Hehe art goes brr

I didn't want to do this, but here I am. Please understand that I'm only doing this because we desperately need help.

Me and my life partner need financial assistance to help us and our pets escape an abusive, unhygenic living situation. For over a year and a half, we've been living with their mother, a woman with severe mental health issues (including a hoarding disorder) who is verbally abusive, reactive, and controlling. She will not care for herself or her health unless absolutely forced to do so, is resentful at attempts to help, and refuses to take steps to better herself. We have accommodated her needs for over a year now to the detriment of our health and well-being, and it has finally become clear that us leaving her on her own is, unfortunately, the catalyst needed for change.

We've found and secured a separate place to live, but our current lease unfortunately does not allow for termination, only replacement- which the opposing party absolutely refuses to allow. As such, we are legally obligated and expected to pay our share of the rent and utilities until our part of the lease runs out- which is not something that my partner can currently afford on top of the costs of living independently in our new place. Thus, we need to raise $3,000 over 6 months to cover their share of the rent and utilities. The alternative is to leave their mother homeless and living out of her car, to which she has threatened suicide. We have already contacted the national suicide hotline as well as regional mental health authorities, but they cannot help us, and any attempt to get their mother to seek help is violently rejected.

Currently our goal is to raise $600 by the end of February. The rest of the money can be achieved on a month-to-month basis. If my partner gets a job that can cover their share of the living expenses + their mother's care, then we will terminate the fundraiser.

Current status: 0/600 raised

I've only got 150 in the bank right now. This is going to put me $200 in the negative.

If possible, please please please donate what you can directly to my ko-fi so that I can transfer the money in my paypal immediately. I don't get paid until May 30th, and Perry does not have ANY money that they can give me atm because they're currently paying 2/3rds of the rent for their mother. We still haven't gotten our energy bill for the month either, so I don't know how much I'm going to have to pay.

What are commission scams? - These scams occur when someone messages you on Instagram/Facebook/etc and asks you to draw their pet/son/daughter because they really love your art style and saw you had commissions open. They may not have liked any of your drawings or had and previous contact. They will ask you if you do commissions even if you clearly have stated yes.

What is the scam? - The scam occurs when they ask you if you would take $300 or more for the commission. While amount isn’t too unreasonable for a commission, it may be far more then your usual asking price which should be a red flag that something isn’t right. They may also ask if you’ll accept a check for payment and if you’ll deposit it with a banking app which is another red flag for not being a legitimate customer.

How is it a scam? - The check they will send you is a fake check that will bounce if you deposit it no matter how long it might take to go through. This check is not legitimate and you won’t be scamming the scammer just because you deposited it. The money isn’t real and it isn’t theirs either. You’ll just lost your money and they have no plan to pay you for your work.

What can you do? - Have a clear terms of service for commissions and ask questions regarding payment plans if your suspicious of the commission requester. If they turn hostile, block them once you deny their order. And alert your Art friends.

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Are there other versions of this scam? - On occasion, someone may steal artwork from other users and pass off a commission sheet as theirs and take commissions that they can’t actually do. They’ll take money and orders but are really not intending to fulfill them.

Anything else? - Sometimes these are art scams where someone says they’ll pay you for using your art in a mural. Unless this comes from a legitimate business account or a real account, this is yet again someone trying a fake check scam.

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