Scam Alert: Photo Royalty Phishing Scheme

There is a scammer calling themselves Mel (Mellenie or Melina) that is hitting website contact forms. The scammer accuses the website of using copyrighted images and sends you to a link to view the images in violation. Our Google ReCHAPTCHA technology is blocking the majority of these requests from ever being delivered, but some are getting through. 

The requests look something like this or a slight variation. 

Hello, This is Melane and I am a certified illustrator. I was confused, putting it lightly, 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 copyright owner. It’s illegal to use stolen images and it’s so low! Take a look at this document with the links to my images you used at www.yourdomain.com and my earlier publications to obtain the evidence of my ownership. Download it now and check this out for yourself:  ((PhishingLink))

If you don’t get rid of the images mentioned in the file above within the next few days, I’ll file 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 won’t give you a prior notice again.

This is a phishing email that has been widespread across the internet in the last year. CountingWorks PRO has a global master license for images we use in our clients’ library. You are only responsible for images you upload on your own. We license all images we provide. 

Please delete and disregard – it is a scam. 

A few additional reminders include:

• Never share personal information
• Visit websites directly from browsers and bookmarks – not email
• Double-check attachments before you click or download them
• Watch for misspellings and strange greetings (Hello Madam!)
• Be suspicious of emails that evoke a sense of urgency and ask for your immediate action
• When it comes to wire transfers, be extra vigilant
• When in doubt – DO NOTHING!

If you have questions, please give us a call at 800.442.2477 x4 or submit a support ticket.