Deposits, Wire Transfers, and Payment Safety

Wire transfers are normal in serious art transactions and also attractive to fraudsters. A familiar email thread can be compromised; verification should not rely on replying to the same message.

• Obtain a written invoice before payment.
• Use a phone number or contact route you verified independently.
• Read bank details back rather than asking only “is this correct?”.
• Confirm whether the account name matches the seller or disclosed payment agent.
• Save confirmation, invoice, and any bank reference with the object record.

If payment may have been misdirected, contact the financial institution immediately about recall or recovery and report the incident to the appropriate authorities. Recovery is not guaranteed.

Check an artwork to organize public evidence about a specific listing. The tool provides research context, not authentication or appraisal.