Scam Copyright Email from a Photographer / Illustrator
Many of the recent emails mention the company Xero Inc and spoof emails to appear as if they are sending from Xero.com.
Updated May 2021: The text of the phishing emails have changed and become slightly more professional using a wider variety of names other than variations on “Mel” like Mary, Theresa and Tamika. The latest versions of the scam are citing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Copyright Violation Notification in the email, which may be more convincing for U.S. recipients.
We have received reports from clients about a malicious scammer named “Mel” (“Mellie” in one case and “Melina” in the other) filling out their website form, and very aggressively claiming copyright infringement.
The email arrives via your website contact form and accuses you of using copyrighted website images and asks you to click on a link to see the list of the images that are in violation. (DON’T CLICK THE LINK.) The writer threatens to file a complaint with your hosting company and sue you.
The text of the first scam phishing email was:
Hello there!
This is Mellie and I am a qualified illustrator.
I was baffled, frankly speaking, when I came across my images at your website. If you use a copyrighted image without my approval, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [website URL] and my earlier publications to obtain evidence of my copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[Redacted link to the phishing site]
If you don’t delete the images mentioned in the document above within the next several days, I’ll write a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
Did you click the link?
Check out our resource page for what to do if you clicked the link in a phishing email.
Some of the professions the scammer is claiming to be include:
- Professional Photographer
- Licensed Photographer
- Experienced photographer and illustrator
- Qualified illustrator
And the sender is going by names similar to “Mel”, but recently other names are being reported such as Simone, Loretta and Christy. Here’s a list:
- Mel
- Melinda
- Melina
- Mellie
- Melisha
- Melaenis
- Melissa
- Melaida
- Melitta
- Melcia
- Meladia
- Melecia
- Meleena
- Melea
- Melangelle
- Melaina
- Melanka
- Melibella
- Melnikon
- Melane
- Melly
- Simone
- Loretta
- Christy
The scammer uses different fake email addresses, fake phone numbers and variations on the last name, as well.
What is the Goal of this Phishing Scam?
The end goal of the scam isn’t clear, but the immediate goal is to scare you and get you to click the link.
Clicking the link may take you to a file download or a website that may allow the hacker to seize control of your device (if your device is not protected by sufficient antivirus software to block it). It may take you to a phishing page asking you to enter more information, which you should never do.
The hacker may then be able to do one of the following:
- Hold your device hostage demanding a ransom
- Exploit having access to your machine to compromise your other accounts like email or banking
- Inject worms/viruses that infect your machine and use it to launch attacks against others
Take a look at how similar the wording is for the second email one of our clients received this week:
From: Mel [mailto:[REMOVED]]
Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 12:02 PM
To: [REMOVED]
Subject: Why do you use my images for [REMOVED] without my consent! It’s unlawfully! It violates my rights! You must remove images right now!From: Mel <[REMOVED]>
Subject: Why do you use my images for [REMOVED] without my consent! It’s unlawfully! It violates my rights! You must remove images right now!Message Body:
Hi there!This is Melina and I am a experienced photographer and illustrator.
I was surprised, to put it nicely, when I came across my images at your web-site. If you use a copyrighted image without my consent, you need to be aware that you could be sued by the owner.
It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so nasty!
Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at [REMOVED] and my earlier publications to get evidence of my legal copyrights.
Download it now and check this out for yourself:
[MALICIOUS URL REMOVED]
If you don’t remove the images mentioned in the document above within the next several days, I’ll write a complaint against you to your hosting provider stating that my copyrights have been infringed and I am trying to protect my intellectual property.
And if it doesn’t work, you may be pretty damn sure I am going to report and sue you! And I will not bother myself to let you know of it in advance.
—
This mail is sent via contact form on [REMOVED]
In May 2021, the text and phrasing of the email has been updated to sound more professional quoting U.S. Copyright statutes. Take a look at an example from May 2021:
Subject: [URL REMOVED] Dmca Copyright Infringement Notification
My name is Teresa. (We’ve also seen Brittany being used a lot)Your website or a website that your company hosts is infringing on a copyright-protected images owned by myself.
Check out this document with the links to my images you used at [URL REMOVED] and my earlier publications to get the evidence of my copyrights.
Download it right now and check this out for yourself:
[Google sites URL redacted]
I believe you have willfully infringed my rights under 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. and could be liable for statutory damages as high as $150,000 as set forth in Section 504(c)(2) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (”DMCA”) therein.
This letter is official notification. I seek the removal of the infringing material referenced above. Please take note as a service provider, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires you, to remove or disable access to the infringing materials upon receipt of this notice. If you do not cease the use of the aforementioned copyrighted material a lawsuit will be commenced against you.
I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Best regards,
How to Spot a Phishing Email
- Awkward Grammar: Look for awkward grammar and word usage such as “It’s unlawfully!”, in this case.
- Check Spelling: Bad spelling is also another red flag.
- Hover Over a Link to See the True URL (but NEVER click it): Phishing scams will try to hide the true URL to which the link leads. When you hover, you can see the true destination of the URL, regardless of what the link says.
- Be Suspicious of Unsolicited Attachments: Never click on or download an unsolicited or unexpected unusual attachment. Always be suspicious of this.
- Don’t Let Them Intimidate You: Phishing email attempts frequently try to elicit an emotional response from you by using inflammatory or threatening language such as the threat to sue you and file a complaint with your host in this example. Another common tactic is to threaten that an account has been suspended or that you have committed a crime or are in violation of an agreement. Always be suspicious and take a beat before acting on any communication that uses threats.
Did you click the link?
Check out our resource page for what to do if you clicked the link in a phishing email.
Have you received a similar email via your contact form?
Since we’ve had so many reports of this phishing scam, we wanted to spread the word about it since it uses a fairly effective scare tactic against businesses. Let us know in the comments if you’ve received a similar phishing scam email via the contact form on your website.
Anika
Yep, got one too but via a photographic society that I’m a member of.
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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.
Marie Schimmelpenninck
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.
Gino Anderson
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.
Yuvraj Harsha
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.
Simonetta
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
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