A phone showing an unsolicited direct message, held in front of a gallery with red brick walls

An Online Art Scam Is Circulating: What You Need to Know

 

We want to flag a scam that has been reaching people through Instagram and TikTok direct messages, because it borrows the language of art to sound legitimate. The pitch is an invitation to model for a creative project. What follows is a request for your photos, your phone number, or your money.

Sparks Gallery is not affiliated with this scam, the messages connected to it, or any such project. We do not recruit models through social media direct messages. 

University of San Francisco put out an alert on July 27, 2026, after members of their community were targeted. Their notice is worth reading, since the same playbook is reaching people beyond one campus.

How the scam works

The person messaging you claims there is a university-backed art project and invites you to model for it. The project name is made up. The letterhead is fake. USF reported that one scammer even posed as a real student, borrowing his photo without asking him.

After a few friendly exchanges the requests start, asking for pictures of yourself, a phone number, and in some cases a payment offer that is meant to make the arrangement look professional. A recognizable name attached to an offer proves nothing.

Red flags to watch for

  • An invitation you never asked for. Friendly or not, look twice.
  • A request for money. Never pay a fee for something you cannot verify.
  • A request for your photos or your number. First, find out who is asking and why
  • Pressure to decide today. A real opportunity will still be there tomorrow.
  • A sponsor you cannot find. Look the organization up on its own website. Do not click the link they sent.
  • An identity that does not add up. Names and profile photos are easy to steal. Check the person through a channel you found yourself.

One of these alone might mean nothing. Three or four together, walk away.

What to do if someone contacts you

  1. Do not respond. No photos, no phone number, no money, no details.
  2. Block the account.
  3. Screenshot everything first. Messages, username, profile, links. Platforms and organizations may ask.
  4. Report the account to the platform as suspected fraud or impersonation.
  5. Contact the organization being impersonated through its own website, not the message.
  6. Contact local authorities if you lost money or feel at risk.

USF asks anyone who received this message to report it to Public Safety at dispatcher@office.usfca.edu or 415-422-4201, and to report the account to the platform.

Verify messages claiming to come from Sparks Gallery

Sparks Gallery is not connected to the scam described in the USF alert, and we are not behind any similar unsolicited messages or projects.

If a message claims to come from us and you are not sure, please reach us through our official contact page, or come by the gallery and ask us in person. 

Mention this scam to friends who might be targeted. If a message leaves you unsure, waiting a day costs you nothing.

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