Hello all!

So to update on the scammer situation... sadly, the scammer's bank decided he gets to keep his money. I'm curious if others who also tried to fight the chargebacks had a similar fate.
This also obviously brought to my attention that I need a more secure way of getting paid for commissions so that this doesn't happen again. I realize that some of this situation could've been avoided from the beginning if I had caught some of the red flags/thought better about taking the scammer's commission- so I have a lot that I'm hoping to get people's advice on. Mainly:
- What's the most secure payment method?
- How do you ensure that the person you're talking to is legit/won't pull funny business? (I mainly ask this bc some of the "tells" for phishing scams I've been trained on at work rely on things like "poor grammar or spelling", which seems a little mean being online where anybody around the globe can commission you, including people who aren't fluent in your native language) I'd also seen some folks mention that the scammer filed chargebacks for MULTIPLE comms he'd gotten from them, which brings one of the "green flags" into question for me (long history of being a frequent commissioner)
- How do you protect yourself against chargeback fraud/other false claims? Do you have a comm sheet with a box that says they fork over those rights or smth??? (joke........ unless)

Ah, the troubles of being new to all this... Anyway-

On a positive note, I recently got a promotion at my day job and will be back to working full-time (with more pay)! With some of that stress off my shoulders, I'm hoping I'll be in better spirits to devote time to artwork instead of worrying about my future/job hunting/etc. This will still remain a hobby for me that I want to improve at, despite how cool it'd be to make it a business, but it feels good to be making art again and having smth good happen for a change! It'd just be nice to earn a lil money from my hobby every once in a while too lolol

Ok, that's the end of my long journal rant, please have a wonderful night~

A user that goes by the following tag ~leanardo has been committing large amounts of Chargeback scams in quick succession, from $10 purchases to $600 sequences.
Sadly, I'm one of those affected! I'm trying to file a dispute with evidence from our DM conversation as proof to hopefully get some sort of justice, here's to hoping it succeeds.
Please report and block this scum. Let all your artist friends know to watch out for this guy as well!

Discord: Cynthia1086

https://www.furaffinity.net/user/leanardo

well that was an incredible reception
i'm beyond thrilled at all the folks i had in my DMs and notes in such a quick time, it really makes my heart grow 3x in size ^^

i've got three requests left to draw, and i definitely plan on opening them again in the future (so in case you didn't get to make a request in time, or you totally missed out, fear not- they will open again at some point). i'm also curious about looking into things like YCH's or Adoptables that people can sign up for... much to think about!

oh- i've also created an account on cohost (username tarfilth) to try and meet more of the community. i'm still in the waiting period to be able to make my own posts, but feel free to follow me there until then

hi everyone!
i figure i should make a journal for this, but i'm slowly trying to get in the habit of making art on a regular basis
so i'm opening free requests, they just won't be as polished as say a commission would be (something i'm ALSO looking into officially opening in the future)

further-!
i'm a homestuck fan first and a person second. THAT MEANS i'm taking homestuck-related requests through 4/13 this month! since this is kinda coming out so late (i planned on writing this sooner, but i got into a car accident.....) that date is more of a soft window, send em in after then too and i'm sure i'll be able to draw it

felt a little need to write something out to get it off my chest.
i probably won't be able to make or post new art for a bit because i recently got a new job!
this is great, cuz i've been unemployed for a while, but i've got a lot on my plate now and foresee me having to take a lot of recoop time between shifts. this sucks because i had two big projects i was looking forward to hammering out, but we'll see what happens i guess! i won't let them totally die obviously, cuz i love art and have been enjoying pushing my comfort zone with some of these pieces
anyway- that's about it!
have a good day!