How to spot a scammer.
When you make a career of selling online, whether you sell art (like we do) or food or even ball bearings, eventually you will attract the attention of scammers on a fairly frequent basis. I don’t know if certain industries attract more scammers than others, but I can say that Color Bakery does attract them pretty frequently. The more visibility you have online, the more scammers you’ll bring a-callin’. Scammers play on the fact that you want to make a sale–in most cases, a fairly sizable one. Here are some quick things to remember to spot them and protect yourself, and, ultimately, your hard-earned money.
1. Scammers will rarely call….they will email you. That’s not to say that some scammers won’t eventually use the phone, but I doubt it. Email is quicker, easier, hides language problems better, and makes it possible for the scammer to email thousands of unsuspecting companies per second. If they do offer a phone number, don’t be fooled if it’s a USA number. That doesn’t mean the number is legit, and with all the internet services today, that number can still ring outside of the US and hidden by a US area code. If you call, they won’t answer, usually, but will continue to contact you through email.
2. A scammer will send you a list of products he/she wants to buy, usually what is tantamount to a large order, but they won’t be *very* specific. For example, if you sell blouses that come in blue, green, red and purple, they will omit the color and size. In our case, Color Bakery’s, nine times out of ten they will fail to pick the artwork they want custom-printed on their items. No legit customer ever forgets to tell us which artwork they are choosing; a legitimate customer is painstaking in their art choices, whether it’s our art or theirs. If they don’t choose art, red flag.
3. A scammer will usually show signs that English is a second language. Weird translations of English phrases and idioms are common. This is not to say that every email with halting English is a scammer, but if you add it to the other red flags, it’s usually a sign.
4. A scammer will rush you–they have to have a quote NOW, they have to have delivery ASAP, they will rush you and dangle big money in front of you before you have time to think. Don’t be fooled. Take your time and don’t let any customer rush you through a deal you’re not comfortable with.
5. This one is probably the most crucial: a scammer will usually want to make their own shipping arrangements: whether it’s having the merchandise picked up with “their own courier” or giving you a list of specific instructions for shipping. If you see this, bail quickly. Delete the email and block the email address—this person is trying to scam you.
6. A certified check, a bank check or credit card is no protection against a scammer. There is a difference between funds being CLEARED and funds being HONORED, by your bank. “Cleared” funds can become “UNCLEARED” within a week or two and you’re stuck with the shortfall. Honored funds, on the other hand, are good as gold. Honored means the cash is there. If you are unsure, talk to your bank and ask them when and how they honor international funds and if they can personally work with you on a deal that you are even a little suspicious of. Your bank will be happy to oblige you and help protect you. Never, ever ship merchandise anywhere until those funds are HONORED.
7. Not all high ticket, suspicious orders are scams. We had a huge order from Nigeria last year—yes, Nigeria!–that turned out to be perfectly legitimate and very, very lucrative. But, due to our suspicions, we came to within a hairbreadth of losing the deal because we refused to believe they were legitimate until the very last minute. Give people the benefit of the doubt, within reason, and a chance to prove their veracity. Even Nigeria has legitimate businesses who want to buy from American companies.
8. Don’t fight with the scammer, don’t accuse them of anything, don’t get into a pissing match with him/her. Once you have established in your mind that they are trying to scam you, delete their emails and block them. No need to get some nut after you because you couldn’t hold your temper. Just delete them and move on to your next legitimate sale. 
