How to spot an art scammer on social media

Has this happened to you?

Within minutes of posting your art on IG, you receive a direct message from someone complimenting your work and asking to purchase it. You get excited, but something feels off.
Then they mention NFTs, or ask to buy from you outside of your normal sales channel, and your instinct is confirmed; it’s a scam.
It seems like every week I see questions from artists on community sites asking whether a suspicious message is legit. My guess is, they know already, but they hope it isn’t a scam or they simply don't trust their gut.

Artists working to build community and market their work on Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms, need to be able to quickly identify scammers to avoid wasting valuable time and losing revenue. In my day job as a journalist, I follow cybersecurity issues and wrote an article about the massive issue of social media account fraud. In my reporting, I learned some of the red flags to be aware of.

These major red flags can confirm your suspicions:
-They ask to purchase in a way that isn't typical for your business;
-The person doesn't follow you, but wants to buy your work;
-The person's account is fairly new and doesn't have many posts;

-Their message is vague: “I think your artworks is amazing.”
-Their grammar and spelling are a hot mess (see above).

How should you handle potential art scammers?

When I get a suspicious message and I know for sure it's a scammer, I simply block them and move on. ✌️
There have been instances when I wasn't sure, so I responded politely and directed them to my website.
When one person in an Instagram DM asked me to text with them about buying my artwork, I responded that I'm not comfortable interacting off the platform given the high number of scammers on social
media. They disappeared from my DMs.

Unfortunately, I’m sure they moved on to the next artist. I hope it wasn't you.