Author Topic: iStock site mail (Read 5640 times)

mtilghma · « **on:** May 18, 2012, 12:26 »

I just got a message a few days ago:

"Hello,
my name is ___. I would like to discuss a possibility of cooperation with you.
It concerns your great portfolio. Could you please provide me your contact details, whether
e-mail or phone number?
Thanks in advance."

My response:

"Hi ___,

This is as good a place to contact me as any!
Looking forward to hearing back,

Matt"

Her response:

"Hello Matt,

if you don't mind, I will send you a private letter. It would be more suitable both for you and for us. It's concerning your perfect portfolio.

Please, don't worry. It's not a spam letter.

Regards,
_____"

This is when I stop responding, right?

ShadySue · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2012, 12:45 »

I'd contact support, as they shouldn't be using iStock's SM to recruit contributors to another site, or to undercut iStock; but otherwise, yes, ignore it.

cmannphoto · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2012, 12:47 »

I would forward this e-mail to Lobo, because I don't think you can access contributors from outside iStock site mail, so it must be from an iStock account within their site mail.

cthoman · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2012, 13:29 »

Doesn't seem that weird. I don't like talking business on sitemail. Plus, I'd prefer to have a record of it in my email.

click_click · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2012, 13:33 »

SCAM written all over it.

First of all they would introduce themselves from the beginning.

Secondly, if they cannot do business with you through online communication you're gonna be in for a nice treat of snail mailing your negotiations for the next few months forth and back. Have fun.

Insane.

ShadySue · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2012, 13:35 »

I guess it would depend on whether they liked the OP's style so wanted to contact them to commission fresh work (that's allowed) or whether they were just contacting them to make some sort of 'let's work together off-site to cut off iStock's share as a win-win'.
As they haven't explained what they want, I'd assume the latter.

cthoman · « **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:01 »

You all seem very paranoid. I don't know how you could assume anything good or bad from reading the above.

Why not just send them your email to see what it is all about?

I typically make my email easy to find, so people can contact me. That's how I get business.

click_click · « **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:04 »

Quote from: cthoman on May 18, 2012, 14:01

You all seem very paranoid. I don't know how you could assume anything good or bad from reading the above.

Why not just send them your email to see what it is all about?

I don't have a problem with email but they insist on my mailing address.

I don't know where you live and in Germany where I was born I wouldn't care much either but here in the US in some areas you're asking for trouble if you hand out your address just like that. At least those goons would know where to find a whole Canon 5D Mark II set including addons. No thank you.

Mantis · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:08 »

Maybe she's HOT and wants to "trade pics"!!!

fotografer · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:09 »

Was it a Nigerian princess

Mantis · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:11 »

Quote from: fotografer on May 18, 2012, 14:09

Was it a Nigerian princess

ROFLMAO...good one.

click_click · « **Reply #11 on:** May 18, 2012, 14:11 »

Quote from: fotografer on May 18, 2012, 14:09

Was it a Nigerian princess

Who will leave you 10% of her 50 billion dollar fortune for parking her funds in your bank account.

Kindly forward all bank information including your kids dress sizes to this email [email protected]

jbryson · « **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2012, 16:04 »

I would not give address or phone number, but set up a temporary gmail email account and give it to her. The wording is suggestive of a scam, but perhaps it is simply a translation issue. If the email she sends is suspicious, just ignore it, and close the email account.

heywoody · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2012, 18:07 »

I've had something similar on another site - if it's something genuine I'd expect more specifics and less empty flattery.

lisafx · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2012, 18:15 »

Quote from: heywoody on May 18, 2012, 18:07

I've had something similar on another site - if it's something genuine I'd expect more specifics and less empty flattery.

+1

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2012, 18:55 »

I received a site mail too and replied with my e-mail address. So far nothing, but the first name matched that of a person who sent me e-mail in January about uploading to a site. My e-mail address is on my web site, and a link to my web site is in my IS profile, so I'm not giving anyone anything they can't easily obtain (if they weren't so lazy).

Some of the empty flattery is probably a cultural thing - and I'm guessing the person's not a native English speaker.

click_click · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2012, 19:11 »

Quote from: jsnover on May 18, 2012, 18:55

I received a site mail too and replied with my e-mail address. So far nothing, but the first name matched that of a person who sent me e-mail in January about uploading to a site. My e-mail address is on my web site, and a link to my web site is in my IS profile, so I'm not giving anyone anything they can't easily obtain (if they weren't so lazy).

Some of the empty flattery is probably a cultural thing - and I'm guessing the person's not a native English speaker.

Really? Even in other countries they won't contact you being slightly more specific about what they want from you than saying your portfolio is perfect?

Usually, at least a reference is made to a specific image or a certain style how lighting is implemented etc.

Just saying that the portfolio is perfect just sounds off.

I'm German and I know it's not always easy to express myself in English as some might have noticed around here but I have even had better conversations with Chinese clients using Google translate than this example here.

I don't know, it still sounds off to me.

KarenH · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2012, 19:19 »

Quote from: mtilghma on May 18, 2012, 12:26

I just got a message a few days ago:
. . .

I got one about two months ago similar to that. It was from someone who had just opened an account, and the letter said "I have many iStockphoto accounts with over 10,000 credit but I have no need to use them. I can buy your photo if you pay me 0.3USD / 1 credit. thank you!"

I sent it to Lobo, and the account was then closed.

mtilghma · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2012, 19:44 »

hold on guys, you keep overlooking something.... my portfolio IS perfect!! it's not empty flattery!

just kiddingggg

drugal · « **Reply #19 on:** May 21, 2012, 04:09 »

Quote from: ShadySue on May 18, 2012, 12:45

I'd contact support, as they shouldn't be using iStock's SM to recruit contributors to another site, or to undercut iStock; but otherwise, yes, ignore it.

They can undercut istock all they want if you ask me. They should be undercuting each other and be in a competetion for contributors. Thats in your interest.

lagereek · « **Reply #20 on:** May 21, 2012, 05:13 »

Yep! scam written all over it! had something similar from time to time. Ignore it.

sgoodwin4813 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 21, 2012, 10:53 »

Most likely a scam - someone really interested would have written about specific images.

Ask them to send you their e-mail address so you can initiate contact. I have a hotmail account I use for anything I think might be suspicious - I check it once every couple of months just in case but otherwise don't use it except for spam. I wouldn't give them an address that you really use, and certainly not a phone number.

jsmithzz · « **Reply #22 on:** May 27, 2012, 09:10 »

That does have scam written all over it. If you do reply just to humor them, I definitely wouldn't give them the e-mail address that's tied to your iStock account. Set up a fake one. Takes 2 minutes.

djpadavona · « **Reply #23 on:** May 27, 2012, 09:36 »

Quote from: click_click on May 18, 2012, 19:11

I don't know, it still sounds off to me.

I agree click_click. By the end of the second correspondence, you would have thought they would have gotten to the proposal by now. I've had requests for commissioned work before, and my portfolio is no great shakes. So I wouldn't doubt that you would get a lot of interest. But that should be in the initial contact email, or at least in the first reply.

ShadySue · « **Reply #24 on:** May 27, 2012, 10:56 »

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=343975&page=1

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Author Topic: iStock site mail (Read 5640 times)

mtilghma

ShadySue

cmannphoto

cthoman

click_click

ShadySue

cthoman

click_click

Mantis

fotografer

Mantis

click_click

jbryson

heywoody

lisafx

Jo Ann Snover

click_click

KarenH

mtilghma

drugal

lagereek

sgoodwin4813

jsmithzz

djpadavona

ShadySue

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