Copyright Infringement Phishing SCAM Alert: Beware of Fake Email from “Experienced Photographer & Illustrator”: Spoofing Xero Inc

We have received reports from clients about a malicious scammer named “Mel” (“Mellie” in one case and “Melina” in the other) filling out their website form, and very aggressively claiming copyright infringement.

The email arrives via your website contact form and accuses you of using copyrighted website images and asks you to click on a link to see the list of the images that are in violation. (DON’T CLICK THE LINK.) The writer threatens to file a complaint with your hosting company and sue you.

The text of the first scam phishing email was:

Hello there!

This is Mellie and I am a qualified illustrator.

I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner.

It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!

Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [website URL] and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my copyrights.

Download it now and check this out for yourself:

[Redacted link to the phishing site]

If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next several days, I’ll write a complaint against 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.

Some of the professions the scammer is claiming to be include:

• Professional Photographer
• Licensed Photographer
• Experienced photographer and illustrator
• Qualified illustrator

And the sender is going by names similar to “Mel”, but recently other names are being reported such as Simone, Loretta and Christy. Here’s a list:

• Mel
• Melinda
• Melina
• Mellie
• Melisha
• Melaenis
• Melissa
• Melaida
• Melitta
• Melcia
• Meladia
• Melecia
• Meleena
• Melea
• Melangelle
• Melaina
• Melanka
• Melibella
• Melnikon
• Melane
• Melly
• Simone
• Loretta
• Christy

The scammer uses different fake email addresses, fake phone numbers and variations on the last name, as well.

What is the Goal of this Phishing Scam?

The end goal of the scam isn’t clear, but the immediate goal is to scare you and get you to click the link.

Clicking the link may take you to a file download or a website that may allow the hacker to seize control of your device (if your device is not protected by sufficient antivirus software to block it). It may take you to a phishing page asking you to enter more information, which you should never do.

The hacker may then be able to do one of the following:

• Hold your device hostage demanding a ransom
• Exploit having access to your machine to compromise your other accounts like email or banking
• Inject worms/viruses that infect your machine and use it to launch attacks against others

Take a look at how similar the wording is for the second email one of our clients received this week:

From: Mel [mailto:[REMOVED]]
Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 12:02 PM
To: [REMOVED]
Subject: Why do you use my images for [REMOVED] without my consent! It’s unlawfully! It violates my rights! You must remove images right now!

From: Mel <[REMOVED]>
Subject: Why do you use my images for [REMOVED] without my consent! It’s unlawfully! It violates my rights! You must remove images right now!

Message Body:
Hi there!

This is Melina and I am a experienced photographer and illustrator.

I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner.

It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!

Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [REMOVED] and my earlier publications to get evidence of my legal copyrights.

Download it now and check this out for yourself:

[MALICIOUS URL REMOVED]

If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several days, I’ll write a complaint against 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.

—
This mail is sent via contact form on [REMOVED]

In May 2021, the text and phrasing of the email has been updated to sound more professional quoting U.S. Copyright statutes. Take a look at an example from May 2021:

Subject: [URL REMOVED] Dmca Copyright Infringement Notification
My name is Teresa. (We’ve also seen Brittany being used a lot)

Your website or a website that your company hosts is infringing on a copyright-protected images owned by myself.

Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [URL REMOVED] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my copyrights.

Download it right now and check this out for yourself:

[Google sites URL redacted]

I believe you have willfully infringed my rights under 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. and could be liable for statutory damages as high as $150,000 as set forth in Section 504(c)(2) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (”DMCA”) therein.

This letter is official notification. I seek the removal of the infringing material referenced above. Please take note as a service provider, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires you, to remove or disable access to the infringing materials upon receipt of this notice. If you do not cease the use of the aforementioned copyrighted material a lawsuit will be commenced against you.

I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Best regards,

How to Spot a Phishing Email

• Awkward Grammar: Look for awkward grammar and word usage such as “It’s unlawfully!”, in this case.
• Check Spelling: Bad spelling is also another red flag.
• Hover Over a Link to See the True URL (but NEVER click it): Phishing scams will try to hide the true URL to which the link leads. When you hover, you can see the true destination of the URL, regardless of what the link says.
• Be Suspicious of Unsolicited Attachments: Never click on or download an unsolicited or unexpected unusual attachment. Always be suspicious of this.
• Don’t Let Them Intimidate You: Phishing email attempts frequently try to elicit an emotional response from you by using inflammatory or threatening language such as the threat to sue you and file a complaint with your host in this example. Another common tactic is to threaten that an account has been suspended or that you have committed a crime or are in violation of an agreement. Always be suspicious and take a beat before acting on any communication that uses threats.

Have you received a similar email via your contact form?

Since we’ve had so many reports of this phishing scam, we wanted to spread the word about it since it uses a fairly effective scare tactic against businesses. Let us know in the comments if you’ve received a similar phishing scam email via the contact form on your website.