I thought we'd maybe reached the bottom at iStock. I had one download yesterday and two today. This is grim beyond belief for weekdays.
However, my total just dropped $16.50.
In the absence of an email (so far) I hopped onto the forum, and it turns out they're clawing back the money that was fraudulently taken from us.
I didn't even think any of my downloads fitted any of the profiles suggested, so I'd expect some will be losing much, much more. I'm sorry for me, but much more sorry for those of you who are suffering huge losses.
Don't worry. They're letting us keep the RCs.
According to RM, "Due to the nature of our online business, all of our credit transactions are what's known as 'card not present transactions'. When fraud is reported in this kind of transaction, iStock – not Visa/Amex/MasterCard - is responsible for returning the money to the credit card owner."
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=299222&page=1
Sorry again to those who will suffer huge losses.

OMG, I've just seen some of the huge losses some people are suffering. It's much worse than I imagined.
Sean - I can only imagine how you must be feeling, and I'm probably not coming close.

I just had $25.40 removed from my december sales. Sucks. Hope there isn't more of this ahead...

Hi,
I got this email from istock saying that recently of images on istock have been purchased from peopel with unauthorized card numbers etc...Okay they removed 2 royalties, whatever that mean from one of my file that I take was purchased.

This is the first that that ever happened to me.

Is that normal?

I got one. $24.50 removed my already sucky december sales. Grrrrrrrr!

from IS it is my first but have a few from FT and DT..

don´t get it once I don´t believe agencies will send the money to the bank.. they cover all fraudulent actions

OMG Sean, my heart is breaking for you, I just read the amount.  I hope to god that's the lump total and they are not going to keep coming back for more. 

Quote from: sweetgirll on February 02, 2011, 23:21
Hi,
I got this email from istock saying that recently of images on istock have been purchased from peopel with unauthorized card numbers etc...Okay they removed 2 royalties, whatever that mean from one of my file that I take was purchased.

This is the first that that ever happened to me.

Is that normal?

I had the same. 2 is $2 or at least that is what I received for the download they said was fraudulent.

I just got one moments ago. One image for about $2.90. I deactivated all but 5 of my images. I cashed out and had a balance of $.23. So now I owe IS about $2.77. Ha!

Hopefully, they put ALL of the bogus purchases in this one email and I won't continue to keep getting emails from them. Just incredible. Didn't someone say they wouldn't be taking back the royalties? Guess what, they have to pay that new guy they just hired somehow.

yep, $10 removed

Got the same just some Minutes ago. As someone said in December when this fraud happend: "My images seems even not worth to be stolen *snief*".
Okay, so i can say I'm in the club and some of my Images seemes to be worth to be stolen :-)

we now have a few threads on this.. but this one seems to be the original..
http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/image-thieves-targetting-is-again!!/

For me, more than $50 removed!  Argh.

the more ridiculous is that the person who did this has the picture (tons of picture actually) and won´t send it back LOL

Quote from: Pixart on February 02, 2011, 23:30
OMG Sean, my heart is breaking for you, I just read the amount.  I hope to god that's the lump total and they are not going to keep coming back for more. 

Reading the e-mail, it's clear that is the lump total (until today, of course):

"Veuillez noter que nous pourrons réitérer cette action si d'autres téléchargement frauduleux venaient à se produire dans le futur."

If you can't get back the files, why should you take the money back? Maybe, all this money they are stealing back should actually go to something useful like fraud prevention or shutting down the pirate site that is now stocked full of everyone's images.

I am tremendously flattered to have just received an email from IStock informing me that one of my photos was selected for theft!   And that the commission will be removed from my account.

If I, the smallest fish in the IS pond, am among the victims, these guys must have really cleaned out the IS shop.   The image of mine which they stole has been downloaded only 128 times - not exactly a big seller in the IS world.  Obviously this thief has good taste.

Now I can look forward to my (formerly) best selling image appearing on scam sites and 'free' collections all over the world.

Also got money deducted.

Sean, did you get to keep your Vetta commissions? I'm curious to see if there are any "exceptions" for exclusives 

Quote from: cthoman on February 02, 2011, 23:51
If you can't get back the files, why should you take the money back? Maybe, all this money they are stealing back should actually go to something useful like fraud prevention or shutting down the pirate site that is now stocked full of everyone's images.

I got an email as well, $17.50 deducted, and I totally agree with you. Why should we give back the pittance we were paid when someone now has free use of our images. Disgusted  

Yes, just a few minutes ago - in English, French and German
$2.00 removed

Anyway it's an interesting idea to take back the money from the constributors. They take 84% of the salesincome for taking care of the whole businessexecution....if someone robs my bank, the bank wouldn't come to the idea to cut my money from the savings.

Quote from: microstockphoto.co.uk on February 03, 2011, 00:02
Yes, just a few minutes ago - in English, French and German
$2.00 removed

Yes, but according to a post in That Thread, e.g. the Spanish speakers had to 'make do' with these three languages. Guess it was too near office closing time to get it translated into the other community languages, just to increase the total lack of respect they show to their drones.

For people still submitting to IS.. how much further do they have to bend you over till you touch your toes?

On their end (IS) what are they losing money wise? You as the contributor lost not only the money you saw in your account but also the images that were dl'ed. Do you now  lose any respect left for IS?


and before a conspiracy theorist comes out with it...hehehe.. Maybe Getty needed money and is shrugging off blame to CC Fraud.

I lost $9, that was annoying until I looked at the thread in the istock forum and see some have lost hundreds and even thousands of dollars.  I wonder how the thief is going to use all these images?  They must of spent thousands, so I presume it was lots of stolen credit cards?  Was it a gang doing this?  Seems like a lot of work for one person downloading so many images.

Quote from: ShadySue on February 03, 2011, 00:05

Quote from: microstockphoto.co.uk on February 03, 2011, 00:02
Yes, just a few minutes ago - in English, French and German
$2.00 removed

Yes, but according to a post in That Thread, e.g. the Spanish speakers had to 'make do' with these three languages. Guess it was too near office closing time to get it translated into the other community languages, just to increase the total lack of respect they show to their drones.

Yes, but when we receive an unexpected email from an agency we can stay assured that it's bad news, they could even write it in Chinese only