Spotting and reporting scams, fake profiles, and spam
Wherever there are artists with public profiles, there are scammers trying to take advantage. ArtHelper is no exception. This article tells you what to watch for and what to do when you see something wrong.
The three patterns of scam connection requests
Almost every scam DM on ArtHelper follows one of three scripts. If you see any of these patterns, the request is a scam — don’t reply, just report it.
”Move to WhatsApp / Telegram / email” early on. A real collector or fellow artist will start by talking to you about your work. A scammer will, within one or two messages, try to move the conversation off-platform — usually to WhatsApp, sometimes Telegram or a personal email. Once you’re off ArtHelper, we can’t see or stop what happens.
”I want to buy your painting” with no detail. A real buyer asks about a specific piece — its size, year, the story behind it. A scammer says “your art is amazing, I’d love to buy a piece” without naming one. Sometimes they say they’ll pay extra to “save you the listing fees.” It’s a check-fraud setup or a request to ship before the payment clears.
”NFT” / “crypto” / “ETH” out of nowhere. Anyone offering to buy your work in ETH, mint it as an NFT for you, or pay through a crypto wallet you’ve never used is running a wallet-drain scam. ArtHelper has nothing to do with NFTs.
Don’t share an address, don’t share bank info, don’t click any payment links, and don’t ship anything. Block the user (steps below) and report the conversation. We track patterns across reports — every one helps.
What a real connection request looks like vs a scam
“Hi dear, your art is amazing! I would love to buy some pieces for my collection. Please contact me on WhatsApp at +1-555-XXX-XXXX so we can discuss payment in ETH. I’ll pay extra to save you the platform fees.”
🚩 Generic “your art is amazing” with no piece named · 🚩 Move to WhatsApp · 🚩 ETH crypto · 🚩 “Save platform fees”
A real artist or collector will write you something specific — they’ll name a piece, ask a question about the work, mention a show or community they’re in. They’re patient, they want to talk on ArtHelper, and they don’t ask you to move off-platform within the first message.
How to report a scam connection request
Open the message or the connection request on My Network or Messages.
Click the three-dot menu (•••) in the corner of the message or row.
Click Report.
In the dialog, pick Spam (for scam-buyer messages) or Harassment or bullying (if it’s threatening). Optionally add a note about what tipped you off.
Click Submit Report.
While you’re there, also click Block on that user so they can’t send you anything else.
What if someone is using my artwork on a fake profile?
If you find a profile that’s posting your paintings as their own, we want to know. We will remove the profile and notify them. Here’s how to flag it:
Open the fake profile (paste the URL into a new tab if a friend sent it to you).
Click the three-dot menu (•••) near the top of the profile page.
Click Report this profile.
Pick Other and in the note field write “This person is using my artwork without permission” and add a link to one of the originals on your own profile.
Submit. Our team reviews within 1–2 business days.
Take screenshots of the fake profile BEFORE you report — sometimes bad actors delete their profiles when they realize they’ve been spotted, and screenshots are useful evidence if there’s any back-and-forth.
Phishing emails that look like ArtHelper
If you receive an email that looks like it’s from ArtHelper but feels off — asking you to “verify your wallet,” “claim ETH for your artwork,” or sign in by clicking an unfamiliar link — it’s almost certainly phishing.
Real ArtHelper emails:
Come from @arthelper.com or @intercom-mail.com addresses.
Never ask you to verify a crypto wallet (we don’t deal in crypto).
Never ask you to sign in via a link that goes anywhere other than arthelper.com or app.arthelper.ai.
If in doubt, don’t click the link. Instead, go to app.arthelper.ai directly and sign in there. If there’s a real notification waiting, you’ll see it in your notifications page.
Common questions
If I report someone, do they know it was me?
No. Reports are anonymous from the reported user’s perspective. They see “your account has been reported,” not who reported it.
What happens after I submit a report?
Our moderation team reviews within 1–2 business days. Reports that match our automated scam signals are acted on faster. You’ll get a notification when action is taken.
Can I un-block someone?
Yes. Go to Settings → Blocked users. Find the user and click Unblock. If you change your mind, you can re-block them anytime.
I gave my email/phone to a scammer before I realized. What now?
Don’t reply to anything else from them. Block them. If you sent money, contact your bank or card issuer about a chargeback. If you sent artwork, that one is harder — file a report with us and with local police if the amount is significant. The earlier you catch it, the better the outcome.
I’m getting a lot of these — can ArtHelper block them at the source?
We do — every reported scam pattern goes into our detection system, and we proactively block accounts that match. The reports you submit make the system smarter for everyone.