Feds are warning young adults to be cautious of those who call themselves “artists” on social media.
Larissa Bungo, a senior attorney, wrote in an post on the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice‘s website that people who ask “to pay you for permission to paint your photo” are a “scam.”
“They don’t want to pay you…,” Bungo wrote. “…they want to take your money,”
The scam begins with a direct message on social media from someone who says they like your photo and want to pay you thousands of dollars to use it, Bungo explained. Next, the scammer will send you a check, deposit it and then take some money out to send to the artist for supplies and to keep the rest. Sometimes the scammer will “promise” to reimburse any money you send back.
Bungo adds that while the check may look real and that the funds may initially show up in your bank account, the check is still considered fake.
“By the time the bank realizes it, you’ll be out the money you sent the scammer and owe the bank any money you withdrew,” the article says.
The best thing to do, according to Bungo, is to “only deposit checks from people you know and trust.”
