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That’s the message I received out of the blue on social media. As an artist, my heart skipped a beat. Thirty thousand euros? It sounded like a dream.
All I had to do, they said, was send high-resolution scans of my art work.
No contract. No formal offer. Just promises.
It was a scam - and a common one in the NFT space.
🎭 The NFT Boom Has a Dark Side
What started as a revolution for digital artists quickly attracted fraudsters.
Many creatives have fallen victim to:
- Art theft - stolen work minted and sold without permission
- Fake agents - impersonating buyers, galleries, and platforms
- Phishing - links to fake NFT drops that drain your wallet
- Rug pulls - hyped projects that disappear with your money
Some artists now add “NO NFT” to their bios just to deter scammers.
🚩 What to Watch Out For:
- “Quick money” offers with no paperwork
- Requests for high-res files or wallet access
- Profiles with no history, few followers, or copy-paste messages
- Pressure to act fast (“buyer is waiting!”)
- Links to unknown platforms or requests for upfront fees
✅ How to Protect Yourself:
- Verify the identity of anyone contacting you
- Never send high-res files without a contract
- Don’t connect your wallet to suspicious sites
- Use watermarks and share compressed images online
- Consult cybersecurity experts - yes, even for art
We need digital hygiene in the creative space. Artists are targets, and cybersecurity awareness is no longer optional.
Let’s protect what we create.
Check out our Free Guide: Online Safety for Artists