Sat 5 Jan 2008
Israeli art student scam in Melbourne?
Posted by Administrator under Wacky moment of the week , Colourful stuff (content warning)Last night I was having dinner when there was a knock at the door. A very skinny, dark skinned kid about 20 was at the door. He claimed to be an Israeli art student (from Tel Aviv university. But that uni doesn’t offer art on it’s curriculum page) selling paintings, only ‘he wasn’t allowed to sell his own work’. His English wasn’t too bad.
Strangely for an Israeli guy he didn’t seem to know about Caufield and Balaclava - two of the biggest Jewish areas in Melbourne. He said he was staying outside of Melbourne.
The whole time he was showing us his paintings, it was in the back of my mind that I’d heard this story before. Then I found this link from 2004. The elephant painting in this article was in this art kid’s portfolio. Small co-incidence? There are a whole bunch of articles about possible Mossad spy activity in the US and a bunch of Israeli art students being deported. Some were caught at DEA building and military areas. Very, very suss.
Like the link above, the guy told me someone would be in touch about having it framed. This is not something i’m looking forward to.
If any of you guys here of Israeli art students going door to door in Melbourne, please comment here. I am dying to find out what is going on. Because clearly they’re not art students. But why would they be repeating this scam in Melbourne?
At best it’s second-rate art sold at a premium. At least according to this New Zealand article again from 2004, suggesting there’s nothing more sinister than that. I suspect as they’re suggesting, it is simply art of no value mass produced in China. Mostly copies of the real deal.
Would be very interested to see if there are any more occurrences of this…
Follow up 11/02/08: after 8 comments, 1 email and a link to this page from a Russian site, this is a proven scam. Even the Northern Territory Police have issued a warning. This scam is being worked from Russia, to Arizona, to Auckland and everywhere in between. Thanks all for the continued feedback. Please keep it coming!
January 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
In phoenix, Az (United States). Just happened to me about 3 hours ago!!! Felt suspicious, so I came to surf the net. Not sure why I was targeted. May be they are targeting people at random. Will report to police.
Zoe
January 10th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
It happened to us here in Brisbane earlier this evening. Lovely young lady, very convincing. I was just about to hand over a cash cheque (several hundred dollars) for 3 paintings but got quite suspicious and I told her I’d think about it. Luckily I remembered something I had seen on TV. We contacted the local police but they’re unaware of the scam but are looking into it.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Happened to us last night (14/1/08) in the Hills district in Sydney! We live in a quiet cul-de-sac in the burbs - not sure why they targeted our area. We were suspicious (I asked lots of questions and while very pleasantly answered, they were a little evasive and blamed lack of information on ‘bad English’), but we liked the artwork.
Our guy claimed he was on a ‘project’ from the Israeli art school he attended and they travelled round the world offering the ‘unique’ chance to buy quality art done by up & coming art students. He said he was staying at Bondi (no where near where we live). (He also sounded more French than Israeli!)
He tried to get inside a few times by saying he’d bring different prints in so we could see them on our wall - not sure if he was trying to case the place and come back later and break in. He was also pushing his ‘framer friend’ who could supposedly do professional work for cheap prices if we gave him our phone number to give to him.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Interesting the exact same thing occured at our house in Newcastle last night. A young Israeli art student selling painiting. he was very friendly and even did some juggling for our kids before trying to sell paintings. He said he was with a group of 95 students selling art world wide for an art project. Cost $ 200 for a painting or 2 for $ 350.00. He was not the artist as they are not allowed to sell their own works. Said if we give him name an phone number someone will contact us to frame the pitcures.
I have no idea what is going on. Maybe he is legimate and it is just our untrusting nature that meant we did not by one.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Last night, a young woman came to our door in Flagstaff Hill, a suburb of Adelaide. She carried a portfolio of paintings she wished to sell us. She said she was part of a group of 75 “International” Art Students. I asked where she came from and she replied, “Israel.”
The paintings looked like cheap reproductions that she was selling for $100-200 because “art galleries were charging too much”. Thanks to computers and digital cameras, almost any art can be transferred to canvas very cheaply.
I’d heard about Israeli art students in the US and Canada, associated with the young Israelis reported dancing and celebrating as the first plane hit the WTC north tower on 9-11. Later they were detained by police and explosive residues were detected by dogs and connections to Mossad were revealed. A few months later they were deported to Israel.
Israeli art students had been reported living very close to the so-called “Arab hijackers” in Florida and others were attempting to gain access to secure US federal facilities.
Are they just cover for Israeli spying? I don’t know. A few years ago two Israelis were caught in New Zealand trying to steal the passport of a helpless handicapped man and they spent a few months in prison. Are Israeli “art students” polling Australian neighbourhoods in search of opportunities to steal passports, ascertaining goyim gullibility, or merely selling cheap art at double or triple the cost? I don’t know…but I certainly didn’t need cheap art on my wall for $200, unframed.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am
I’m in Quakers Hill (2763) and we had them come here. I figured it was probably a scam with mass produced paintings being sold marked-up, but I also liked some of the pictures so thought - well if they are a price I’m happy with, why not?
However we got suspicious when discussing Van Gogh and were told he died in the 70’s……..hmm and then that his Cafe Terrace painting was in the Louvre museum, which I know isn’t coz I’ve been there!
Once I read the terrorist stories online (freaksihly identical speech and description of process) I called the Suspicious hotline number here and spoke to a lovely old man who kept saying - oooh really?????????? and he took down the details to add to the files.
Then I called our local Police and reported them as suspicious.
I don’t think it’s linked to the terrorist thing, I rekon they’re just illegal immigrants trying to make a quick buck.
We managed to get one of them on webcam video!!
Although I really did like the picture of the Tour de France………………..
January 29th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Hi,
I had a similar incident yesterday. The guy selling the paintings looked more of a spanish origin that israil. He claimed to be a student. Any way i got 2 paintings from him. It was clear to me that there was more than what meets the eye. He was really suspicious. I got his telephone number and called him today. He answered the phone. He also gave me acontct number for a guy who does frames.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Orchard Hills NSW Wednesday 6 February. A skinny dark skinned woman, early 20’s claiming to be an Israeli art student selling paintings of her co-students. Said her name was Yaara & gave the mobile phone number 0401 165 825. Was not allowed to sell any of their own work. Had a good range of paintings, landscapes, abstract, etc., and yes she did have the Tour de France painting too. Spoke with a VERY French accent. Said she had a mobile framer who would come to the house if we bought. Said she was leaving for New Zealand at the end of the week.
February 21st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Hmmm ok well now they are in Ballarat, Vic! I just had two people come to my door, a tall young man with an beautiful accent and a young short pretty girl. Again it was the 75 international students selling art. They said they were leaving Ballarat in the morning to continue travelling. The art was gorgeous and I was tempted, but my husband is the art freak and he was working and isn’t home until midnight. Hmmm wondering now if I escaped a nasty scam?
February 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
We’ve had two visits in our leafy cul-de-sac in Sydney’s inner west. Last year a pretty Irish girl, tonight a pretty French one. Sorry but I’m just not that gulllible.
I suspect they are simply backpackers getting paid a commission to hawk grossly overpriced ‘art’ door-to-door, and if we investigated we’d find ads in the paper or somewhere aimed at recruiting these people. If the pics are mass produced it would have to be pretty lucrative for the people operating the scam and it’ll be a while before the world is onto it.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
March 6, 2008
We just had a young girl hawking these paintings in Chandler, Arizona. A new twist is that she said it was just her and a girlfriend. She wanted in the house…um, yeah, no. She said each painting was $150. Also, she claimed the paintings were hers and some friends from Tel Aviv. We didn’t buy any. Debating on calling the police.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I had a similiar occurance happen the week before Christmas. A young man with a strong accent came to our front door selling us paintings that his fellow students had composed (the artwork was priced between $150 - $200, and he mentioned that art was too dear to buy from art galleries). He had roughly 30 paintings with him that he stood on a stand to present to us.
He did also mention that he was waiting to be picked up by his friends and was staying in Sydney. I enquired about a website or an email address, and he said that one had not been developed as yet. I did not purchase any of the pictures and did not take or give any details to him. The next week a girl came to our front door with the same artwork.
Perhaps some kids trying to make money.
Who knows?
March 11th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
The Tel-Aviv Art student scam has reached Chandler, az. I just had one here at about 6:30 p.m. I smelled scam, so I called the authorities.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
We are in Perth, Western Australia, and we just had a similar incident. 2 young girls, said they were part of an international art group, going around selling their oil paintings. I would like to know if this really is a scam. They said someone would give us a call back who could do the framing.
March 15th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Yes its a scam…but no it’s nothing to do with Mossad etc…I had a similar experience in New Zealand a couple of years ago when Orlia Mirov (a cute young israeli girl) turned up on my doorstep. After awhile (4 weeks after I started dating her….) she confessed that most students in israel are aware of the scam and try to use it to fund trips around the world. There is a supplier based in Australia who provides the guys in Australia and New Zealand and they pay about $40 - $50 (NZ dollars) per print. If your looking for your money back by all means e-mail her at orliaa@walla.co.il.
March 16th, 2008 at 10:03 am
THESE ART SOLD IN GALLERIES FOR THOUSENDS IS THAT MAKES GALLERIES A SCAM ?
JUST GIVE THEM A BRAKE , IT’S BETTER TO BUY FROM THEM THAN SPENDING 10 TIMES AND MORE IN GALLERIES.
YOU WOUNDN’T LIKE TO SPEND 5,500$ IN VEGAS GALLERY (LIKE SOMEONE THAT I KNOW) AND THEN MEET THESE GUYS AND UNDERSTAND YOU’VE COULD BUY SAME KIND OF PAINTING FOR MUCH LESS!
WELL I GUESS THERE’S A CAPS LOCK FREAK WHO CAN’T SPELL IN EVERY PACK ISN’T THERE!
March 16th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Well i don’t know folks , i have seen thier art before… I think that whether it’s been painted by them or someone else it’s still looks good and thier price are much reasonable than everywhere else .
March 16th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Door to door is a great way to make money for young people.
We are all loves oil painting. Aren’t we?
It’s better than buy stupid things at the mall
March 18th, 2008 at 6:03 am
They just hit Brisbane - same story, same (I suspect) mass produced “art”. Many paintings familiar from cheap outlets here
March 19th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Hey i was working as a gallery-framer before , my boss always told me he gets the art from students and yet he offered the paintings for a retail price of at least a grand for a piece !
some galleries selling the same kind of art , so i guess it’s better (and cheaper) to get your decor from these dudes. still they’re selling thier reproductions for much less than thier recommended retail price. and just so you know - an original one of a kind piece will cost you not less than your annual income.
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Yes, now is Brisbane. Pretty young Israeli girl saying she’s from a company called Mondyam (which has an Israeli website, pity we can’t read Hebrew!).
March 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I had a visit last night (March 24 2008) from a young French man, Pierre, selling paintings. He claimed to have won a prize of a trip to Australia from the Paris Art School. The prize did not include accommodation, so he had to sell his paintings. In a gallery he would charge $1300 but he was limited in selling them door to door by law, for $250.00. I liked some of the paintings and hecame into the hallway to try them on the wall. I didn’t buy anything, but in speaking to a colleague who lives in a neighbouring suburb, that she was visited lasrt week by two ‘French’ girls with a similar story. I reported the incident to the police as I wondered if they were looking for places to break into at a later time. The police were going to follow up on the matter.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Just had a young woman here at Lindfield. Said she was from Brest in France and had gone to an art school in Paris. She said she was staying at Manly backpackers.She said that the paintings were $200 but usually sell for $500 in galleries. Some were of Provence and others were of Africa. Some traditional and others very modern.We didn’t buy any.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:26 am
We live North of Sacramento, Ca and I just had a guy show up at my house today selling the art. He told me the same story except he said he painted some of the pictures. I guess they go every where.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
April 8 2008
In response to your israeli art scam, to let a bit of light on your questions it is a scam as far as price goes to a point. we were targeted and bought three prints which we love and look great, however they are not original pieces they are reproductions some more than others. You can look on ebay and see them for sale as low as $50.00.I do not know what they sell for once bidding is done.Do your research on the net. There is an isreli power seller which sells alot of the prints on offer and im sure you can buy them cheaper that way. The quality appears great and you can really smell the oil, however I am not an art expert. The framer does come in and frame them at reduced price compared to retail outlets and is very polite. we probably did pay art gallery prices but if you likr the prints bargain diligently with the price.
April 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Hi Everyone - These “students” have just hit Carindale in Brisbane. I bought one of “their” paintings (Venice scene) for $220. But you know what? I like it and I have artwork from art galleries and they do cost much more! However, I have cancelled my credit card to be on the safe side and did not give them my details. Also got “Avi From Israel”’s mobile phone, and to be cheeky, I rang it infront of him. Tee hee, he nearly sh*it himself! But the mobile number is legitimate - 0415 507 292. I told him I didn’t need a framer and both (a girl, “Julie”) were not invited into the house. The way I see it, I have just helped some international backpackers have a better holiday in Australia, so I won’t bother calling the Police. Funny thing is, they were both so nervous I had to have a laugh!!! Hope doing the wrong thing is worth it for them…
April 16th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Hi,
Feel a bit ill reading all of these posts. We are in Kalgoorlie 6430 and were targeted tonight. Just thought to Google door to door painting scams after the hubby said ” There’s nothing suss about what we just did is there?” We are a bit naive I guess and were totally won over by the sweet, honest, french sounding 26 year old hawker by the name of Carine. We had neither the money or intention to buy art at 6:30pm on a Tuesday when you are dealing with the kids but I guess she is very practiced in the subtleties of sales. We bought 4 canvases for $600!!! A lot of clams for us, but I had just purchased a print for $160 as a wedding pres and thought what a steal. Happy I guess? with our purchases but will definitely steer clear of of using ‘their’ framer after reading the posts and very regretful of giving our contact details. I will be ringing the local paper first thing in the morning to suggest an article on these goings on before more Kalgoorlie residents part with their hard earned cash.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:08 am
I just bought two for $ 150.00 each. They are worth the money….I guess the scam part is the israel student story which I did not believe anyway. The frame girl just came by and she has the frames in her car..they are much cheaper than the stores..still a good deal!!.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:16 am
The Oils are from China and are massed produced originals. The average cost for the 20×24 is $5.00. The art is consigned to the kids for $75.00. I owned one of the larger art factories in the US and ran into the owners of this worldwide scam. It is amazing how they have sold all over the world saying the same pitch.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Hi there,
It actually happened to us couple nights ago, here in Brisbane. A young woman name Emily (not sure if it’s her real name) came to our house and told us from Tel Aviv and all… showing several paintings, very persistent. We happen wanting to buy an art work for a birthday gift so we ended up buying one of it.
And then she was offering a discount if we buy more than one, which we declined and then she called her supervisor, David, who eventually came and gave more discount. At that moment I got suspicious. However we ended up only buying one worth $170 They even had this phone number which they refer it as their office. (02) 66803264 and an ABN 55626494798.
Not sure if this details are all true.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I got scammed too! I bought but don’t mind the painting in fact i love it! A Paris street with the Eiffel tower in the middle in blue and white tones. Would have preferred the honesty and still would have bought. They were selling for $200 but i only paid $150. I figured she (Juliette)a pretty young woman with green eyes was working her way around Australia and was making some quick money. She said she was a French art student traveling around and has been to Sydney already and seen Bondi, Manly and the Blue Mountains. She said they were planning on going to the 12 Apostles this weekend. No offer of framing.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Hey there! I am in Aberdeenshire,Scotland, UK and I just had the Israeli art student thing happen. I did buy one though knowing that it was kind of a scam. I really liked the painting I bought but then thought I would check others experiences. He used the lavatory( I kept an eye) and he also had a glass of water( I have his finger prints, ha,ha!)He asked for my telephone number and said only if he gave me his, which he did and made him show me it on his mobile phonebook! He looked confused and I think he left wondering who scammed who! He said a framer would be in touch. I said , ‘oh do you frame as well as paint and interior design’ and he seemed uncomfortable with my questions and said that he couldn’t speak great english! I just wanted to give him a run for his money and mine!
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
A nice young lady called Nofar came around to my place last night (Sunshine Coast Qld). The paintings were really nice. She said she could take a small cash deposit if we didn’t have the money and later we could transfer money to her. I asked for her number in case I decided to buy one later. She said she didn’t know her # but offered to ring my phone so I’d have her number. It was 8pm and I think all our lights were off as we were putting the kids to bed, I wondered whether it was a front to break-in, though the area where I live is not very rich, neither are we so she lucked out there. She said they were travelling around Australia, about 75 of them from Israel. Where can we buy these nice China rip-offs for $5 - I want one!
May 6th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I was scammed last night 05.05.08, in St Clair NSW (Australia). Young Russan man came to my door to sell me some very nice art work. I am an old art student and really admired the paintings. But after paying for one painting total $180.00, the Russan gentleman about 20years old kept pushing to buy more. I did think maybe it is a scam, but I did get a nice picture out of him.He kept telling me I could just leave a dept and get back to him later. But I live alone and was worried about if it was a scam, I could be robbed and be home alone at the time. Just hope nothing bad happens now that I have made a purchase.