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Unique visitors (visitors who are counted once only) for the month of October were 61,675. Total visitors were 91,789. Page views were close to 2.5mm and Hits were over 3.5mm. This is a nice increase over any previous month and reflects our continuing expenditures on
The above stats do not include visitors to the individual member sites. That number is considerably higher with some members enjoying better than 1,000 unique visitors for their sites alone.
We have enjoyed a record number of new member signups this month. The total new members that joined Artspan in the month of October was 66 . Several were referred by other members. For every new member referred, you will receive a free month's hosting and our undying gratitude. We believe our members' satisfaction and subsequent referrals is a major factor in our growth!. |
The Internet cafes in Lagos, Nigeria are now operating 24/7
We have been receiving emails from members regarding the following possible scams:
A James Dennisen has emailed several members, asking to purchase multiple pieces of work. One email from James included this paragraph:
“The payment will get to you in a Money Order of $4150 when the payment gets to you take it to the bank and cash it and when you confirm that everything is OK, my freighting agent will come to your location to inspect and pickup the works and deliver them to me. My agent will take care of the shipping crating and packaging of the piece.”
Whether this is a legitimate offer or not, it is ALWAYS a good idea to wait for any check or money order to clear COMPLETELY-and that means waiting the 7-14 or more days it takes, not just when your bank releases the money to your account. We have had more than one case of a member being burned when the bank later found the cashier's check or money order to be counterfeit. At that time, the bank will hold YOU responsible and you may be out both the money AND the artwork.
“ Concerning the payment my client said that his friend that is owing him in america will make out a money order to you, but the money order doesnt have the actual cost of your work (two sculpture titles and dimensions here) on it,my client said his friend will have to send the Certified Money Order to you,as soon as you recieve it, take it to your bank,and cash it. You will send the balance back to our agent, I will be making contact with our agent that will come for the pick up of the work.I will be issuing an authorisation letter to him which he will present to you on the day he will come for the pick up of the works. When you most have taken your money $5,520.75, send balance to him,this will take care of his flight ticket and all other bills that might come in the course of shipment. Well i need the NAME as you want it to appear on the US Money Order and also the ADDRESS to send the Money Order to and your phone number. Please remember to demand for the letter of authorization once he comes for the pick up. Thanks as i await your consent to this transaction."
Notice in this one how the amount she is paying for the sculptures is over and beyond the actual amount. That is a major red flag and indicative of a scam.
Bad spelling and poor English is common with these emails.
Yet another scam involves one Eric Baldry. From an email to us from a victim: “I was contacted by a man who said that he had a traveling exhibition and that he wanted to buy two of my paintings. He said that he would have his exhibition coordinator send me the payment. When the check arrived it was for several thousand dollars more then it should have been. I contacted him and he asked that I ship the paintings to the exhibition coordinator and the overage to his accountant. I deposited the money and waited for the check to clear through. <Editor's note: The bank made the funds available, NOT the same as the check clearing> When it did, I shipped the paintings and got a cashier's check to send to the accountant. Shortly after, I was notified that the check he had sent was counterfeit. Fortunately, I was able to put a stop on the cashier's check that I wrote. Still and all, I am out two paintings, cost of shipping and some very big hassles with my bank as well as service charges. I have filed a police report, talked with an attorney and bank security is working on it too. The man's name is Eric Baldry. His email address is e_baldry2k1@yahoo.co.uk . I could have ended up losing thousands of dollars as the bank says that when you endorse a check, that is your warrant that it is good .”
Other tip offs to scam emails are poor email formatting, spelling and grammar. As always, use your discretion. To help combat the spam problem, we have instituted a report-spam@artspan.com email address. If you are receiving scams and/or spam from someone, please forward the offending email or scam to this email address. We will then be able to block future emails from that party to any Artspan email addresses.
And, yes, there are also a lot of legitimate buyers. We have yet to see a scam initiated in the U.S. and there are also few orginating in Western Europe. But always, be on your guard. Ask any buyer who they are and where they are. |
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Have you visited the Artspan Forums? Topics range from ‘Technique' to ‘Shows and Exhibitions' to ‘Marketing' to a General Discussion board. Members can ask for advice and feedback from other members, check out the latest Artspan news, swap stories, and more. The Forums (accessible from the Artspan homepage) have recently fallen prey to spam emails, mostly from handbag and watch replica sellers. We have been busy cleaning them up and would love to see more activity there. Stop in, look around, and please post!
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Black and White Photography
Watercolor and Mixed Media Paintings