Even in 2010, False Internet information prospers since no official procedure exists to permanently eliminate misleading seller information/deception from Google/Bing/Safari, etc., before the fraud escalates to financial damage.
What this means is that it is only when a consumer is actually harmed, will any authority allow the respective fraud to be reported.
And only with frequency will seller art fraud get the deserved attention of the FBI, local law enforcement or Internet Crime Complaint Center.
We know this because we routinely point out fraudulent art on eBay who has a consistent "do nothing" complacency, and the few times an eBay lot is withdrawn, it is only a matter of weeks before the seller just re-posts, sometimes with the same name; often with a disguise.
Many deceptive Sellers take advantage of Internet buyers outside the United States because purported art by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, etc., is in demand and art counterfeits have a low cost of goods.
An expensive looking website or a snazzy eBay Lot Listing with false information is quite compelling to art buyers in Tokyo, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Russia.
Many novice art buyers base purchase decisions on price without realizing the importance of authenticity, quality, provenance, etc.
Time and time again, we notice that counterfeit art is gobbled up over the Authentic counterpart, sometimes with just a small premium between the fine art and the fake counterpart!
Many Sellers are routinely offer Art that is grossly overprice, and allege "credibility" by claiming the purported Art is accompanied by a "Certificate of Authenticity", that is worthless.
Others falsely claim the Art is "authenticated' when in fact it is "authenticated" by an obscure person who is not the authority sanctioned by the respective Artist and/or Estate.
24/7 you can locate deception on eBay s eBay Management is still without an effective procedure to eliminate fraudulent sellers from its site.
eBay even has a blind eye towards art sellers who largely sell counterfeits, as they encourage and enable fraud by allowing PayPal payment, an eBay subsidiary.
In other words, eBay is giving its Sellers an incentive to maintain extensive listings of fakes since eBay benefits from increased listing income; PayPal benefits from seller commissions; while the Buyer suffers and pays the price in the long run of the fraud.
Too often, Art sold on eBay is actually not as described nor created by the Artist claimed, but that didn't seem to be of importance to Meg Whitman, now running for public office.
Some sellers even attach themselves to an art membership when the facts show otherwise.
The result: buyers make decisions which are blatantly wrong, but the buyer is ill equipped to know better.
Frequently claims are announced on fancy websites; in contrast the art for sale is clearly and obviously counterfeit, full of errors and incorrectly documented.
How Does a Deceptive Seller make the Lot look good?
Some sellers document and designate a purported Work as an "Andy Warhol", when the 2007 created Item actually uses a "design of Warhol", and was created posthumously.
The correct documentation should be:
After Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol died in 1987, but that doesn't still stop deceptive sellers.
A reputable and Professional Fine Art Dealer would never confuse ephemera with an original Andy Warhol Limited Edition; in this case, the correct documentation of a Post Card Facsimile of an original Andy Warhol Screenprint would be: "offset lithograph" published without limit. By referencing a Catalogue Raisonne, deceptive art sellers make the post card appear "official", but it is actually obvious deception.
Ronald Feldman Gallery originally issued 10 Postcards to announce the Andy Warhol Ad Screenprint Portfolio before they were published in 1987.
Advertising the postcards now as "Set of Andy Warhol Ads", along with a Catalogue Raisonne reference makes the postcards sound like they are edition works, when in fact they are ephemera at best.
Still other deceptive Art Sellers abuse the public's integrity by attaching the "Andy Warhol" Name to a Sunday B. Morning Print of a Marilyn, Soup Can, Mao, Flowers Screenprint.
Andy Warhol never created ANY SUNDAY B. MORNING Screenprint.
How can we say this clearly?
Andy Warhol didn't sign nor authorize anything that is titled "Sunday B. Morning"
Art Sellers know the difference between the Sunday B. Morning version and the Andy Warhol Authentic counterpart, but deceptive Art Sellers realize sloppy copy is more effective for sales.
That is because:
Seller Deception concerning Art For Sale creates more buyer interest and sales!
Some sellers even state that "the Sunday B. Morning Print is authorized", when that too is blatantly incorrect.
In other words, these Sellers would rather incorrectly claim the purported art is an "Andy Warhol Sunday B. Morning Marilyn Screenprint" rather than the correct designation of "After Andy Warhol Sunday B. Marilyn Screenprint".
Any art seller/dealer who confuses their "Andy Warhol" Inventory when it is actually an "After Andy Warhol Print", doesn't deserve your Art Business ever.
This extends to any dealer that mixes an Andy Warhol Print with an "After Andy Warhol" on their website listings and classifies "After Andy Warhol" with "Andy Warhol" in their Dealer Search.
The point is: "Andy Warhol Art" is very different from "After Andy Warhol Art".
From the Dealer's perspective, the mix up makes the "After Andy Warhols" get more page views, albeit misleading and confusing.
We can guarantee you that when they purchased the "After Warhol" inventory, they knew quite well it was Art created by "Andy Warhol".
You would think the Buyer would get the similar respect, which is why we think you shouldn't reward anyone who is purposely deceptive.
But Google, Bing, Foxfire, Safari actually reward such misinformation and there is no procedure to eliminate these purposeful deceptive Sellers from their Search.
No reputable Jeweler would attach the "Cartier" name to a counterfeit watch, shouldn't Art Dealers have the same kind of ethics?
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