#scam warnings

Stop scrolling and look at this. I got a comment on my intro post about something vague but important related to my account so I allowed messaging with the person to discuss it. This was the ensuing conversation:

If a person comments on your stuff out of the blue with no prior interactions with you, and they're telling you to DM them your commission info, they're 99% a scammer/scambot.

If a person comments on your stuff out of the blue with no prior interactions with you and they leave a superfluously vague complimentary comment praising your fic before asking if they can contact you via discord or would like to make art for your fic, they're 100% a scammer/scambot.

I hate that scammers and bots are plaguing the creative world, especially during a time when genAI is making it harder than ever to just share our stuff and have fun.

If anyone is searching for Design, Art, Illustration, Etc. work online through job sites beware. I was recently scammed by people pretending to belong to a real, existing design company. I didn’t notice the red flags because I was so desperate to get a job in my field. Its silly now that I didn’t notice them.

They contact you with your information that they gather through job host sites like Indeed and e-mail you asking you to send them your resume/portfolio and a cover letter. Real enough right? Then its gets weird. They then notify you you’ve been ‘accepted to the next stage of the interview process.’ They want to have an interview through Google Chat.

This was the biggest red flag I missed. No interview is done without speaking. There are phone interviews, skype interviews, but no chat interviews. 

Of course I ‘aced the interview’ (cause its a scam) and they said they would e-mail me my contract of hire (a pages doc with no letter head. Fishy.) and a pdf copy of a check to deposit for equipment purchase through their vendor.

Funnily enough their check didn’t cash. (duh duh duh) and when I chatted with them on the chat about it they asked if I could ‘front the money until the check cleared on the 12th.’ I said no, I can’t afford that. Then they asked if I could front half. That’s when I smelled a rat, and so did my dad. How does a multi billion dollar company owned by Microsoft not have the dough to cover new employee equipment costs?

I stalled the guy in the chat and my dad and I searched the company for listed complaints. We found out they had attempted to scam dozens of designers like me. They ‘hire you’ then immediately try to extract your bank info from you after cutting you an equipment coverage check.

I blocked the guy on Gchat. Unsurprisingly the check dissolved. I reported the scam to my bank and made sure my account was secure. Luckily they didn’t get my bank info or SS Number. Still they got too much info on me for my liking, including my name, birthday and parents address (current home address).

Today (two days later) after the sting of embarrassment of being duped passed, I got an e-mail from Creative Circle (a company I also seek employment through) who has had lots of report of similar people being scammed into fake jobs to extract their info.

i was not careful enough and they understood i know about the scheme and deleted their account