Be Careful of Scammers
Internet scams are abundant. Not only are scams abundant with collections agencies, financial institutions, dating apps, and social media - now scammers are moving their way into the tattoo industry. I'm going to talk about some popular tattoo scams and steps to take in order to avoid getting duped.
Tattoo Giveaways - This particular scam already seems too good to be true. An artist, although may be well-intentioned, may want to give away a tattoo based on follower count, likes on a photo/video, or just because. However, these types of posts attract scammers who want to take advantage of these people's pages. A scammer will create a social media account very similar to the tattoo artist's page (taking videos, images, profile pictures, and content) and mass follow a lot of people. Some scammers may even claim they are a back-up page, or whatever they can say to convince people they are legitimate. Then, they will message followers of the artist's page about the "giveaway" and ask for some form of payment, whether it is a "ticket entry" or a "deposit," and send over their payment app (CashApp, Venmo, Zelle etc.) that uses a username close to what an artist may choose for their own. Once they get money, they "run" - block you, and you never see them again. These individuals who got scammed are still nowhere closer to getting a tattoo and are out whatever amount of money it is that they sent to this scammer. This scammer will rinse and repeat over multiple accounts, to multiple artists, even after their pages are reported and blocked. Don't get duped during one of these giveaways - never send money to people who message you that are seeking payments!
Tattoo Gift Cards, Certificates, and Tickets - These scams are seen mostly around holidays and deal days (Black Friday, Christmas, etc.). Artists typically create "gift cards," "gift certificates," or "tattoo tickets." These forms of "pay now, redeem later" options allow artists to make some quick money when times are slow, but allows the individual purchasers the option to get more bang for their buck later on. For example, an artist may sell a gift certificate that costs $100 now, but it has a $150 value when redeemed later. Scammers will see these types of sales going on over social media and will use it as a prime opportunity to message the artist's followers about it. Similar to the tattoo giveaways scam, scammers make spoof pages similar to the artists, and will do whatever it takes to "sell" these gift cards, certificates, and tickets to the followers asking for payments over CashApp, Venmo, Zelle, etc. Many, many legitimate tattoo artists will put out mentions that "xyz-username" is their only account, yada yada, but unfortunately, there will still be individuals who don't check all of the details of the page before sending money. Then, they will either be given a fake gift card, no gift certificate at all, or will show up to the studio expecting to be able to redeem something that is worth nothing at all. Please, do not fall for these tricks. Always verify with the shop directly.
Copycats and Catfish - Sometimes, people just want to be you. Scammers will replicate a tattoo artist's page, pretending to be them. The con artist will steal images from the tattoo artist's social media (with or without watermarks) and will make new pages posing as the artist. They will then message everyone who they follow and those who follow them, building trust with the individual before trying to make a sale. The issue is, there is no product or service that you will get in return. You will book a fake appointment with this impersonator, who will give you all the "right details" but will take your money and run with it. You'll then show up to your appointment to be severely disappointed. Always double check that the page is legitimate.
Fake Tattoo Artists - A newer scam going around is scammers making fake tattoo artist pages, pretending to work for or guest spot at a tattoo shop. These fake accounts will pull images from the internet or created using AI to make it look like they are a tattoo artist page. Often, the tattoo styles are close, but have different backgrounds, lighting, textures, shades, techniques, colors, or unique traits (because they're from all sorts of different artists and not just one). The account goes under a fake name but says they work for a real location. They will give you all real, legitimate business details - phone number, address, etc. However, they don't work there at all. You'll likely never get to see your art (because there is no artist to provide you with actual proof) and if you do get something, it will likely be made from AI or Google images. The scammer will take a deposit for your appointment, which you won't get back, and you'll show up to the tattoo studio looking for an artist no one has ever heard of before for your appointment. Always check the tattoo studio's website, social media pages, and give them a call if a "tattoo artist page" contacts you. If the "artist" isn't listed on their website or social media, and when you call no one knows who that is, you're probably talking to a social media scammer.
Tattoo Giveaways - This particular scam already seems too good to be true. An artist, although may be well-intentioned, may want to give away a tattoo based on follower count, likes on a photo/video, or just because. However, these types of posts attract scammers who want to take advantage of these people's pages. A scammer will create a social media account very similar to the tattoo artist's page (taking videos, images, profile pictures, and content) and mass follow a lot of people. Some scammers may even claim they are a back-up page, or whatever they can say to convince people they are legitimate. Then, they will message followers of the artist's page about the "giveaway" and ask for some form of payment, whether it is a "ticket entry" or a "deposit," and send over their payment app (CashApp, Venmo, Zelle etc.) that uses a username close to what an artist may choose for their own. Once they get money, they "run" - block you, and you never see them again. These individuals who got scammed are still nowhere closer to getting a tattoo and are out whatever amount of money it is that they sent to this scammer. This scammer will rinse and repeat over multiple accounts, to multiple artists, even after their pages are reported and blocked. Don't get duped during one of these giveaways - never send money to people who message you that are seeking payments!
Tattoo Gift Cards, Certificates, and Tickets - These scams are seen mostly around holidays and deal days (Black Friday, Christmas, etc.). Artists typically create "gift cards," "gift certificates," or "tattoo tickets." These forms of "pay now, redeem later" options allow artists to make some quick money when times are slow, but allows the individual purchasers the option to get more bang for their buck later on. For example, an artist may sell a gift certificate that costs $100 now, but it has a $150 value when redeemed later. Scammers will see these types of sales going on over social media and will use it as a prime opportunity to message the artist's followers about it. Similar to the tattoo giveaways scam, scammers make spoof pages similar to the artists, and will do whatever it takes to "sell" these gift cards, certificates, and tickets to the followers asking for payments over CashApp, Venmo, Zelle, etc. Many, many legitimate tattoo artists will put out mentions that "xyz-username" is their only account, yada yada, but unfortunately, there will still be individuals who don't check all of the details of the page before sending money. Then, they will either be given a fake gift card, no gift certificate at all, or will show up to the studio expecting to be able to redeem something that is worth nothing at all. Please, do not fall for these tricks. Always verify with the shop directly.
Copycats and Catfish - Sometimes, people just want to be you. Scammers will replicate a tattoo artist's page, pretending to be them. The con artist will steal images from the tattoo artist's social media (with or without watermarks) and will make new pages posing as the artist. They will then message everyone who they follow and those who follow them, building trust with the individual before trying to make a sale. The issue is, there is no product or service that you will get in return. You will book a fake appointment with this impersonator, who will give you all the "right details" but will take your money and run with it. You'll then show up to your appointment to be severely disappointed. Always double check that the page is legitimate.
Fake Tattoo Artists - A newer scam going around is scammers making fake tattoo artist pages, pretending to work for or guest spot at a tattoo shop. These fake accounts will pull images from the internet or created using AI to make it look like they are a tattoo artist page. Often, the tattoo styles are close, but have different backgrounds, lighting, textures, shades, techniques, colors, or unique traits (because they're from all sorts of different artists and not just one). The account goes under a fake name but says they work for a real location. They will give you all real, legitimate business details - phone number, address, etc. However, they don't work there at all. You'll likely never get to see your art (because there is no artist to provide you with actual proof) and if you do get something, it will likely be made from AI or Google images. The scammer will take a deposit for your appointment, which you won't get back, and you'll show up to the tattoo studio looking for an artist no one has ever heard of before for your appointment. Always check the tattoo studio's website, social media pages, and give them a call if a "tattoo artist page" contacts you. If the "artist" isn't listed on their website or social media, and when you call no one knows who that is, you're probably talking to a social media scammer.
If you were scammed, the best next steps to do are as follows:
- Screenshot your entire conversation with the scammer account.
- Report the account to Instagram/TikTok/Facebook/X/or whatever platform they contacted you on.
- If you sent them money, call your bank and let them know there is a fraudulent transaction on your account and mention whatever payment platform you sent it on (Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, etc.).
- Report the transaction as fraud on the payment platform (Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, etc.).
- Call your local police department, provide them screenshots of your conversation, let them know how much money you sent, tell them what steps you took to report the fraud, and provide any other information you can to local authorities.
- Work with your financial institution to see what you can do to potentially get some of your money back.
In order to prevent scammers and fraud in the future, always check the following:
- Double check that the "artist" that contacts you is listed on the tattoo shop's public website. If the account/artist's name is not listed on their public website, there is a high likelihood that this account is not legitimate. It could be possible that the individual is an apprentice, a guest artist, or a new employee. However, if you cannot confirm they work there and are not 100% positive, call the tattoo shop and speak to one of the artists directly. Tell them that you were contacted by (username) on (social media platform) to book a tattoo/pay a deposit, and confirm they work there. Provide as much information to the tattoo shop as possible so that they can also report the account and to work with their local police department to catch the scammer.
- Be highly skeptical of "tattoo artists" who only offer social media as a form of booking with them. Most established tattoo artists have their own websites (that cost real money to run) and are listed as a resident artist or an owner of a tattoo shop. They will be easily available to find online (through their other social media accounts) and can be contacted through a multitude of ways. If you can't seem to find anything else out about this "artist," and they're nowhere else to be seen online after a quick Google search, exercise caution.
- Check the account numbers. Scammer accounts rarely have as many followers as the original account. Their posting dates of photos are the same day, or close together, often with very minimal interaction/likes/comments.
- Triple check that the username who is messaging you on social media matches the same username that is listed on the tattoo studio's public website. Oftentimes, scammers will use similar usernames with an extra "t," "o," word, symbols, or numbers to spoof an artist's page. Many artists also have their accounts verified through a blue checkmark. This is not always the case; however, it would be much more likely that an unverified page will contact you rather than a verified one.
- Check that the email address and website address also are not spoofed with extra words, letters, numbers, or symbols. It's much harder for scammers to create lots of fake websites (because hosting fees cost money and so do official website addresses/URLs). Emails may be a little tricky, especially if you haven't had contact with an artist before, however, it is a lot harder for an artist to get your email unless you've already filled out a consult form. Scammers may still use email, but their main fraud traffic will come from social media because it's much easier to find people quickly and easily.
- Only contact tattoo artists via online consultation form on their official website, shop's website, shop's phone number, and direct email. When people send me consult forms, I will reply directly to your email with the consult form attached (showing exactly what you had submitted) so you know my response is legitimate. A scammer wouldn't have access to those details.
- Check for inconsistencies in social media pages - Do their tattoos match what is on the artist's public website? Are there tattoos that don't seem to fit their style, lighting, or skill level? Are the backgrounds of the tattoos inconsistent? Be wary.
- Ask for more samples or examples. As a tattoo artist, what you post on social media is a very small amount of the photos stored in your phone (I personally have thousands of photos spread across three devices). If the page doesn't have a lot of photos, is newer, or something doesn't seem "right" to you, ask them to give you some tattoo examples of things that aren't posted online. Check that those photos match with the consistency of the artwork, skill level, backgrounds, lighting, etc. If they provide push back, provide images that aren't matching up, or flat out ghost you, your gut was right to believe something was "off."
- When in doubt, never send money via payment platform. Always call and ask to speak to the artist directly first. If you are unsure, do more research. If you are wary about sending a deposit online, on a case-by-case basis, I personally will be able to set up an in-person consultation and take a cash deposit to make you feel more comfortable and at ease. Most artists will do the same.
- Go to meet them in person first. Show up to the shop. Speak with the artist. Yes, many of us work for private studios now that don't accept walk-ins. However, many of us also travel to tattoo conventions, we volunteer in our communities, we are seen out and about at local venues. If you truly want to get tattooed by someone in particular, it is highly likely that there is an option available where you can chat in person before sending money.
- If the price seems too good to be true, it likely is. Don't believe you will get a high-quality tattoo, a cover up, or something extremely realistic for a small price. Good tattoo work costs good money.
Steps I take to help prevent tattoo scams and fraud:
- My website URL is always tyranicorntattoo.com. I link everything here, always.
- My verified social media accounts are listed on my public website.
- I am a verified artist listed on A Dead Anchor Tattoo's website and Facebook page.
- I am a licensed tattoo artist in the state of Wisconsin, and my license number can be looked up online.
- I only take deposits through verified business pages on CashApp and Venmo. These pages use my SSN and are taxed on my end. So, you will never be sending a bunch of money to a personal page.
- I respond directly to your consult form, with all of the information you sent me attached.
- I provide you a deposit form, which has the same information listed on my public website.
- If you are cautious and wary about sending money online, I am willing and able to meet you in person at the tattoo shop for a cash deposit.
- You can meet me at tattoo conventions and speak to me in person before booking a tattoo.
- I educate individuals about fraud, and hope that you are cautious when booking your next tattoo.