animator, or cartoonist.

Your showcased skill and creativity on your website have intrigued me, and I believe you would be an excellent fit for our upcoming workshop. I’d like to share the specific ideas for illustrations or drawings needed, and I invite you to provide a quote for the work. I look forward to hearing from you soon for more details.

Best Regards,
Anthony.
Received 3/7/2024 6:38pm CST

None of this is wrong. The word choice reads a bit AI, but could also be legit corporate-speak. I can’t point to a single definitive red flag. Yet, I am experienced enough to recognize that this is definitely the opening bid of a scammer. This is NOT a legit contact. It’s just not.

Let’s respond and see how this plays out, shall we?

Hi Anthony,

Can you tell me more about your project?

Thank you,

Karen B. Jones
Illustrator

www.KarenBJones.com
Sent 3/8/2024 9:05am CST

And this is the response which confirms my suspicions:

The project pertains to Montgomery County Schools in Troy, NC.

These illustrations will be utilized for a presentation in an upcoming workshop titled “LEARN ABOUT IT (SAFEGUARD AND AVERTING).” The audience comprises students aged 15-17. I am seeking your services to illustrate the scenarios listed below, presented in a horizontal (landscape) format, digital, cartoon-styled, colored images with a plain background.

The illustrations should be sized to fit a standard letter (8.5 x 11″) and delivered in PDF format. I request exclusive rights/perpetuity to the images, as they will be distributed to participants in printed form during the two-phase workshop.

For Phase One, we require the completion of 3 illustrations within 3 weeks. Subsequently, 3 more illustrations for Phase Two are due for submission 6 weeks before the final event.

Phase One scenarios:

. Road medical rescue scene

. Sick man with an arm sling (clavicle and forearm fracture)

. Doctor’s office (the doctor sitting and talking to two clients)

Phase Two scenarios:

. Scientists in a lab conducting experiments

. Doctor performing an ultrasound scan for a pregnant woman

. A sick female patient on a hospital bed in a hospital setting.

The project deadline is June 22, and my budget is $900 max per piece, totaling $4,800. Kindly confirm if this is acceptable. If not, please provide your price quote. Additionally, what is your preferred mode of payment? I am suggesting a bank draft, cashier’s check, or bank-certified check considering the amount involved. I eagerly await your response.

Warm regards,

Anthony
Received 3/8/2024 2:58pm CST

How does this confirm my suspicions?

First, it’s rare that I get a cold contact coming in through my contact form who is quite this well-organized. It feels like AI to me because, although it’s quite detailed, it isn’t actually telling me the sort of information that an actual human client typically does. Like explaining his history or connection to this type of work or his vision for the project. He’s not telling me why he thinks it’s important or exciting. He’s not mentioning any challenges we might need to work around or asking me about parts of the process he is unsure of.

However, it’s not glaring. It could be an Art Director type with all his ducks in a row. Those types of clients usually come in through my Art Rep, not my contact form, but it could be one of those that found me on instagram or something. That can happen. If I hadn’t seen these sorts of scams before, I might fall for it.

It looks pretty plausible all the way down to that last paragraph. That’s when he comes in with a budget already. A budget that’s significantly higher than it should be for the amount of work he’s asking about. Especially if he’s supposed to be working for a public school. And, finally, as the definitive red flag, he suggests payment by any of three different (supposedly secure) forms of check.

Yeah, definitely a scam.

To avoid all the numerous fake check scams floating around out on the internet (most of which involve a bank draft, cashier’s check, or bank-certified check) I do not take payment by check for private commissions. I mean, if I personally know the person or if someone I trust has vouched for them, maybe. But not from random internet strangers. That’s a firm boundary.

Just to see what happens, I’m going to tell him I only take payment through PayPal. Let’s see if he ghosts me.

I’m sorry. I only take payment through PayPal for private commissions.

Karen B. Jones
Illustrator

www.KarenBJones.com
Sent 3/8/2024 4:07pm CST

I’ll update if I hear back from him. But I’m not holding my breath.

Be wary, fellow artists.

Scam Alert for Artists

October 8, 2022January 15, 2024100 Comments

Earlier this week I received the following email from my website’s contact form. I’ll discuss why this is a scam in a moment.

From: Lee <leeosb570@gmail.com>
Message:
Hello Karen

My name is Lee Osbourne, I am an academic event organizer and I’m hearing impaired, i hope you treat me like any of your other customers and my disability doesn’t affect our dealings. I got your contact details online, I need the service of an artist or illustrator/cartoonist to work on a project for an upcoming workshop, I’ll give the idea of what I need to be illustrated/drawn and you can get back to me with the price to get it done, I’ll pay your fees up front if you want. Please get back to me for more details.

Warm regards.

Lee Osbourne.

Earlier this year I got this one, also from my contact form:

From: Flores <floresjohnson058@gmail.com>

Message:
My name is Flores I am an academic event organizer and an Apraxia patient. I got your contact details online. I need the service of an artist or illustrator/cartoonist to work on a project for an upcoming workshop. I will give the idea of what I need to be illustrated/drawn and you can get back to me with the price to get it done. I will pay your fees up front if you want.

Warm regards

And this one a few months earlier, as an email rather than a contact form submission.

From: Childers. Larry1 <childerslarry11111@gmail.com>
Message: Hello, Karen

My name is Childers Larry, I am an academic event organizer and an Apraxia patient. I got your contact details online. I need the service of an artist or illustrator/cartoonist to work on a project for an upcoming workshop. I will give the idea of what I need to be illustrated/drawn and you can get back to me with the price to get it done. I will pay your fees up front if you want. Please get back to me for more details.

Warm regards

602-804-5336

You notice the similarities, right? A lot of it is word-for-word.

Very fishy.

So, what’s the deal?

I’m not the first to bet targeted with this scam. The SCBWI has posted about it here. Apparently, if you respond, they string you around with details until they finally send you a payment. But then something goes wrong, and they ask for or demand a refund. You, being a reasonable and ethical artist, refund their money. Only, then the original payment disappears from your account as well. What the hell?

I think what happens is it’s a money transfer scam. They’re paying you with a stolen account and it’s actually the rightful owner’s bank who is rightfully taking back the fraudulent payment. But the upshot is that you’re out the amount of the refund.

So, be careful out there. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

VIRUS ALERT! This is a sneaky one!

December 7, 2011February 4, 20252 Comments

Okay, I usually don’t do posts about technical computer stuff, but I want to make sure to spread the word about this one because it’s REALLY, REALLY sneaky. It almost got me.

It’s called XP Security 2012.

It gets onto your computer and installs itself without permission, then it shuts down all virus-check programs and runs itself at start up. It looks like a Microsoft Anti-Virus program. REALLY looks like it. No broken English, all the right icons, appropriate fake websites, everything. It’s scam is that it runs a “scan” on your computer and tells you that you’re infected with a bunch of viruses. Then it has a button for removing the viruses, which redirects you to a page where you are asked to purchase a copy of the “virus protection” software. So, that way they get your credit card number. If you click, “Remind me later” it will nag you to remove the problems or “continue unprotected”. Very heavy-handed virus protection, huh? Then, whenever a program tries to use the internet, it blocks it (giving you a “helpful” message alerting you to this and claiming that the program is infected). Often it will block the program from running entirely. Everything except a browser, of course, which it needs to keep working so you’ll finally give up and give it your credit card number.

I have this one on my laptop. Man, it almost got me too. I only didn’t give in because I was pissed at the idea of having to spend a bunch of money AGAIN to get the stupid computer clean. Well, I do need to spend more money, but not with that program. I talked to ComputerMan in Olathe (the shop I always take my computers to) and they said that they’re getting A LOT of these and it’s takes about 4 hours to get it cleaned off. It’s really convincing and they’ve had a bunch of customers admit that they gave the thing their credit card number, not realizing it wasn’t legitimate. I came VERY close to doing the same thing.

So, BE WARNED!

Here’s an article with more information:
http://www.precisesecurity.com/rogue/xp-security-2012

Just for Laughs: Caution Sign

December 6, 2010May 14, 20121 Comment

Sometimes people leave the caution cone out long after the wet floor or whatever we’re being cautioned about is taken care of. Ever walk into one of those things when you’re not paying enough attention? We need a caution cone to warn us about the tripping hazard posed by caution cones!