The title says it all really. So if nothing else, please share and reblog this post to raise awareness for those that might be caught out – both artists and followers.
For a TL:DR, please look at the bottom of the post
What is happening?
Right now, there is at least one person actively impersonating multiple artists across tumblr in an effort to scam their followers into paying for fake ‘cheap commissions’.
The scammer will clone a tumblr, usually using a slight change to the url/account name to look like the real deal. They will then message people directly through Tumblr with messages along the lines of “Hey, i’m doing cheap commissions right now. DM me to get one”. Naturally, this is ends up just being a way to take their money without giving anything back in return.
Who does this affect?
Everyone. Simple as that. As long as the scammer in question works unopposed, they are free to spread their influence and continue to scam more people. Even if you haven’t been targeted yet, it does not mean you are safe or immune.
Several artists have already fallen victim to this scammer, and I encourage any artists that have to reblog this post with the details of their affected account(s) and the ones the scammer has set up.
How can we stop this?
Tumblr, like many other social media platforms, seems to care very little about ‘minor’ occurences like this one, and despite reaching out directly to them over a week ago through multiple avenues of contact – they have refused to comment on the situation, provide a recommended response for users, or take action on behalf of those already affected.
Despite this, there are still tools at our disposal that we can use to make this scam more difficult, and to increase its visibility to those within Tumblr staff that are required by policy to take action.
Tumblr has the following to say on the topic of impersonation:
Confusion or Impersonation. Don’t do things that would cause confusion between you or your blog and a person or company, like registering a deliberately confusing URL. Don’t impersonate anyone. While you’re free to ridicule, parody, or marvel at the alien beauty of Benedict Cumberbatch, you can’t pretend to actually be Benedict Cumberbatch.
They then provide a link to this online form that you can fill out if you suspect someone’s identity is being confused. Unfortunately, this can only be filled out if you are the victim of impersonation. In other words, only the artists can fill this out legitimately.
So, what about the followers and users of tumblr whom aren’t being impersonated?
Our most valuable tool in this online platform is the platform itself. It enables us to spread our word near-virally across all the many sub-communities on Tumblr with remarkable efficiency for a user-driven system. We can take advantage of that effect to increase awareness of the situation. Even if you – the one reading this right now – aren’t an artist or don’t know an artist, the act of reblogging this post or sharing it directly with friends improves it’s ‘ranking’ in popularity increasing its chances to be seen by more people.
We don’t need everyone on Tumblr to see the post for it to be effective, just like we don’t need the entirety of the human population of the world to be immune to a disease for that disease to be rendered ineffective or eradicated. If enough people are aware, the likelihood of pulling off a successful scam increases dramatically reducing efficiency to a point that it no longer becomes profitable to continue.
Why should I care?
It disheartens me to say this, but of the many artists I contacted directly over the past week to warn about this issue many of them refused to listen or dodged the responsibility with lines like;
“I’m not being impersonated, so it doesn’t affect me”
“I’m just one person. I can’t make an impact”
“I need to take care of my community. Other people can look after theirs”
This is honestly disappointing that so many artists or art-rebloggers care so little as to intentionally wave the responsibility of keeping their followers and fellow artists safe from this, that they cannot spare 10 seconds of their time to share an informative post.
I’m not here to bash artists, but it is time that everyone takes responsibility for their own communities, and of those around them.
Artists: You have a responsibility to ensure that your followers and fans aren’t being abused by someone who may impersonate you. If they succeed, your reputation will be damaged, and your followers will resent you. Your followers are also almost guaranteed to be following other artists meaning your efforts can spread beyond your own circle of influence, so don’t be naive when you think you have little effect.
Followers: You have just as much responsibility to be aware of those that might try to scam you or your fellow followers. Don’t just sit in silence when you see something wrong: Ignoring the issue only makes it more resilient to our efforts to stop it. You are the vocal majority if you just use your voices to be heard!
TL:DR
A scammer is impersonating artists and scamming money from their followers under the guise of ‘cheap commissions’. If we ignore the issue, it will get worse.
Every single person that reads this can afford to spend just 10 seconds to reblog and share this post. Those 10 seconds can save others from being scammed for hundreds of dollars.
Reblog & Share
Spreading this just in case someone impersonate me. I never had to randomly go and tell to my followers that i’m open for commissions.
Just in case.
i will never dm you about cheap commissions because im stingy as fuck.
but then again if i offer deals, they will be announced on my blog , not personally or with dm’s
I work on a “you come to me for art” kind of thing. If for whatever reason I come to you for stuff I’m doing, well there you go. That ain’t me.
Like wise
All commission are sent via my email – never a direct message
I never send out messages on Tumblr about commissions. I don’t like using Tumblr for communication about commissions at all, other than an announcement post. Everything else is via email.
Also, I don’t go to people and directly tell them I’m open. I always make a public post.
I don’t DM people about commissions, and certainly never “cheap” ones. Plain and simple. If you ever get something like this from someone assuming my identity, please be aware that it is not me. I only conduct business through my weebly site/email.
This might seem fun for some people, but for us it’s not.
You see, Palawan is known for its non-commercialized islands and untouched beaches. There are only a few resorts in there, and the government limits tourism population there. Here are some pictures of our beautiful islands:
Nickelodeon, however, wants to capitalize the island of Coron, Palawan. They’re going to build a resort and theme park there. They claim that they want to “spread environmental awareness” but they’re really not. Building this resort will disrupt the marine ecosystem; thus destroying the environment there. Also, Palawan is our last ecological frontier in the Philippines. If they’re going to continue to do this, more and more big companies will cash-in to commercialize Palawan- and I really do not want that to happen.
I know petitions won’t do much, but at least we can prove a point that Palawan should not be disrupted. Please sign this petition, so that it will not only show that us Filipinxs don’t want this, but people from different countries as well. Please spread it around as well, so that people from different countries can be aware of what Nickelodeon is doing.
Ang aming kalikasan ay hindi dapat sirain. Maraming salamat po.
Gotta spread this myself. I’m Filipina and the conservation of home is incredibly important to me. Pollution is already a huge issue throughout the country’s cities. Many islands including Palawan are home to not just beautiful nature but some of the last of our untouched, uncolonized heritage.
wtf
NO. PLEASE NO. I LEGIT CRIED WHEN I READ THE NEWS ARTICLE. The article is in a legit news network. It’s not fake. MY CHEST HURTS AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY. The developers say it won’t hurt the environment but artificial structures are artificial structures. PLEASE. PLEASE. NO.
I CAN ONLY HOPE THE PETITION IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I SIGNED IT SO FAST.
EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT FILIPINO, PLEASE SIGNAL BOOST. PLEASE.
Today something awful happened at the sanctuary (Midwest Avian Adoption and Rescue Services). A car slammed into the walls of the room with the cockatoos, smashing into the cage of Cowboy, the sweetest Moluccan Cockatoo you will ever meet, while he was still inside. Thankfully, due to the quick action of a volunteer, Cowboy is unharmed. However, the car also damaged a gas pipe in the wall which started leaking gas throughout the building. All of the birds managed to be safely evacuated and no one has shown signs of illness from the gas. We are incredibly lucky that everyone is alright. There are so many birds and so many cages that needed to be moved quickly.
Two of the rooms have been deemed as structurally unstable. Although the gas leak has been fixed, we can’t use much of the space that we need and so we’ve had to Tetris the cages back inside. It is going to be very expensive to repair this damage. The driver of the vehicle drove off immediately, but we do have a license plate number so I hope the perpetrator is caught. We are asking for as much help as we can get here. These birds are so incredibly important to all of us. They are our family.
If you have anything, even the smallest amount, please consider donating. If you are unable, please signal boost to those who can.
(^only some of our large numbered flock)
It is important to note here that we are not looking for homes for these birds, even though all the offers are greatly appreciated. Despite the name, this is a permanent sanctuary for all the birds here, most of whom are special needs.
Forever Dream Senior Dog Sanctuary, located in Tryon, NC, is at risk.
Last week a trusted volunteer, and close friend of the sanctuary owner for 30 years, shocked our entire community by stealing all of the sanctuary’s funds and disappearing.
Police reports have been filed, investigations are underway, but while all of that is going on, the sanctuary still has no funds. The local community is already helping out by donating what food and supplies they can, but tens of thousands of dollars worth of donations were stolen. That money goes towards keeping the sanctuary running.
Please, please help. Verna Wilkins, the sanctuary owner, is my friend, and I have had the privilege of working up close with the seniors and the sanctuary, and seeing the amazing work she does. The sanctuary is such a wonderful place. It not only provides forever homes and medical care to undesirable senior dogs, but Verna also rehabilitates feral seniors that were abandoned – something that happens all too often in this area.
Please, even one dollar helps. And if you can’t donate, getting this spread as far and wide as possible helps tremendously. Help save these dogs from having to be put down, or live their lives out in shelters without proper medical care or love.
Izzie’s tumblr archive 