The big con - art fraud jumps
Rick writes about a couple who scammed 10,000 people out of $20 million after selling them phony art they said was the work of Picasso, Chagall and Dali via their San Fernando Valley-based TV show "Fine Art Treasures Gallery." These two people aren't the only con artists out there. Coca writes that art fraud is a big problem around the world, jumping 300 percent in 2006. The Internet is a big culprit. Sellers are able to set up accounts that make it difficult to track, and gullible buyers are unable to get a firsthand look at what they're buying. While no data exists to track the amount of money lost to art fraud, it's millions upon millions of dollars. The problem has become so prolific locally that the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has begun investigating cases.
There is a new site with information on ART FRAUD that is related to this. www.art-fraud.org There are pictures of the fake Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Miro etc. I guess it was mostly lithographs, etchings and giclees although I guess a Calder sculpture was faked too.