Threatening Photo Infringement Email
Recently, some clients, as well as others around the world, have been receiving threatening notices similar to the one below.
Please keep in mind that all the websites we develop with our clients include photos, legally licensed, per client, from various reputable photo libraries.
These email notices are not legitimate and are only an attempt to get users to download a malicious file, which has a virus embedded.
Please do not click the link, nor download any files presented from these emails.
We take photo licensing very seriously, and while using licensed photos is extremely important, these particular notices are not real. It’s unfortunate that someone is now using this tactic to get the attention of business owners, only to deliver a virus.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send a screenshot of the email at https://www.americancreative.com/support/. Many email providers are starting to block the emails, so it may be difficult to forward.
If any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us!
Sample of SPAM Email or Web Form:
Contact Name: Melissa
Email: [email protected]
** This email address changes, may not be identical.
Phone: 16471519126
Best time: riablog
Address: 601 Yorkville Ave
** Contact info is invalid or left blank
Interested: Other-Please explain below
Comments:
Hi,
This is Melissa and I am a experienced photographer.
I was confused, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
**Text will vary slighlty, but be similar in message.
It’s illicitly to use stolen images and it’s so filthy!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at <> and my earlier publications to get evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
** DO NOT CLICK THE LINK!! Usually links to a macro-enabled Excel file which contains a virus.
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next few days, I’ll write a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
