Fanfiction Art Commission Scammers: Investigation

Angela is frustrating. They're a scammer, so of course, they're going to be frustrating. But I think I'm trying to find accountability in someone who will not be held accountable. Last we left off, Angela said they would send me an invoice after I finally gave them an email address (courtesy of my Surfshark alt account).

Catch up on what you missed: Baited, Critique

• Angela: Dear listen kindly share your personal bank account email here
• Pixel: Where's the invoice
• Angela: Dear i think you sent the wrong email.
• Pixel: I didn't. I don't use paypal
• Pixel: You just wanted to send me an invoice
• Angela: Dear invoice is made on personal email
• Angela: So kindly share the email on which you've your bank account
• Pixel: Yes. Send it.
• Pixel: I don't need to do that for an invoice?
• Pixel: You need to provide me with your details
• Pixel: That's how invoices work
• Pixel: So send the invoice with your details, so I can transfer you coin
• Angela: Dear i don't have Osko so
• Pixel: That's fine, forward the invoice and I can bank transfer
• Angela: So for that you've to gimme your personal email here so that i can make an invoice
• Pixel: I literally did
• Angela: So why did you wrote "please find my gmail here" before an email ?
• Pixel: Because that is my email address?
• Angela: Did you recieve any email ?

At this point, I'm making the connection that the reason they're taking so long to respond is because they may be setting up new Gmail and PayPal accounts specifically for me. I'm not certain on the latter, but I'm sure on the former.

They send this:

• Pixel: Yep, it's here
• Pixel: Please forward invoice
• Angela: Sure just gimme a sec

They then forward the invoice, which sends us down yet another rabbit hole. And, disappointingly, it's a PayPal invoice.

All I need To Find You Is Right In The Fineprint

Stellawilliam46 commented on Time Warp.

While Stellawilliam46 does not have any AO3 works, they did previously have a very similar DeviantArt profile under the name Stellawilliams146. This account is now deactivated, but they previously uploaded work stolen from nadavace.

The selira_vale01 Instagram has two images, both have comments from other users informing us that this user is a scammer. This handle has also been used across FFN, and has previously been flagged as being a scammer on the forums over there.

I contacted angeladraws10 on Discord. They then sent me to artistifystudio.com, which hosts their "portfolio". By some slim chance it's not AI, it's exuberantly overpriced for the quality.

ArtistifyStudio changed their artist bios to only numbers shortly after I pointed out that Angela was not listed. They've even introduced Terms of Service just yesterday, 11 January! Regardless, ArtistifyStudio, despite having "years" of experience, had its domain registered October 2025. The art they shared appears to have been "created" by juliasimon77. Following this username across the internet found me landing at RoyalRoad (juliasimon), DeviantArt (juliasimon57), Scribble Hub (juliasimon77), Web Novel (Juliasimon) and Wattpad (Luciaquinn234). Side note, looking up the Luciaquinn handles also led me down a rabbit hole that ended up at OnlyFans, so there's a chance there's a scam being run there, too. If that's the case, then I'm glad there's some kind of scamming gender equality.

I then stumbled on X, where they appear to be silentsage_77. Now, I don't have an Xitter account because I think it's an awful platform, but according to Google, they have posted art there, too, all of which appears to have been taken from other sources.

The other username listed on the website is Ousam8182. This username is associated with a WattPad account that has been deleted.

Angela shared four pieces with me. Two of them came back with exact matches through Google Lens–the profiles marialouise125 and eloisenova0259 both previously uploaded one of the images Angela shared with me, and both have deactivated DeviantArt accounts. Another image they shared was also uploaded by two other deactivated DeviantArt accounts, christinewilson1 and christine-wilson77. (This pattern with their account names continues.)

Angela says her last commission was a 'book cover,' which she sent me, and I promptly reverse-image. It takes me to another DeviantArt page, angeladraws29. All five images on this DA page have been stolen from other artists–a comic panel from @chohwcomic, another from The Mash, and most amusingly, the avatar image from a Fiverr creator.

After I agree to send them an email address, they check it with a burner Gmail account, with the username alexqjonathan74. This username is associated with a WattPad account, which has been deleted–I'm inclined to believe this was an older alias they used, which has since been scrubbed, but was pulled out of retirement for the purpose of sussing out my own burner email before they committed to sending the invoice.

Techigate LLC

The invoice is from a company called Techigate LLC, with a Gmail address tied to that name. It includes an address in the US town of Bethel. This house has changed hands 27 times since it was built in 1963, according to Spokeo–comparatively, a neighbouring house was supposedly built 1964 and changed hands just 7 times. That said, I refuse to pay money to a website who insists they'll help me determine who lives at a house in Bethel, Conneticut for the sake of identifying a scam outfit, so let's move on.

Techigate LLC has its own website, registered in July 2025. This is a "company" that claims to make websites for businesses--sounds like another email scam I know! This website is barely functional, has literacy errors, and requires some maneuvering to get out of the home page. Buttons don't work, information is incomplete, and there's very little about the company itself. They've put in just enough effort that someone who doesn't know what they're looking for would fall for the notion that they're a real website design company. The two accounts on Facebook and Instagram for Techigate opened in September 2025.

The address they have for their business is the same as Texan Registered Agent LLC. I've contacted them out of curiosity, asking if they share an office space.

Pakistani scammers

Most critically, the website itself was registered in Sindh, Pakistan, under the name Rino Tariq.

Pakistan is home to a significant scamming scene. Just last year, the BBC reported 149 people were arrested in a raid on a scam call centre.

It said the centre was involved in Ponzi schemes and tricked people into handing over vast sums of money in the name of fake investments. - Lucy Clarke-Billings, BBC News

It's interesting that some scammers have moved into the fandom space, where younger writers are most vulnerable. Imagine: you're a teenager, with a fanfic that's starting to blow up in your fandom. You get a message saying, 'hey, I'm a digital artist--pay me, and I'll make your story into a comic!' So you do, and you keep paying for each page. In the meantime, the scammer is simply plugging parts of the story into ChatGPT and making a killing. Assuming they're even doing that–it's more likely they'll ghost you after agreeing to do a full spread for upwards of $700.

Unfortunately for Rino (fortunately for me), I was able to find her Facebook page. While she's busy running a fandom scam ring, she likes Food Trael with Jazi, Baroque Fashion, and is looking for property to rent in Karachi. No, I will not be messaging Rino, as while I'm certainly interested, I have no intention of giving scammers any more information about me than necessary. It's bad enough they have my Discord. I may need to change that. Besides, I doubt Rino is the one actually sending me messages.

Sufficed to say, "Angela" is well and truly a scammer.

Exhaustion creeps in

At this point, it's late. Another lightning storm is flashing across the trees outside. I'm kind of done with this scammer. I can tell what they're doing, I've got as many different names and accounts from them as I'm ever going to find. Gloves off, let's go.

So I share the screenshots I've already added on these posts. And after I ask why they're lying to me, something interesting happens: their diction, which at this point is barely functional, suddenly becomes fantastic.

• Angela: I don’t know what you’re saying. Let’s be straightforward if you want me to do the work, then pay me. And if you don’t want me to do the work, that’s fine, no problem.
• Pixel: Will you be using AI?
• Angela: No I won’t use AI. I mentioned the $20 so that you could see my work and trust that I don’t use AI
• Pixel: But you have used AI. Your website has AI images.
• Angela: I’m talking about your work. I’ve never had to justify myself this much to anyone before, but if you still don’t trust me, then there’s nothing I can do
• Pixel: You seem to have swapped to using AI to respond to me
• Pixel: This is intensely disappointing
• Pixel: I will not be paying for work that comes from an AI prompt, especially if it means you'll just put my fic into an AI
• Pixel: I'm not convinced you would even attempt the work if I did pay you
• Pixel: What you can do now is simple:
• Pixel: Delete all of your comments soliciting commissions on Archive of our Own and Fanfiction.net
• Angela: What should I do now how am I supposed to explain myself to you?
• Pixel: My friend, I have caught you hook, line, and sinker.
• Pixel: Thank you for your PayPal account details. As well as two burner Gmail accounts you have created
• Angela: Your welcome