Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Scam Email: James Karg

Hi Kathleen - My name is beth and i received this strange e-mail today...a friend told me about recent "art scams" going around, and a quick google search lead me to your site. I was about to fall into the "too good to be true...but i still believe it" trap, but thought i might get your take on it. based on what i've read about these scams so far, it seems like this fella's just blowin' smoke. if you have a chance, i'd love to hear what you think.
Thanks!
Beth

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: James Karg [jkarg001@gmail.com]
Date: Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 5:57 AM
Subject: dream monster 3

Good day,

My name is James Karg, I'm from  california and i hope this message finds you well.I was going through your works and my eyes caught this particular work, i will like to have it for my new apartment this month.please let me know if the piece is available, if yes let me have the detailed price and more information about it. i will be waiting to read from you.

Regards.

James.
at

3 comments:

  1. KatieMoeNovember 2, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Beth,

    Good job on trusting your instincts and asking before doing anything or sending any money for any reason.

    Yes, this is definitely a scam. Several things tell me it is. One is the email address. It is typically how they are formatted (with the number like that so they can just change up the number for future mailings), the content is very close to the cookie-cutter content of the first email they typically send (though they usually mention they are moving and yours didn't) and the final give-away is that very strange period after the name at the end of the email, which almost all scam emails have - must be the software they use to generate these.

    At least you will not become one of their victims.

    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 11, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Hi, Kathleen,
    Thank you for the work you've done to alert fellow artists about scammers. I found your website after I received an e-mail from "James Karg" which was definitely a scam.

    I received the below e-mail back in April. I always check out inquiries and this one seemed real. I responded, but never received a reply. I figured she changed her mind. After reading the info on your website, I thought maybe her e-mail address had been hijacked. It's kind of unusual for someone to want so many portraits at once. Your artwork is really lovely!

    From: "Aly" [huntersgroveinc@aol.com]
    Date: 04/14/2011 01:18 PM
    Subject: Portraits

    Hi there!
    I am currently moving and am looking to get a few pastel portraits done to decorate both my house as well as my barn. I'm looking to get a couple done of some of my horses as well as separate portraits done of my dogs.

    Any ideas? Pricing, timing, etc...

    Thank you!
    Sincerely
    Aly Haug

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2012 at 6:58 AM

    I think he's still at it, he tried the same with me in October 2012, don't fall for it.
    He eventually sent me a 'cheque' for 3 times the amount from a Spanish Bank and posted from South Africa! No I didn't even attempt to cash it or send him money back or the painting, I just wanted to waste his time too.

    ReplyDelete