Contacted by an NFT Scammer!

An alert to the NFT Scam via a comment on Instagram.
I was made aware of NFT scams after receiving a comment on Instagram.

Recently, I had my first encounter with an NFT scam. I was approached via a comment on one of my Instagram posts by someone claiming to be interested in buying some of my art. The comment read: “Hello, I’ll like to purchase some of your art works, send me a message so we can discuss.”

I’ll admit I got excited at the idea and was about to message this person. But I began to get suspicious and looked at the profile more closely. I saw cryptocurrency, NFT and the claim that “if you’re an artist and still don’t use NFT, you are potentially missing millions of dollars.” I showed the comment and profile to friends, and we all agreed there were red flags all over this.

What are NFT scams on Instagram?

NFT scam targets artists and photographers on Instagram.
Be aware of the NFT scam that targets artists and photographers on Instagram and other social media.

NFT scams on Instagram often target artists by offering them the opportunity to sell their artwork as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) on blockchain platforms. Usually through DMs but in my case, it was simply a comment left on one of my images. These scammers often ask for an upfront payment or for the artists to share their private keys, which can be used to access their crypto wallets. Fees are usually in the hundreds with promises of profits in the thousands and up.

However, the website they have artists “mint” their work on (put it on the blockchain site) is often fake. Once the payment is made or the keys are shared, the scammers and the website disappear and the artists are left with no NFTs or profits. It is important for artists to research the credibility of the platforms and individuals they work with before engaging in any NFT transactions.

Digging Deeper into the NFT Scammer

Attempting to unearth details about the person behind the NFT scam.
Attempting to unearth details about the person behind the NFT scam was not necessarily shocking but definitely interesting.

There’s often more than meets the eye when it comes to scammy profiles and this one did not disappoint! It’s common for Scammers to use stolen photos on social media and I thought this might be the case here. Not only that, but the name got me suspicious as well.

Although I didn’t find the exact match for the photo, there was one that looks very similar in my opinion and could potentially be the same guy. In fact, it was the only photo of a guy that came up. Searching the name also lead to an interesting find – a game character!

The Bizarre Photo Trail

Attempting to trace the photo used on a NFT scam profile.
I attempted to trace the photo used on the scammer's profile. Left is from the Instagram profile and right was found with Google Lens. Obviously, I can't show you their faces but the resemblance is uncanny. Please be aware that scammers use stolen photos all the time so it's more than likely this man (or men?) has absolutely nothing to do with this. If these are your photos, let me and I will remove them.

The photo found after using Google Lens on the one from the NFT scam profile has its own mysterious origins. The website the photo pointed to was an Etsy shop. It’s not the shop owner’s photo and I checked all the reviews but didn’t see it anywhere.

There’s literally nothing that suggests that photo has anything to do with the Etsy shop it seems to be linked to. My only theory is that the image is hosted somewhere that someone doesn’t want to be discovered and they used a tool to redirect the image link to a random URL like the Etsy shop. This is called URL  or domain masking.

The Game Character Impersonator???

A representation of a game character possibly used as as the profile identity of an NFT Scammer
A rough representation of Albert Mason, a character from the game Red Redemption 2. I feel there's a good possibility the scammer used Albert's name for the profile considering his photography background in the game.

The name used on the NFT Scammer’s profile is Albert Mason. One of the results that came up as I Googled it, was a character from the game Red Dead Redemption 2. There were other results that came up but the game character was definitely interesting considering his photography background.

Albert Mason is a wildlife photographer who hires the game’s protagonist, Arthur Morgan, to help him capture images of various animals found throughout the game’s world. During their encounters, Albert shares his passion for photography and the importance of documenting wildlife.

Obviously it’s impossible to say whether or not the scammer purposely used Albert Mason the game character for their Instagram profile but the photography connection seems to fit in my opinion. Photographers sometimes mint their work as NFTs.

Be Very Careful Around These Offers!

A red flag warns of the dangers of an NFT scam.
A red flag warns of the dangers of an NFT scam.

So, in a nutshell, NFT scams are very real and on the rise in the digital art world. The last thing anyone wants is to be taken advantage of and end up losing money and their valuable creations to some low-life thief. That’s why I urge you to exercise caution and be wary of unsolicited comments or messages on Instagram (or anywhere else) from folks claiming to want to buy your work as NFTs.

To stay safe, always make sure you do your homework, know who you’re dealing with, and don’t ignore any red flags that might pop up. Let’s do our part to protect our hard work and stay alert together!

Have you been contacted by scammers on social media? If so, how did it start? Let me know in the comments below! The more we know, the more we can help protect each other.

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Digital artist and graphic designer, Teresa Cowley

My name is Teresa Cowley, and I'm a digital artist and graphic designer from Vancouver Island, Canada. I focus on abstract and fantasy art as well as digital collage, and like to utilize AI art tools as part of my design process to create new, innovative pieces of art. I strive to create new, unique designs that tell imaginative stories, and I am eager to push the boundaries of what can be expressed with art and technology.

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