Let's identify a scammer!

[McPhoenixDavid]

Nowadays, scammers are using various approaches to fool people. Sometimes as obvious as a cow pretending to be a bear, sometimes less obvious.

Scammers follow two comment method (my term, ahem.):

They: Your story is so captivating!

Author: Thanks!

They: Btw, I have some ideas, can we talk about this on another platform such as discord?

Bing! I think at least a few authors fall for this.

If you're suspicious about an user, then...

Check their ID: how old is this? Is it new? If yes, scammer: 90%.

Check their activity: if it looks like this: scammer alert!

If their activity is empty, then check their reading list: is it organised? Or very saturated and give no sense of the user's taste?

A true artist doesn’t beg for commissions: unless they have no self-respect.

Feel free to add your own advice and ideas!

 

[Xcalibur_Xc]

Vent your everyday anger and frustration on them in your replies, then report and block. It'll keep your mind healthy. Oh, and these scammers don't use the same account more than a week. The delete and creates new accounts. So, there is really no way to block them.

 

[Terrate]

That's one dedicated spammer.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Counter-scam them by trying to invite them into a cult.

 

[Zinless]

As for Discord users, there are a lot of them using the PFP engagement bait, preying on your attachment on the character you set as your profile pic. For example:

"Hey! Your PFP looks cute/cool! Where is it from?"
"Oh, it's actually my OC! She is a character I made with love after [cue long obsessive rant here]."
"Ohh, I see that's cool. Anyway, I do art. Wanna commission me?"

Yeah, it's not like I poured my heart out thinking I finally found someone who cares about my oc or anything...

Anyways, I have at least met 4 people who contacted me like this, so watch out. Hopefully, your heart won't be played around like mine did.

Then there are also the annoying ones who won't stop contacting you even after you declined, like this person here:

I'm not worried about doxxing this account, since it was created literally the day they DM'ed me (which, in the screenshot, was already 5 days since I ignored em').

I don't really know where these beginner artists get their commission-hunting ideas from (if they are even genuine artists), but whenever I try to explain to them why this isn't a good business move and can be seen as annoying, I would either get told off or just plainly ignored. One even went and said, "So, you commissioning me or not?"

It is the most low-effort but low-reward kind of move for ANY artist to make to look for commissions. Nearly everyone but the most innocent of hearts has labelled this as annoying spam.

 

[BigBadBoi]

it organised? Or very saturated and give no sense of the user's taste?

I will NEVER organize my reading list. My regular reading list and goon list is mixed together like a bucket of lego bricks as God intended.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I received this correspondence in the past 24 hours:

Scammer: "Hello there, how have you been? I was scrolling furaffinity and i saw your OC Leilani, and i must say she looked so adorable, i really admire her unique features^^."

Me: "Thank you." (I type nothing else here because I get messages like this a lot and there's still a possibility, so I leave the door open)

Scammer: "My pleasure, she's really very majestic and after looking at her i instantly had a concept background creation artwork idea came in my mind can i share it with you only if you don't mind?"

Now I know what this is really all about, and they show some samples, and I find out the art is stolen from another artist from Argentina. So, I lay a trap:

Me: "Well, it might be easier to discuss on Discord, but I'm worried about our time zone differences. It's (current time) here."

Scammer: "It's (their current time, nowhere near Argentina's current time.)"

(Cat is now officially out of the bag, and I wonder about their idea.)

Scammer: "so i was thinking to create her in a setting of a surreal dream desert and the ground is made of smooth glassy sand that reflects the sky like a mirror and behind her a giant floating fabric shapes drift in the air moving as if carried by an invisible wind matching the colors and patterns of her outfit and strange crescent shaped plants grow from the ground glowing softly at the edges and The sky fades from deep coral to dark violet with a bright ring sun hanging low making the whole scene feel bold mysterious, it'll turn out to be so enchanting, lmk what do you think?"

(Point: not a single artist I can think of is going to talk this way. This is artificially-generated script. 100%)

I say no thank you, block, and report them. And that's that.

Merry Christmas. ? ?

 

[McPhoenixDavid]

Vent your everyday anger and frustration on them in your replies, then report and block. It'll keep your mind healthy.

Hehehe.

Oh, and these scammers don't use the same account more than a week. The delete and creates new accounts. So, there is really no way to block them.

Yeah.

I received this correspondence in the past 24 hours:

Scammer: "Hello there, how have you been? I was scrolling furaffinity and i saw your OC Leilani, and i must say she looked so adorable, i really admire her unique features^^."

Me: "Thank you." (I type nothing else here because I get messages like this a lot and there's still a possibility, so I leave the door open)

Scammer: "My pleasure, she's really very majestic and after looking at her i instantly had a concept background creation artwork idea came in my mind can i share it with you only if you don't mind?"

Now I know what this is really all about, and they show some samples, and I find out the art is stolen from another artist from Argentina. So, I lay a trap:

Me: "Well, it might be easier to discuss on Discord, but I'm worried about our time zone differences. It's (current time) here."

Scammer: "It's (their current time, nowhere near Argentina's current time.)"

(Cat is now officially out of the bag, and I wonder about their idea.)

Scammer: "so i was thinking to create her in a setting of a surreal dream desert and the ground is made of smooth glassy sand that reflects the sky like a mirror and behind her a giant floating fabric shapes drift in the air moving as if carried by an invisible wind matching the colors and patterns of her outfit and strange crescent shaped plants grow from the ground glowing softly at the edges and The sky fades from deep coral to dark violet with a bright ring sun hanging low making the whole scene feel bold mysterious, it'll turn out to be so enchanting, lmk what do you think?"

(Point: not a single artist I can think of is going to talk this way. This is artificially-generated script. 100%)

I say no thank you, block, and report them. And that's that.

Merry Christmas. ? ?

It's definitely AI made.

I will NEVER organize my reading list. My regular reading list and goon list is mixed together like a bucket of lego bricks as God intended.

...huh. Huh.

Counter-scam them by trying to invite them into a cult.

Already did that. It works lol. (I'm not jk...)

That's one dedicated spammer.

I'm motivated to scam them!

As for Discord users, there are a lot of them using the PFP engagement bait, preying on your attachment on the character you set as your profile pic. For example:

"Hey! Your PFP looks cute/cool! Where is it from?"
"Oh, it's actually my OC! She is a character I made with love after [cue long obsessive rant here]."
"Ohh, I see that's cool. Anyway, I do art. Wanna commission me?"

Yeah, it's not like I poured my heart out thinking I finally found someone who cares about my oc or anything...

Anyways, I have at least met 4 people who contacted me like this, so watch out. Hopefully, your heart won't be played around like mine did.

Then there are also the annoying ones who won't stop contacting you even after you declined, like this person here:

View attachment 44336

I'm not worried about doxxing this account, since it was created literally the day they DM'ed me (which, in the screenshot, was already 5 days since I ignored em').

I don't really know where these beginner artists get their commission-hunting ideas from (if they are even genuine artists), but whenever I try to explain to them why this isn't a good business move and can be seen as annoying, I would either get told off or just plainly ignored. One even went and said, "So, you commissioning me or not?"

Relatable. The last one I faced said they can draw ANYTHING.

It is the most low-effort but low-reward kind of move for ANY artist to make to look for commissions. Nearly everyone but the most innocent of hearts has labelled this as annoying spam.

True.

 

[FRWriter]

The silliest scammers are those posting on the last chapter of the story claiming, "I really enjoyed your story, but I have a few suggestions."

Then I check their account, brand new. So they read 440 chapters in 1 day... along with 30 other stories... sure. ?

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Whelp, I'm a bot. I don't organize my reading list and pick and choose anything that gets my attention. I've only read a fifth of what I got there.

 

[McPhoenixDavid]

The silliest scammers are those posting on the last chapter of the story claiming, "I really enjoyed your story, but I have a few suggestions."

Then I check their account, brand new. So they read 440 chapters in 1 day... along with 30 other stories... sure. ?

Exactly.

Whelp, I'm a bot. I don't organize my reading list and pick and choose anything that gets my attention. I've only read a fifth of what I got there.

Bot located!

 

[FRWriter]

Whelp, I'm a bot. I don't organize my reading list and pick and choose anything that gets my attention. I've only read a fifth of what I got there.

 

[DismaiNaim]

Counter-scam them by trying to invite them into a cult.

Even better. Tell them that they're going to really start making money as they recruit others to sell the product for them. And they will continue to get commissions on the people those people recruit.

 

[Alski]

Whelp, I'm a bot. I don't organize my reading list and pick and choose anything that gets my attention. I've only read a fifth of what I got there.

Are you as bad as one of our regular forum goers? https://www.scribblehub.com/profile/148927/navillus/

 

[LeilaniOtter]

The silliest scammers are those posting on the last chapter of the story claiming, "I really enjoyed your story, but I have a few suggestions."

Then I check their account, brand new. So they read 440 chapters in 1 day... along with 30 other stories... sure. ?

I saw that once. Someone had just made an account within the last hour, and commented on the last chapter of roughly 100 chapters. I called them out on it by replying, "How are you able to read chapters so fast?" (when you call them out in front of everyone, they back down fast.) they said, "I really just came here to read this particular author and I follow them on RR."

So, okay, they pass muster. But that just shows you how sharp I am.

 

[Eldoria]

Spammers clichely praise your writing blankly and include links.

Spammers are kind of smart, read a few paragraphs of your chapter before complimenting you. You reply, then they send you a link.

I prefer my chapter's comments column to be quiet.

 

[BigBadBoi]

Are you as bad as one of our regular forum goers? https://www.scribblehub.com/profile/148927/navillus/

hhhmmm mine is still not as bad as this guy's reading list. I gotta pump those numbers up in order to keep up.

 

[FRWriter]

Just received another one.

This is hilarious, how wrong it is.
Probably AI is trying to summarize a chapter.

"Hey!

I was reading "Fantasy Realm Infinite Worlds Adventure" and just got to the part where Alex and the crew are planning their move against Baroque Works on the East Blue, that whole strategy scene felt super fun and cinematic. The way Princess Jewel got all hyped about dinosaur meat had me laughing a bit, it feels like something that’d look so cool as a character illustration or comic panel.

I’m a comic/character artist, and your story has so many wild visual moments, especially with world-hopping strategy scenes like this and the interactions between the crew.

Not trying to sell anything right now, just genuinely curious if you’ve ever thought about seeing Alex or any of the other characters brought to life visually?"



Edit* already nuked.

 

[BigBadBoi]

Just received another one.

This is hilarious, how wrong it is.
Probably AI is trying to summarize a chapter.

"Hey!

I was reading "Fantasy Realm Infinite Worlds Adventure" and just got to the part where Alex and the crew are planning their move against Baroque Works on the East Blue, that whole strategy scene felt super fun and cinematic. The way Princess Jewel got all hyped about dinosaur meat had me laughing a bit, it feels like something that’d look so cool as a character illustration or comic panel.

I’m a comic/character artist, and your story has so many wild visual moments, especially with world-hopping strategy scenes like this and the interactions between the crew.

Not trying to sell anything right now, just genuinely curious if you’ve ever thought about seeing Alex or any of the other characters brought to life visually?"



Edit* already nuked.

View attachment 44345

I'm surprised people are falling for this. Nobody is fucking advertising in fucking smuthub of all places. Most artists beg on xitter to receive commissions like an emaciated beggar in the streets until you sell your soul and take commissions for hardcore furry porn to pay for rent. Most comic adaptations of novels are from webtoon/tapas etc. and they mostly pick from the top redditroad stories.

 

[McPhoenixDavid]

Just received another one.

This is hilarious, how wrong it is.
Probably AI is trying to summarize a chapter.

"Hey!

I was reading "Fantasy Realm Infinite Worlds Adventure" and just got to the part where Alex and the crew are planning their move against Baroque Works on the East Blue, that whole strategy scene felt super fun and cinematic. The way Princess Jewel got all hyped about dinosaur meat had me laughing a bit, it feels like something that’d look so cool as a character illustration or comic panel.

I’m a comic/character artist, and your story has so many wild visual moments, especially with world-hopping strategy scenes like this and the interactions between the crew.

Not trying to sell anything right now, just genuinely curious if you’ve ever thought about seeing Alex or any of the other characters brought to life visually?"

...faced it countless times. Unfortunately many authors do fall for these.

Edit* already nuked.
View attachment 44345

Lamo

I'm surprised people are falling for this. Nobody is fucking advertising in fucking smuthub of all places. Most artists beg on xitter to receive commissions like an emaciated beggar in the streets until you sell your soul and take commissions for hardcore furry porn to pay for rent. Most comic adaptations of novels are from webtoon/tapas etc. and they mostly pick from the top redditroad stories.

Yeah.

Spammers clichely praise your writing blankly and include links.

Spammers are kind of smart, read a few paragraphs of your chapter before complimenting you. You reply, then they send you a link.

Newbie authors get excited and RIP.

I prefer my chapter's comments column to be quiet.

...huh.