Protect Yourself from Social Media Artist Scams

We are seeing our customers targeted with another fraud scam, this time using social media. In this scam, an “artist” or their “employer” sends a direct message to the victim asking to use their picture for an upcoming project in return for money.

The scammer sends the customer money and once the funds are deposited, they are instructed to send the money back to the artist so they can purchase supplies or pay gallery fees for the project. The deposited check is ultimately fraudulent, leaving the customer out of the money sent.

How to avoid falling victim to an artist scam:

• Avoid accepting checks for online activity
• Never share your online banking credentials
• Never deposit a check that was digitally sent to you
• Beware of free money – if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you feel you may have fallen victim to this or any fraud scams, please contact our Deposit Operations department at (812) 492-8200.