In the past week, we have received 2 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:
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" including:
- Mel
- Melinda
- Melina
- Mellie
- Melisha
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 goal is to scare you and get you to click the link which will take you to a file download or a website that likely allows the hacker to seize control of your device (if your device is not protected by sufficient antivirus software to block it).
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]
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 2 reports this week, we wanted to spread the word about this scam since it is using a fairly effective scare tactic to use against businesses. Let us know in the comments if you've received a similar phishing scam email via the contact form on your website.
Got the same phishing spam from the email below
Menikon633@hotmail.com
Message
Hello,
This is Mellie and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, 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 copyrigh owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at (my website) and my earlier publications to get evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
Thanks for sharing!
Received today:
On 9/15/20, 11:20 AM, “Mel” melgallery831@gmail.com wrote:
Name: Mel
Email: Melgallery831@gmail.com
City: Pickering
Phone: 14371915240
Messages: Hello there!
This is Mellie and I am a qualified illustrator.
I was confused, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s against law to use stolen images and it’s so filthy!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [URL REMOVED] and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[Malicious link removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
Store: Bloomingdale Store
Thank you, we appreciate you sharing your similar experience. 🙂
Got this email today:
Hi,
This is Melinda and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my permission, you should be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at {my website} and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
{Link}
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
Thank you for sharing your similar experience…the creators of this scam are not very creative! lol
Got this email today
Name
Mel Campbell
Email
Megallery658@hotmail.com
Hello,
This is Mellie and I am a certified photographer.
I was puzzled, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s against law 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 name) and my earlier publications to get evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right 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 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.
Got this one today. I was confused at first because I only used freely licensed photos. Glad I looked it up and found this thread. Thank you!
Mephoto776@hotmail.com
Subject: You have no any rights to use my images for ____________ without my consent! It’s unlawfully! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must remove them immediately!!!!!
Comments: Hello there!
This is Melisha and I am a qualified photographer.
I was discouraged, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my permission, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so filthy!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at drmoma.org and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
(link removed)
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.
Thanks for sharing your scammer experience. 🙂
Hey, I too got the scam email from melphoto705@hotmail.com on my website, threatening to sue me! Melina claims in mine to be a certified photographer and illustrator. The text is very similar to all the comments above. Thanks for exposing this scam and sorry for us all that this jerk wasted our time.
Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Received on Nov 17, 2020 at 11:07am from Mephotographer876@hotmail.com:
Message Body:
Hello,
This is Mellie and I am a professional illustrator.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyrigh owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [our website] and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[malicious link]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
—
This e-mail was sent from a contact form on [our website].
Thanks for sharing!
Your Name: Mel
Your Email: Mshot854@aol.com
Topic: Lab Report Inquiry
Message: Hello, This is Melanie and I am a qualified illustrator. I was discouraged, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder. It’s against law to use stolen images and it’s so filthy! Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
I received it today as well identical and I clicked on the link several times…nothing hapened but what should I do now?
Just do what you can to make sure your computer is virus free via a scanner etc. We don’t know exactly what the purpose of the scam is so just take steps to protect your computer in case something malicious was downloaded when you visited the link.
I also clicked the link, but was using my iPhone. The link didn’t seem to work, but i’m worried now. What can I do if I clicked it using my smartphone?
We don’t know the exact purpose of the scam or how it works, but just keep an eye out for weird behavior from your phone and look into ways to scan it for viruses. When I google ‘how to tell if your smartphone has a virus’ several articles indicate that the primary sign of a virus on a phone is odd behavior like unexplained data usage, apps crashing repeatedly and things like that. If the link didn’t work, you might be totally fine. I imagine that people have been reporting these scammy URLs to Google, so they are probably taken down fairly quickly.
Just got one today from Mellita – same exact as in your original post. And this was sent via our website to the church!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Got the exact one today. I was mortified and got so freaked out I clicked the link to resolve the issue but it the link was broken so nothing was downloaded.
Name: Mel Campbell
Email Address: Menikon982@hotmail.com
Subject: Licensing Inquiry
Message: Hi there!
This is Mellie and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was puzzled, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you should know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at MY WEBITE LINK and my earlier publications to get evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
SITE LINK
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.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
One of my clients just got one of these yesterday (11/24/2020), so it looks like Mel is at it again. She submitted this through a contact form…
———————
Hi there!
This is Melinda and I am a professional illustrator.
I was confused, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyrigh owner.
It’s against law to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [REDACTED] and my earlier publications to get evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[REDACTED TO AVOID SPREADING LINK]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
——
Luckily my client had antivirus protection that blocked the link, however, it did give her a scare. When I checked the link later it looks like Google took it down. This came from a Yahoo email address.
I appreciate you putting up this article.
You’re welcome….Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
I just received this email, and am worried because I did click the link, however it didn’t direct me to anything, as the link (thankfully) didn’t work. The email read:
Subject: You have no any rights to use my images for [domen] without my approval! It’s illegal! It violates my rights! You must delete them out now!!!!!
Project Description: Hi there!
This is Mellie and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illicitly to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at http://www.blackwidowcustompaint.com and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[URL REMOVED]
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.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I actually receive these all the time. Sometimes slightly different. What can I do? Blocking isn’t working.
Name: Mel
Phone: 19175579388
Email: Melphoto152@hotmail.com
Comments: Hi there!
This is Melina and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was puzzled, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you should know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s against law to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at http://www.bellstone.rocks and my earlier publications to get evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[URL REMOVED]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next several 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.
Thanks for sharing your experience. If they are humans filling out a contact form, it’s difficult to block. Depending on what kind of form submission method you are using, you might be able to block based on a common string like “I was puzzled, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your website”. I just delete them and ignore, though.
I received that exact same e-mail
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Recieved this 3/12/20 through my employers website contact form.
From: Mel
Subject: You have no rights to use my images for [removed] without my approval! It’s illegal! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must delete these images out now!…
Message Body:
Hi there!
This is Melanie and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s against the law to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [Removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[URL REMOVED>>>this link tried to download a .zip file]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
I just received this today (December 3, 2020). I knew better to download a ZIP file from the link at least and did a search upon receiving it to confirm my suspicion it was a phishing scam!
———-
Hello there!
This is Melanka and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you’d better know that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so ?heap!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [deleted] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[URL REMOVED]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
p.s. Since the phisher was using a Google site to host the scam, I reported it to Google’s “Safe Browsing” reporting site here: https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/?hl=en
I suggest others due the same whenever they encounter a similar scam.
Good idea! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I received the following today through my email signup on my website, luckily I figured it was a scam but at first I wasn’t sure. I did click on the link using my iphone although nothing existed at the link, I’m assuming my phone was protected through its software.
Name: Mel Broussard
Email Address: Megallery295@yahoo.com
Subject: You have no rights to use my images for (Website Name) without my license! It’s unlawful! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must remove my images out now!…
Message: Hello,
This is Melecia and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you should know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
See this document with the links to my images you used at (Website name) and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[URL REMOVED]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂 We don’t know the exact purpose of the scam or how it works, but just keep an eye out for weird behavior from your phone and if concerned look into ways to scan it for viruses. When I google ‘how to tell if your smartphone has a virus’ several articles indicate that the primary sign of a virus on a phone is odd behavior like unexplained data usage, apps crashing repeatedly and things like that. I do think it is relatively rare for smartphones to get infected that way (like computers do)….it’s more common for phones to be infected via a compromised app.
Have received several via website contact form
This one received on 12/3/2020
Message Details:
Name:
Mel
Email:
Mephotographer673@hotmail.com
Subject:
You have no legal rights to use my images for _________ without my consent! It’s illegal! It violates my rights! You must replace my images right away
————-
Received on 11/24/2020.. in this one they neglected to replace “domen” with our website domain address and just copied and pasted in their message template
Message Details:
Name:
Mel
Email:
Mphoto421@hotmail.com
Subject:
You are not allowed to use my images for [domen] without my approval! It’s unlawfully! This is a violation of my rights! You must delete images out now!!!!!
Message:
–
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
I received the “Mel” phishing email last night via my web contact form. Thanks Liz!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
I just got it today. Thanks so much for explaining. Your article confirmed my suspicions.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
We received it on 12/3/20:
Name:
Mel
Email:
Melgallery731@aol.com
Subject:
You are not allowed to use my images for [your website] without my consent! It’s against
Message:
Hi there! This is Melina and I am a professional illustrator. I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you must know that you could be sued by the copyright holder. It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so сheap! Check out this document with the links to my images you used at http://www.furplaypetsitting.com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself: [URL REMOVED] If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to take it to court! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Received this today
Hi there!
This is Melane and I am a certified photographer.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you’d better know that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at ——- and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[Removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above during the next several days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
I just got one of these today. I have only my own pics and photos and self-designed logo on my site, so was certain it was a scam. I copied and googled some of the text and that led me to you. I am going to pass this scam alert to some FB groups I’m in for makers. Thanks for posting about it!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Hi I received this email last night from a Malanka! Disgusting to put fear into people like that. Wished I’d have found this first as I have clicked the link, although, it appeared the link was broken as I got a “page could not be found” type message and entered to personal details thankfully! Really hoping they don’t have access to hack my phone now.
If the link didn’t work, I personally wouldn’t worry. I imagine that people have been reporting these scammy URLs to Google, so they are probably taken down fairly quickly. But if you are concerned, just keep an eye out for weird behavior from your phone and look into ways to scan it for viruses. When I google ‘how to tell if your smartphone has a virus’ several articles indicate that the primary sign of a virus on a phone is odd behavior like unexplained data usage, apps crashing repeatedly and things like that. But I also read in articles that it is uncommon for phones to get infected this way…..it’s usually through a bad compromised app and not just clicking on a link.
Thank you so much for posting about this! I received mine today, Dec. 8, 2020.
Name: Mel Williams
Email Address: Mphotographer902@gmail.com
Subject: I’ve not given you any rights to use my images for ________.com without my license! It’s against the law! This is a violation of my rights! You must replace my images out now!…
Message: Hi there!
This is Melane and I am a professional illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you must know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
See this document with the links to my images you used at _______.com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
(includes link)
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely 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 take it to court! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I received the same message yesterday (12/8) from Melisha at Mnikon297@yahoo.com. It looked scammy because we use all our own images and custom design and the super aggressive tone. I asked our Webmaster, Tara Clays, and she confirmed that it is spam.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Got today
Sent via form submission from Ultrasound Experts
Name: Mel Birch
Email Address: Melnikon617@aol.com
Subject: I’ve not given you any rights to use my images for http://www.ultrasoundexperts.org without my license! It’s against the law! This is a lawsuit against my rights! You must delete them right away!
Message: Hello there!
This is Melonie and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should know that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at http://www.ultrasoundexperts.org and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[LINK REMOVED]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the document above within the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Thanks for sharing the email you received. 🙂
Got one too…
I just got this one this morning…
Hello, This is Mellie and I am a qualified illustrator. I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner\’s permission, you must know that you could be sued by the creator. It\’s unlawful to use stolen images and it\’s so mean! Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [my domain] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [LINK]
If you don\’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I\’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Thanks for sharing!
Received this morning, removed my name and link data only, all else is copied and pasted with weird slashes and wording:
Name: Mel
Email: Melnikon948@hotmail.com
Phone: 17185525055
Hello, This is Meleane and I am a licensed illustrator. I was baffled, to put it nicely, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner\’s consent, you\’d better know that you could be sued by the creator. It\’s not legal to use stolen images and it\’s so selfish! Here is this document with the links to my images you used at (my company) and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: {LINK} If you don\’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I\’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And you won\’t receive the second notice from me.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Also received today:
Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 4:19 PM
Subject: Website Contact: I’ve not given you any rights to use my images for [link removed] without my consent! It’s illegal! It violates my rights! You must replace them right away!!!!!
You have received the following contact from your website.
Name: Mel
Email: Mnikon823@hotmail.com
Phone: 17183218567
—–
Subject: I’ve not given you any rights to use my images for
[link removed] without my consent! It’s illegal! It violates my rights!
You must replace them right away!!!!!
Comments: Hello,
This is Meleana and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your website. If
you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you need to be aware
that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at
[link removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my
copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[link removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next
couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating
that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my
intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take it to
court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this scam. I removed the link from the comment, no worries.
Thank you for posting this info. Received the same in our store contact form today:
Reason for Writing
Customer service for an order
Your Name
Mel Wagner
Your Email
Mphotographer772@hotmail.com
Phone
(191) 785-7754
Order Number
tranwin
Dealer / Asking Price (each): $
luto
Message
Hello there!
This is Melynda and I am a qualified photographer.
I was discouraged, frankly speaking, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you must know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at kittitasbooks.com and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
(Link deleted)
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this phishing scam attempt.
Thank you for your helpful post and information.
Received this today (10 December 2020). I was mortified and, in a moment of sheer stupidity, clicked on the link on my iphone. I have read through this thread and understand that this is unlikely to lead to further trouble, but am concerned nonetheless. Any additional information would be most appreciated. Thank you.
This is Melaida and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
We received the same today, targeting our leisure side of things.
The email from was Melnikon871@aol.com
This smelt bad anyway, but the referenced url was to Googledrive, which makes no sense as you would expect them to use a gmail email address.
The link is dead (removed) from what I can see.
VirusTotal flags this as bad, which is the first thing I would check. Despite this being removed, in the first instance my users clicked the link and said “nothing happened”. Very lucky in this case, but not everyone has the same defences – so user awareness is key – don’t click any links.
Received today on all our websites contact forms:
First Name
Mel
Last Name
Rogers
Your Email
Mphotographer806@hotmail.com
Message:
Hi,
This is Melibella and I am a certified photographer.
I was discouraged, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so low!
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:
https://sites dot google dot com/view/[redacted]/google/drive/file/downloads/storage?FileID=(REMOVED Link)
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Daytime Phone
(414) 012-1219
Melibella is a new one! Thanks for sharing your experience. I removed your url, no worries. 🙂
We got the same one with Melibella and Mel as email.
Thank you Liz for spread the word about this phishing scam! Helped us a lot!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Got it today.
Had to go to everyone in the office to make sure they deleted it.
“Hi there! This is Melisha and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator. I was confused, frankly speaking, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the creator. It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so mean! Here is this document with the links to my images you used at [my site] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [bull#!%@ link] If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.”
Thank you for posting this.
It smelled fishy, since I only buy stock images from reputable providers, so I took a moment to look into it and found your post.
In the message they sent me, they claimed to be a “licensed” illustrator. (One can only imagine the penalties for creating illustrations without a license! lol)
I should mention for the benefit of anyone that has any general concerns about using stock images – if you buy them from a legit stock image provider, they will usually have some sort of insurance/indemnification mentioned in their terms that would protect you from any claims against you for using those images. So keep that in mind when sourcing images.
Here’s the message I just got:
Hello there!
This is Mel and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was confused, frankly speaking, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you should know that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely 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 take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
My name is Mel, and I’m licensed to illustrate. lol…thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Just received this today. I am so glad that I searched for this!
Name: Mel
Company: Mel photographer
Mailing Address: Manhattan, New York 43648
Country: FR
Phone: 19172302951
eMail: Megallery252@aol.com
Hello, This is Melitta and I am a qualified illustrator. I was discouraged, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you should know that you could be sued by the creator. It’s against the law to use stolen images and it’s so mean! Take a look at 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 now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t help, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Same submission through my website comment form. Poor Mel! It’s so mean! Thanks for your blog post. I checked the link on my phone and nothing was there. I was pretty suspicious.
Name: Mel Brown
Email Address: Menikon536@yahoo.com
Subject: Why do you use my images for www. MY WEBSITE .com without my approval! It’s against the law! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must delete them out now!!!
Message: Hello there!
This is Melissa and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I recognised my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at www. MYWEBSITE .com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely 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 take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
I got one today from a “Melcia” at melshot632@gmail.com
Name: Mel
Email: Melshot632@gmail.com
Message:
Hello there! This is Melcia and I am a professional photographer. I was confused, to put it nicely, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder. It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so сheap! See this document with the links to my images you used at justiceinaging.org and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Subject: “You are not allowed to use my
images for http://www.electro-mechanical.co.nz without my approval! It’s illegal!
This is a violation of my rights! You must get rid of these images
immediately!!!!”
From: Mel
Subject: You are not allowed to use my images for
… without my approval! It’s illegal! This is a
violation of my rights! You must get rid of these images immediately!!!!
Message Body:
Hi there!
This is Melika and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I recognised my images at your
website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you
should be aware that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at
… and my earlier publications to obtain the
evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the
next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider
informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am
trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, trust me I am going to report and sue you! And you
won’t receive the second notice from me.
Got the same one today and a few days before:
From: Mel
Email: Mshot722@gmail.com
Phone: 19174336595
Message:
Hi there!
This is Melecia and I am a professional photographer.
I was confused, mildly speaking, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you must be aware that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at trebssalado.com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
We received this today. Unfortunately, the link was clicked.
This is Meleena and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was confused, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you must know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
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.
Here’s what I got today on my website form
Text: Hi there!
This is Melitta and I am a professional photographer.
I was surprised, mildly speaking, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at {personal website} and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely 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 you won’t receive the second notice from me.
We received this email today from our Contact form online. the email address was Mnikon405@hotmail.com. The phone number wasn’t even from our country and the town listed wasn’t in the state for their mailing address. “Mel” said they were a “qualified photographer” and alleged we used their pictures without permission, that the images were copyrighted. We were threatened that Mel would sue us if we didn’t remove the pictures and we could view the pictures at the Google drive link they sent to us so we could see which images they were referring to. Didn’t do that and notified our IT crew to ensure it was a scam which lead us to you. Thanks!
You’re welcome! ..and thanks for sharing 🙂
Name: Mel Webb
Email Address: Mnikon783@gmail.com
Subject: You have no legal rights to use my images for —- without my approval! It’s against the law! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must remove these images NOW!!!!!
Message: Hi,
This is Melaida and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you should be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
See this document with the links to my images you used at —- and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
As per previous comments, but ours was from “Melcia” at our domains – came through our website contact forms.
Received today via a our website contact us form.
“Name: Mel Collins
Email: Mephotographer250@hotmail.com
Subject: You have no legal rights to use my images for [url removed] without my consent! It’s unlawful! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must get rid of them immediately!!!!
Message: Hi,
This is Melaida and I am a certified photographer and illustrator.
I was puzzled, to put it nicely, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you’d better know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
See this document with the links to my images you used at violet-mandarin-twjf.squarespace.com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I won’t give you a prior notice again. ”
Thank you for having this site so I knew not to take it seriously. 🙂
You’re welcome and thanks for sharing your experience!
Still doing the rounds, but the google doc it links to has been removed.
Contact Form Submitted at 15 December 2020
• Name : Jenkins
• Subject : Online ad production and material enquiries
• Emaill Address : Melshot532@yahoo.com
• Phone Number : 17181397455
• Comments : Hello there! This is Melaenis and I am a professional photographer. I was confused, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should know that you could be sued by the creator. It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so selfish! See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, for damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Oh no, I did click the link. It said “page not found” but I am super concerned that I have unleashed something terrible. I have a Mac, which is supposed to have good antivirus software, but I am worried. What action can I take to protect my information? Thank you. I am a fine artist, and this is quite outside my area of expertise.
Yes, Macs are overall more difficult to infect. My instinct says that if you received a Page Not Found message, that whatever was there was likely already removed, but hardware is not our expertise either, so you could always invest in some type of virus scanning software for Mac if you are worried. If you google ‘virus scan software for mac’, you’ll see several list articles you can check into.
Name: Mel Phillips
Email Address: Meshot765@hotmail.com
Message: Hello,
This is Meleena and I am a qualified illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I recognised my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
{removed this awful link}
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next several days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Received this one today through my website contact page. Glad I thought twice about clicking on the link – thank you for posting about this!
Name: Mel Gregory
Email Address: Melshot967@hotmail.com
Subject: You’re not authorized to use my images for [URL Removed] without my approval! It’s illegitimate! This is a violation of my rights! You must remove my images right away!!!!!
Message: Hello,
This is Melitta and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you’d better know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [URL Removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself: [URL Removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
You’re welcome, thanks for sharing!
Name: Mel Kneip
Email: Melshot476@aol.com
Main Phone:748-790-1319
Agreement to TCPA statement : Yes
Comments: Hi there! This is Melisha and I am a professional photographer. I was discouraged, to put it nicely, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you should know that you could be sued by the owner. It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so ?heap! Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Got this one yesterday. Thought it was suspicious since all pictures are mine. Googled the message and found your site. Thanks a lot for doing this! So here we go:
Hi,
This is Melainie and I am a professional photographer.
I was puzzled, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [my website] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Hi there! This is Melaina and I am a licensed illustrator. I was confused, mildly speaking, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you should be aware that you could be sued by the owner. It’s against the law to use stolen images and it’s so selfish! See this document with the links to my images you used at bedbugtreatmenthouston.com and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t work, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Received today.
Submitted Information:
Email
Megallery811@gmail.com
Name
Mel Crawford
Phone Number
12121469737
Business Name
Mel
Address
miscmar
rafirs
Brooklyn, New York USA 03967
Product Interest. (redacted)
1
Comments/Questions
Hello,
This is Mela and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you’d better know that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
We’ve received 4 of these in the past 2 weeks from
Meleane
Melinda
Melinda
Melaida
Is there a way to stop these from happening? Squarespace is our host provider
You can make sure that your form has reCaptcha on it which can block bots, but if it is an actual human filling out the form, unfortunately, there is not a reliable way to block it without risking blocking legitimate requests.
Thanks for posting this so we could quickly verify the email we received was a scam.
You’re welcome! 🙂
Another similar one today…
Name: Mel Stewart
Email: Melshot686@hotmail.com
Subject: You’re not allowed to use my images for http://www.xxxxx.com without my consent! It’s illegal! It’s a disruption to my rights! You must delete my images out now!!!!!
Message: Hello,
This is Melibella and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should know that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, trust me I am going to take it to court! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
From: Melshot706@hotmail.com
Thu 17/12/2020 06:47
Hi there!
This is Melea and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you should be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
See 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 now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Same thing received via our website contact form today, 17 December 2020:
Hello, This is Melangelle and I am a qualified photographer. I was confused, mildly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the creator. It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so low! Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at {website redacted} and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself: {link redacted} If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Just received one via Contact form on website.
Just received one this morning via a contact form. I was seriously tempted to reply and tell them to stick their images where the sun doesn’t shine but I resisted and just binned it instead.
Yessss! I’ve been getting them about once a week — the same as all of you — so irritating, but I’m glad to know I’m not the only one. The sender changes up the email a little bit each time. Here are some recent ones below. She/he did this on another website I own, too. I was getting them so often that I finally just deleted the contact form on that one! 🙁
DATE NAME EMAIL PHONE NUMBER
12/17/20 02:47 Mel Richards Melphotographer400@aol.com 19176189014
12/16/20 20:23 Mel Ferrara Mphotographer871@yahoo.com 17187510882
12/14/20 11:17 Mel Fisher Mphoto885@yahoo.com 19173519822
11/24/20 23:42 Mel Buccino Mphoto468@gmail.com 12127799894
11/12/20 13:29 Mel Wilkes Mephoto235@yahoo.com 12127637358
11/11/20 17:14 Mel Leger Mshot944@yahoo.com 17184836939
Got this one this morning. Knew something wasn’t right about it then found your site. So glad you had this posted!!!
Hello there!
This is Melecia and I am a qualified photographer.
I was confused, mildly speaking, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at —– and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Thanks for sharing. My similar email is pasted below with the scammer’s url deleted. I was tipped off initially since the message reflected it was from a mailing list and I received it around 3:00 am. Thanks again!
Submitted Information:
Name
Mel Gonzalez
Email
Menikon670@aol.com
Comment
Hello,
This is Melibella and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you must know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Received this email this morning. I’m so glad I did some googling before clicking on the link!
Submitted from address 75-109-220-58.bcstcmta02.com.dyn.suddenlink.net/75.109.220.58.
———————————————————————-
Your Name: Mel
Your Email: Menikon913@gmail.com
Subject: Who gave you the rights to use my images without my consent! It’s unlawful! It violates my rights! You must remove them immediately!…
Message: Hi,
This is Melea and I am a professional photographer.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
See this document with the links to my images you used at xxxxxxxxx and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my ownership.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
(Link deleted)
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take it to court! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
I have received TWO of these scam emails in the last week Dec 10-Dec 18th 2020, coming from a person named Mel Bennett. When trying to reply to the email, it gets bounced back. Here is the content:
“This is Melaida and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator. I was surprised, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner. It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so wicked! See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my ownership. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.”
Go the same email today.
Name: Mel Saramago
Email: Mphoto595@aol.com
Photography Needs: Wedding/Bridals/Engagements
Message: Hi there!
This is Melibella and I am a licensed photographer and illustrator.
I was baffled, to put it nicely, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my ownership.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Thank you for sharing this Liz. My husband received this via a contact form yesterday so it’s still going on. The text was very similar to above, but I’m sharing it in case it helps someone who googles the phone or email used for “Mel” in the one we got. My husband clicked on it and got the message “file not found”. I’m hoping nothing happened but I’ll do a virus scan, etc. when he’s not on a video call :-).
First name: Mel
Last name: Caba
Email: Meshot336@yahoo.com
Phone: 19171376334
Message: Hi, This is Melea and I am a certified photographer and illustrator. I was puzzled, putting it lightly, when I recognised my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you should know that you could be sued by the copyright holder. It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so mean! See this document with the links to my images you used at http://www.[removed].com and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it right now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely 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 take it to court! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Here’s a new spelling. “Melynda” Same song different day. Arrived via form entry.
Questions: –
Is there a way to track form entry time and IP location?
Is there a way to geo-restrict form responses?
=======================================
Email:
fake email…
First Name:
Mel
Phone Number:
Fake phone num 919 …
Hi there!
This is Melynda and I am a certified photographer.
I was discouraged, mildly speaking, when I recognised my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should know that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
sites [dot ] google [dot] com/view/FileID and all that removed….
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Whether or not the IP address and entry time is logged will depend on if the forms plugin you are using (like WPForms or Gravity Forms) collects and stores that info. We use Gravity Forms, so I know it logs this info, but not sure about others….but seems likely. As far as geo-blocking, you can look into any options offered by your specific forms plugin or you can block using some type of firewall, like for example, WordFence Premium, Cloudflare and Malcare allow you to create a geo-fence and block by country. However, this can sometimes create other unintended consequences like accidentally blocking real users (b/c no system is perfect…or they just happen to be out of the country) or a penalty from Google Ads for blocking countries…as examples. I believe that the EU even has some regulation around ‘unjustified’ geo-blocking. So you would just want to weigh the risks and benefits for your particular situation before taking that step.
Name: Mel Moore
Email: Melgallery110@hotmail.com
Comment:
Hello, This is Melinda and I am a professional illustrator. I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you’d better know that you could be sued by the copyright owner. It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so wicked! Here is this document with the links to my images you used at __________________ and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights. Download it now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
I just got this one and I stupidly clicked the link. Now running a Norton scan in hopes of disinfecting my machine.
——————-
Name: Mel
Email: Megallery710@yahoo.com
Message: Hi,
This is Mellie and I am a professional photographer and illustrator.
I was confused, to put it nicely, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Got one too!
Hello,
This is Melissa and I am a qualified photographer.
I was puzzled, to put it nicely, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [website] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next few days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, for damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Yes, I just received this, very effectively scared me and i clicked the link before getting suspicious. Nothing seemed to happen. I hope nothing bad happens 🙁
Name: Mel Klauder
Email: Melphotographer110@aol.com
Subject: Who gave you the rights to use my images for http://www.heartofyoga.com without my license! It’s illegitimate! This is a violation of my rights! You must delete them right now!
Message: Hi there!
This is Melanka and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was surprised, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you should be aware that you could be sued by the creator.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
Take a look at 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:
[link removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, trust me I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Got the following message from our website contact form this evening, December 17:
Name
Mel Hanten
Email
Meshot635@yahoo.com
Comment
Hello there!
This is Melecia and I am a licensed photographer.
I was discouraged, mildly speaking, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my ownership.
Download it now and check this out for yourself: [url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Received this message as well.
Name
Mel
Email
Mephoto487@yahoo.com
Phone
(227) 313-1718
How can we assist you?
Hi there!
This is Meleeora and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Here is 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:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Received this today!
Name
Mel
Email
Mephoto487@yahoo.com
Phone
(227) 313-1718
How can we assist you?
Hi there!
This is Meleeora and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was baffled, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you should be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Here is 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:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Received today via my website’s contact form:
Name: Mel Ortiz
Email Address: Mshot355@yahoo.com
Message: Hello,
This is Melainie and I am a professional illustrator.
I was discouraged, mildly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so сheap!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at *site name removed* and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my ownership.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
*link removed* says it’s a google drive link
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, for damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
Received this today… we are a completely volunteer-driven nonprofit group raising funds for breast cancer local services and research.
I googled the name “Mel Regan” and she is an actual photographer, but the language used in the note below is awkward – first sign of phishing.
Name
Mel Regan
Email
Mphotographer127@yahoo.com
Message
Hello there!
This is Melitta and I am a qualified photographer and illustrator.
I was discouraged, putting it lightly, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s consent, you must know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
I am interested in
Sponsorship Info
I have received 3 in the past 4 months. The last one was from Melcia an Illustrator, same wording as in the original one you posted. I can see how some might click on the link.
Mel
Email
Melphoto869@hotmail.com
Phone Number
(506) 468-0917
Reason for contact…
Hi there!
This is Melcia and I am a certified illustrator.
I was surprised, mildly speaking, when I recognised my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you must be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at —– and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
We got one from a Melanka.
We received this on 12/17/20 via our contact link on our website:
Name
Mel Castanon
Phone Number
17182611143
Email
Melshot367@yahoo.com
Comment
Hi there!
This is Melane and I am a professional illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I saw my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so low!
Here is this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider informing them that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it is not enough, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take it to court! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
I received a similar e.mail, I am really scared:
Da: Mel
Oggetto: You are not allowed to use my images for [url removed] without my consent! It’s illegitimate! This is a violation of my rights! You must delete these images right now!!!
Corpo del messaggio:
Hi,
This is Melcia and I am a certified illustrator.
I was confused, mildly speaking, when I found my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you must be aware that you could be sued by the copyright owner.
It’s illegitimate to use stolen images and it’s so disgusting!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above within the next several days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely 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 take legal action against you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
GDPR accettato il:
17 Dicembre 2020 2:55
—
Questa e-mail è stata inviata da un modulo di contatto su Yourstyleover40 [url removed]
We just got one as well.
**************************************************
Name : Mel
Email ID : Melnikon816@aol.com
Phone : 12125208034
Message : Hello there!This is Melaina and I am a certified photographer and illustrator.I was puzzled, putting it lightly, when I recognised my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you must know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.It’s unlawful to use stolen images and it’s so mean!Here is 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 now and check this out for yourself: [url removed] If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property. And if it doesn’t help, trust me I am going to take legal action against you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.
**************************************************
Although I clicked the link several times but got the ‘page not found’ error. I tried writing back to the given email address, the mail bounced back. The phone number also looked fake and suspicious and then googling about it didn’t fetch any appropriate results back. That’s when we thought it could be spam. But still crossing my fingers and hoping that nothing is hacked or infected to harm later.
Name: Mel
Phone: 19178385689
Email: Meshot374@aol.com
Comments: Hi there!
This is Meleana and I am a professional photographer.
I was baffled, mildly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s approval, you must know that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s against the law to use stolen images and it’s so wicked!
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at www.(MyWebsite).com and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above during the next several days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Yes, I’ve received similar emails. Here it is:
Hello there!
This is Meleeora and I am a licensed illustrator.
I was confused, putting it lightly, when I saw my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s permission, you’d better know that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s not legal to use stolen images and it’s so mean!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above during the next couple of days, I’ll file a complaint on you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to take legal action against you! And I won’t give you a prior notice again.
Yep, got one too but via a photographic society that I’m a member of.
—
This is an enquiry email via [url removed] from:
Mel
Hello,
This is Melecia and I am a qualified illustrator.
I was surprised, frankly speaking, when I found my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without an owner’s license, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the copyright holder.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so selfish!
See this document with the links to my images you used at [url removed] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[url removed]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the file above during the next few days, I’ll file a complaint against you to your hosting provider letting them know that my copyrights have been severely infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t help, trust me I am going to report and sue you! And you won’t receive the second notice from me.