WARNING! Artist Job Scam! Too good to be true? Yes.

[burvantill]

I was approached by email today by an HR person claiming to work for Simutronics Corp. (Game company). Below is the body of the email.
It sounded like an amazing offer! Too good to be true? Yes. After spending the last 2 hours chatting with someone "interviewing me" I am currently now being PHISHED for bank account information so that they can "send me a direct deposit" so that I can buy the equipment I need. I can't believe I fell for this. I am just happy that I didn't give them anything personal.
My first red flag was that the two people that were interviewing me kept copying and pasting answers that were directly from the email. Second, was the lack of good grammer.
I feel like a fool, but hopefully if any of my art friends here get this you will be forewarned. They claimed to have found me through Artstation. My Artstation site, does NOT look like anything a game designer would want.
As I am writing this post, I asked if they could excuse me for a minute. They have cancelled the chat. EF WORD!
Be careful out there people, ass-holes abound!

"Simutronics Corp.

2D/3D Artist
USA, Fully Remote (Work from Anywhere).
Pay: $63 per hour.
Company Description:

Simutronics is one of the longest-running independent game development studios in North America. A leader in the business of massively multiplayer games, with persistent worlds that have been played for over 20 years, Simutronics has also created critically acclaimed mobile titles. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Job Description:

Simutronics is seeking a passionately motivated and experienced 2D/3D Artist to join our team. You will use your art skills, which include the effective use of color, form, light, and composition, for the visual design of our games.

Duties May Include:

• Draw and may sculpt 2D and 3D digital models to design requirements.
• Creates illustrations, character concepts, environments, and backgrounds in collaboration with the Game Designer.
• Create in-game 2D assets, following the art style and technical constraints.
• Create art in a wide range of styles from realistic to cartoon, from start concept to implementation in the game.
• Interpret concept art, understand art direction and work within the overall game style.
• Create beautiful characters, buildings, and environments, from start to finish.
• Provide accurate time estimates for tasks and meet production deadlines.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Motivated and passionate about video games.
• Open-minded,Organized and efficient.
• Independent and versatile.
• Expert knowledge of Photoshop.
• Keen eye on detail and skills in 2D animation is a plus.
• Thorough and organized, able to work with ambitious goals and to see a project through to its end within given deadlines.

Simutronics Corp Benefits includes:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off.
• Employee discount.
• Health insurance.
• Dental and vision insurance coverage.
• Wellness program.
• Flexible Schedule.

How To Apply for this position at Simutronics Corp:

For Immediate consideration please follow the steps below to apply ASAP and People with little or no experience can also apply as we will be doing some online training.

We came through a copy of your portfolio on Artstation and we would like to have an online interview/orientation with you through our Google Hangout Account for the job, you can download Google Hangout on your smartphone App store/ Android or Computer, then register with your phone number and message Brian Lavalle the HR Team Manager on Google Hangout through his username (@simutronicsartist@gmail.com) to get started.

Lovren Thomas,
Human Resource Department,
Simutronics Corp."

[franksandovalart]

@burvantill said in WARNING! Artist Job Scam! Too good to be true? Yes.:

Simutronics Corp.

Thanks for the heads up!

[jsnzart]

@burvantill Thank you very much!

Please take care.
Stay strong, and keep smiling.

[burvantill]

@jsnzart Thank you. That’s nice to hear.

[burvantill]

@franksandovalart You are very welcome.

[Coreyartus]

Thanks so much for sharing this info, Lisa! I bet you're saving a lot of people from potential disaster. I anticipate we'll see more and more of this as the pandemic goes on. For some reason, artists seem to be square in the sights for many scamsters. Thanks for sharing!!

[NessIllustration]

@burvantill This happened to my boyfriend last year, in another industry When they asked him to go buy equipment and they'd need his bank information to "reimburse him", he got suspicious and researched the company a bit more. They did have a real website and everything! But their listed business address, upon looking on Google Maps, turned up a shack in the middle of nowhere...

[Pamela Fraley]

Thank you for posting!! The interesting thing about these scammers is that they seem to put out as much work as an actual legitimate job would require. Why not just be legit instead? That was a very long and detailed email. We’ve been getting tons of scams lately claiming to be banks or the government needing more information on our Covid relief grants for my husbands business. Not sure if freelance artists are dealing with the same thing. We also got a phone call that was pretty hilarious claiming to be google. (My husband had fun with that one. )I literally don’t trust anything anymore. Asking for bank account information is a pretty good sign of shadiness, though. Especially from people claiming to run a company or people who just “want to send you money.” It’s not as simple as, “we’ll get that right out to you.” If people are running a business, there HAS to be proper record keeping for audit reasons. Bookkeepers who want to put you on autopay will have forms for you to fill out, but there will be other paperwork first. And the Interviewer will not be the ones asking you for that information. Besides all of that, if you’re working with a person, these days all you need is an email to send someone money.

[NessIllustration]

@Pamela-Fraley Recently I keep getting these automated Chinese calls... I wish I knew what they were trying to scam me about haha!

[Michael Angelo Go]

@NessIllustration I always find it weird when non-Asian people get Chinese robocalls. These scams are targeted towards people of Chinese descent or Chinese last names trying to trick illegal Chinese immigrants into giving them money by claiming to be part of the government or claiming something about checking their records to make sure they are legal. I guess they're just targeting anyone at this point...?

Unfortunately, because of my ancestor who left China at the beginning of 20th century, I have his Chinese last name and I keep getting these robo-calls despite being Filipino-Born American because of that. I did however get a scam call from a real person who wanted to talk to me in Mandarin, and I immediately hung up after I told them they had the wrong number.

[NessIllustration]

@Michael-Angelo-Go Not sure! I didn't know they were targeting Chinese immigrants, that's the most info I've ever learned on this haha. My partner is an immigrant (just recently got his permanent residence!) so maybe we're on their list because of that. He's Bulgarian though, just absolutely nowhere near any part of China. It's just weird!

[Michael Angelo Go]

@NessIllustration Maybe your residency was previously owned by someone with an Asian-sounding name on record or his last name sound Asian? Just a guess...

[NessIllustration]

@Michael-Angelo-Go Stoilov doesn't sound super Asian to me, so it must be the other thing haha
Anywho, happy new year man!

[burvantill]

@NessIllustration GRRRR. It makes me so mad!

[burvantill]

@Pamela-Fraley When I figured it out that it was a scam I did tell them, “well I thought we would take care of all that after we fill out the employment documents.” Thats when they repeated, “please send your direct deposit information.” GRRR

[carlianne]

@NessIllustration I get those too! My husband had one of our friends translate the call and it was something about the Chinese embassy being after you

[xin li]

@NessIllustration I was harassed by the so-called Chinese embassy call several times during a day at one point (I am a Chinese in Norway). The first time I was stressed out. It took me 5mins to realize what was going on.

@burvantill it is weird these people took so much effort to go after artists and illustrators with scams. We are a group that is known to be not wealthy. Have these people not heard the term "the starving artist". I thought we are famous for being poor.

[NessIllustration]

@xin-li That sounds like it would be really stressful!!

[burvantill]

Well, they got me. I've been spending the last 4 days erasing, updating, confirming and panicking. They got my phone number & contacts for sure. So if any of my art friends here have my burvantill email or phone number, delete or block it/them. I would hate if you got scammed because you thought it was me.

[burvantill]

ANOTHER ART SCAM.
Just got this email.

"Art dreamwork Online Job Opportunity

Christopher Mettin
To
burvantill@xxx.xxx
Apr 9 at 9:26 AM
Company Name: Art dreamwork..
Hours: 20-40hrs per week
Job Location: Remote.
Pay: $75/hour

About Art dreamwork
Art dreamwork, Inc. is an American independent video game developer located in Austin, Texas. It was founded
in 2006 by late Andy O'Neil, previously part of the Metroid Prime series engineering team.
Originally starting out with their own original properties and games, the company has since shifted to a strong
focus on modernizing old games.

About the Job:
We are looking for a talented 3D & 4D artist who will work closely with our concept, environment and design teams to create levels that are visually stunning. You can also apply if you don't have any experience as we provide some online training if desired.

Responsibilities:

• Draw and sculpt 3D and 4D digital models to design requirements.
• Illustrate and develop concepts (sketch, drawing, etc.) to support production.
• Create in-game 3D assets, following the art style and technical constraints.
• Model, UV & texture 4D assets and integrate meshes in game.
• Interpret concept art, understand art direction and work within the overall game style.
• Collaborate with other artists, programmers and designers.
• Provide accurate time estimates for tasks and meet production deadlines.

Experience and Qualifications:

• A positive attitude and a commitment to bringing fresh ideas to the team and the game.
• 1-2 years of experience in the gaming industry.
• Ability to work in a variety of styles
• Expert knowledge of Photoshop.
• Knowledge of 3DS Max
• Knowledge of animation (3D or 4D) is a plus.
• Background in Traditional and Digital Art.

Benefits:

• Employee discount.
• Full health care coverage.
• Dental and vision coverage.
• 401k Match.
• Flexible Schedule.
  For Immediate consideration please follow the steps below to apply:
  We saw your portfolio on Artstation.com and we would like you to email us to discuss this job offer with you.

Christopher Mettin,
Human Resource Department.
Art dreamwork.. "

It's VERY similar to the email I received at the end of December. Just a few changes.
The bastards. Don't fall for it!