[Aquanet] How to spot a phony

Sun Sep 16 16:54:00 EDT 2007

Hi gang!

I thought you might be interested by this issue of Robert Genn's Twice-Weely
Letter, as its subject has been raised several times in our group. If you do
not know this letter yet, I would suggest you subscribe. I personally find
it filled with wit and wisdom.

To change subject completely, I just came back yesterday from a week-long
workshop with Charles Reid in Burford in the Cotswolds, U.K. 

It was really a once in a lifetime experience with outstanding tuition from
the extraordinary painter and wonderful person I am sure most of you know,
and also a very talented and interesting group of students. The course was
organized very competently and in a friendly spirit by local Artist Jane
Duke (http://www.janeduke.com/ ). Fabulous! I feel full of energy and eager
to paint.

With my best regards,

Gilles

How to spot a phony

September 11, 2007

Dear gilles,

One of the benefits of a free link (or particularly a premium

link) on our site is that it is directly appended to The Painter's Keys. Our
value and consequent respect leads to high traffic and high rates of return.
Thousands of interested people read material on our site every day.

The downside of all this integrity is that scam artists and dishonest folks
can try to take advantage of our good name. 

While there are many different ploys out there, a typical one these days is
a personal letter requesting to buy a specific painting on your site. Very
often the work requested has already been sold. The letters are frequently
from someone purporting to be in England or Scotland (Many African nations
have UK servers) and giving you one or more options of payment. 

The second letter often requests a group of your paintings and asks for a
discount. Their system is to send you a check, bank-draft or money order for
more than the amount required, and then ask you to return the "change" as
fast as possible. 

Their draft does not clear of course, and you feel stupid. 

These scammers, mainly in Nigeria, are doing this with anyone who has
something to sell, not just artists.

Typically their writing is like that of a teenager whose home language is
something other than English. Many would look pretty bad in spelling bees.

In the event that these folks get as far as sending you a check, draft or
money order, you need to take it to your bank (not your bank machine) and
show it to a teller or better still the manager. Bank officials can often
quickly tell whether paper will cash. If they are unsure and you deposit
anyway, be sure to wait the full time for it to clear. Even legitimate
overseas drafts can take some time. Recently, two of my Internet sales were
seven days clearing for Pounds Sterling and ten days for Euros.

In our Internet correspondence we include a line that everybody in this day
and age understands: "I know it's a bit annoying, but due to the scams
around these days and how payments can go missing, it's my policy to wait
for money to clear before we ship. I'll make sure your painting is shipped
as soon as we know. It's wrapped and ready to go. Thanks for your
understanding." I've never had one single legitimate buyer balk at this
request. As for the scammers, they don't reply, they don't send phony paper,
and they don't bother you again.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "What is the total cost of the below paintings? they are all beautiful,
I am inerested in their purchase as a decorative in my new home." (Scammer)

Esoterica: In my opinion everyone who does business by email should be
required to have a website and a traceable physical address attached to it.
This verification should in no way threaten our rights and freedoms. Some of
the more slippery folks will certainly squawk when the legislation finally
happens. The new law will continue to honour the privacy of regular email.
As many artists now use the Internet for worldwide commerce, it needs to be
a reliable, safe and honourable vehicle for the happy distribution of art.
Everybody stands to win with a clean Internet.

Current clickback: If you would like to see selected, illustrated responses
to the last letter, "Rarity," about keeping work scarce, please go to: 

 <http://clicks.robertgenn.com/rarity.php>
http://clicks.robertgenn.com/rarity.php

If you would like to comment or add your own opinion, information or
observations to this or other letters, please do so. Just click 'reply' on
this letter or write rgenn at saraphina.com

Give the gift of the twice-weekly letters. We are currently snail-mailing a
free copy of The Painter's Keys (the book) to current subscribers who go to
the URL below and send us the names and email addresses of five or more of
their creatively-minded friends. No strings, just a thank-you. We make it
easy. We even send your friends a personal letter to let them know the
twice-weekly connection is from you. 

 <http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/giftscribe.php>
http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/giftscribe.php

Be there and be fair! A Premium Listing in the Painter's Keys Directory is
the most effective thing an artist can do to be tastefully and respectably
noticed. This listing--really a mini web page--costs $100 per year--and we
do all the set-up. You can find out how well it might work for you at
<http://www.painterskeys.com/art-directory.asp>
http://www.painterskeys.com/art-directory.asp

Yes, please go ahead and forward this letter to a friend.

If you think a friend or fellow artist may find value in this material,
please feel free to forward it. This does not mean that they will
automatically be subscribed to the Twice-Weekly Letter. They have to do it
voluntarily and can find out about it by going to
<http://www.painterskeys.com/> http://www.painterskeys.com

In compliance with the welcome legislation on spamming, our mailing address
is: Painter's Keys, 12711 Beckett Rd., Surrey, B.C., Canada, V4A 2W9.

You are currently subscribed as: gilles.a.durand at wanadoo.fr

 - Subscribe free;  <http://painterskeys.com/subscribe/>
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(c) Copyright 2007 Robert Genn. If you wish to copy this material to other
publications or mail lists, please ask for permission by writing
rgenn at saraphina.com Thanks for your friendship.

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