MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: Visual on February 01, 2021, 18:37

Title: money disappear
Post by: Visual on February 01, 2021, 18:37
after a bad month, under 100$ in January, another think go me crazy from shutterstock. Some money just disappear.
I set minimum payment 100$, so i didnt get pay in january, but now my unpaid earnings are for about 30$ less than yesterday....
someone with similar experience?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: grace on February 01, 2021, 20:35
I'm same with u...almostt $30 missing..
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 02, 2021, 14:51
Reset? Did you look at this page? https://submit.shutterstock.com/dashboard Unpaid Earnings?

If that's zero you have a problem.

I'm set to $100 also, I like a nice nut now and then, instead of the $35 on a bad month.  8)
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 15:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Mimi the Cat on February 03, 2021, 00:33
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all  :(
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 03, 2021, 01:30
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all  :(

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 03, 2021, 01:31
.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Mimi the Cat on February 03, 2021, 04:27
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all  :(

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Mimi the Cat on February 03, 2021, 04:29
Reset? Did you look at this page? https://submit.shutterstock.com/dashboard Unpaid Earnings?

If that's zero you have a problem.

I'm set to $100 also, I like a nice nut now and then, instead of the $35 on a bad month.  8)

I keep mine at $35 because I begrudge those people keeping my money for any longer than is necessary.

Plus if I had it at $100 I'd have missed several payouts since the rate cut
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 03, 2021, 04:40
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all  :(

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true

Yes, you are right, I just checked and the forum search doesn't seem to give results before January. I don't know why that is, but I know the adjustment tab is not new and has been mentioned before. I know that not only because I have seen such posts in the past, but also because I had asked in the forum where the tab was, because I don't have it (It only shows up if you actually had adjustments).
Here is my post from last year:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/100974-september-sales/?do=findComment&comment=1863479

I don't know why the forum search doesn't show it.


Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 03, 2021, 11:28
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all  :(

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true

Well if you personally can't find it and haven't noticed, it obviously can't exist for the rest of the world? We're all brainwashed into a false memory.

ps This has been discussed before, but it comes up so seldom, the adjustment tab is often forgotten. I never look at it or care. Oh now I'm sad that I did. The one and only.

    Refunded 9/20/18,  transaction date 6/15/17    1    -$53.39

Holy Cow, over a year later?

Here's one of the times noticed in 2019, which may have been when it was added?  https://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/adjustment-tab/msg538287/#msg538287 (https://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/adjustment-tab/msg538287/#msg538287)

And that explains why, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there, there's no sound? If someone doesn't see the adjustment tab, it doesn't exist yet...  ;)
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: JohnTravolski on February 03, 2021, 12:17
I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.

(https://i.imgur.com/qqAEnrE.png)

Can I write this off my schedule C as a business expense?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on February 03, 2021, 12:42
I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.

I'm no longer with Shutterstock, but before they booted me (because of my fuss about their June 2020 royalty reductions) I had been with them since 2004 (I was contributor 249).

I had never had a refund in all that time - and that was the only site that never charged my earnings for refunded sales.

So this is absolutely new.

As far as taxes, this is a reduction in your income, not a business expense; all the amounts are in the same year.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: JohnTravolski on February 03, 2021, 12:52
If we're suddenly seeing so many of these, are we thinking that this is a change made by Shutterstock (maybe they have gotten better at determining if transactions are fraudulent) or are we thinking there has simply been a rise in fraudulent purchases recently? Any idea which one it might be, or possibly something else?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Orchidpoet on February 03, 2021, 13:00
Something odd happened to me.

One sale for $48 was made on Jan. 28, on top of other sales. But my Feb payment amount is $35. How can it be?

I don't see any adjustments.


The final payment seems to be correct.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Dumc on February 03, 2021, 13:01
I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: zsooofija on February 03, 2021, 13:04
Never had one of these in 11 years I've been there (2009-2020) and never heard about this though I used to visit their forum quite often. I guess lucky me then.
When you thought SS could not get any worse...
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: medveh on February 03, 2021, 14:47
I've got the first adjustment as well since 2005. In my case it's -$23.69 this time. Who knows what the future holds though.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 03, 2021, 15:32
I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.

I also never had any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.  ;)

I did some more search via google (as the SS forum search doesn't seem to work properly) and the oldest thread about a refund I could find is from 2010:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/46152-refund/
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: derby on February 03, 2021, 17:03
Well, there is something really strange for me...
It's the third month in a row in which I see the announce payout mail saying a little bit reduced amount different from the real total that I can see confirmed in my contributor area.
Few dollars less, but I have checked my returned/refunded sales and I only see few refunds in september 2020.

I wrote a mail last month asking for explanation, but never had an answer.

No problem with renewed tax form, no evidence of refunds... well. It's really strange.

For me it's a little amount difference, few dollars, but looking at how difficult is to gain with so many 0,10 sales, it would be worth to have a reason for this.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 03, 2021, 18:35
If we're suddenly seeing so many of these, are we thinking that this is a change made by Shutterstock (maybe they have gotten better at determining if transactions are fraudulent) or are we thinking there has simply been a rise in fraudulent purchases recently? Any idea which one it might be, or possibly something else?

That or their systems went a bit nuts with the level reset.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Sean Locke Photography on February 04, 2021, 09:59
I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.

(https://i.imgur.com/qqAEnrE.png)

Can I write this off my schedule C as a business expense?

No, because you never got it as income.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 04, 2021, 10:10
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101652-massive-refunds-in-january-total-320-less/
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101655-payment-email-with-amount-less-than-the-monthly-earnings/
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101647-i-lost200/

Does look like more adjustments and higher amounts than we've seen before.
Either they just discovered a large scale fraud problem or they're calculation systems didnt adopt smoothly to level resets.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 04, 2021, 10:54
I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.

I also never had any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.  ;)

I did some more search via google (as the SS forum search doesn't seem to work properly) and the oldest thread about a refund I could find is from 2010:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/46152-refund/

That was my point. If someone didn't see it, then it never existed.  :o

I'm happy to say I only had one since 2008. But the new contributor landing page had added that link, where years before it was buried or didn't exist. Meaning, we might get an email for an adjustment and nothing was accounted for on our earnings page. Refunds existed, just not openly documented.

Let me try something for those who think we should get paid commission for image theft and fraud. You work in a store and someone steals a pair of shoes. You work on commission for the sales you make. So you should:

A go to the boss and demand your commission for a sale, even though the store got no money?

B Get nothing because you didn't sell anything?

Same for image licenses. That's my point. We didn't earn anything, we didn't license an image, no money went to SS, so we get nothing as a percentage of those $0 dollars.

Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 04, 2021, 12:37
More accurately the shop assistant sells a pair of shows and the manager/boss processes the payment using a credit card that turns out to be stolen.
The assistant did their job so why should they be punished for it?

We don't even know if these adjustments are very new, higher than usual fraud or just their own accounting system screwing up with the level resets.  As usual SS offer no explanation.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on February 04, 2021, 12:40
Let me try something for those who think we should get paid commission for image theft and fraud. You work in a store and someone steals a pair of shoes. You work on commission for the sales you make. ...

I don't think the analogy is apt. First, we have no clue why refunds are made and have no control over (a) the policies that allow refunds to customers or (b) the fraud prevention mechanisms in place to control payment issues.

In the case of refunds because the customer doesn't like the product, a certificate of destruction with zero follow-up on the agency's part to see if this is being abused is hardly reassuring to the agency's supplier (i.e. us). We can't even get the agencies to take thieves' portfolios down promptly, let alone pay the copyright holder what they were owed for any sales made. Bottom line is that our product has been transferred to the customer.

In the case of credit card fraud, if the agency issues refunds of royalties, what incentive do they have to implement any loss prevention mechanisms? The agency is in a volume business, so letting some digital goods out the door when the agency doesn't get paid hurts them minimally, as long as there's a decent volume of real sales. An unethical agency might decide to cut costs on fraud prevention and just ignore the loss to their suppliers (i.e. us) when those goods are usable by the "customer". In the case of retail goods, the store owes the supplier for a stolen item even if the sales rep doesn't get a commission...


When the agency takes upwards of 70% of the gross, I believe the agency should bear any losses their slipshod, lazy, inept or careless business practices bring about. That gives them an incentive to improve them, and it's their cost of doing business. If suppliers have to pay bandwidth fees (for the bandwidth for the customer to download the image), storage fees (for the length of time the file is at the agency), and on and on, then the agency should take no more than 30% of the gross. They can't have it both ways. They can try, and because they're now large and powerful they might get away with it (think of car dealers' "documentation fee" for sales paperwork), but it's a disgrace.

The other thing I would want, if there were an ethical agency "charter", would be a requirement for transparency on any chargebacks - what exactly was it for and somewhere on the web site to keep a history of such transactions. The "trust me" model of accounting only works if you actually trust the other party.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 04, 2021, 12:49
Hmmm, I see the case a bit different:
A manufacturer produces shoes,  the shoes get stolen in a store. Does the store demand a refund from the manufacturer?

Also, does the thief stop wearing the shoes?


The images that we ended up not getting money for because Shutterstock let someone scam them will still be used, or, more likely, resold. Wouldn't even surprise me if the images ended right back for sale on Shutterstock.  :(
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: cascoly on February 04, 2021, 17:26
since the number of returns is small, why not do a reverse image search to uncover at least some types of fraud?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on February 04, 2021, 18:34
since the number of returns is small, why not do a reverse image search to uncover at least some types of fraud?

Finding your image in use, when you license via multiple agencies, doesn't help you prove fraud, so short of calling every site you see with a use, how on earth could a reverse image search help?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 04, 2021, 21:26
Adding to that, a lot of images dont end up online to be found.
The only way you can get lucky to detect an image used illegally is if its never sold before (or very few times).

FWIW from my experience, misuse of a license is more common than outright theft.  And thats even harder to track.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 05, 2021, 01:18
since the number of returns is small, why not do a reverse image search to uncover at least some types of fraud?

Finding your image in use, when you license via multiple agencies, doesn't help you prove fraud, so short of calling every site you see with a use, how on earth could a reverse image search help?

Excatly! I do reversed image seraches regularly, just because I like to know how my images are being used. In most cases I never find my sold images online and in the ones I do, how am I supposed to know whether the person who purchased the image has a licence or not?
It can still be useful, if you are lucky. Like this for example I found an image that was credited back to Alamy, but on Alamy that image had only sold once and the buyer got a refund for it. Had never found out that he was still using the image and complained to Alamy if I had not done that search.
But that's a rare case, as Alamy is the only agency that sells images so rarely that I would even notice this. On other agencies where I sell hudreds of images per month, it's impossible to trace an image online back to a specific sale.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 05, 2021, 11:07
Let me try something for those who think we should get paid commission for image theft and fraud. You work in a store and someone steals a pair of shoes. You work on commission for the sales you make. ...

I don't think the analogy is apt. First, we have no clue why refunds are made and have no control over (a) the policies that allow refunds to customers or (b) the fraud prevention mechanisms in place to control payment issues.

In the case of refunds because the customer doesn't like the product, a certificate of destruction with zero follow-up on the agency's part to see if this is being abused is hardly reassuring to the agency's supplier (i.e. us). We can't even get the agencies to take thieves' portfolios down promptly, let alone pay the copyright holder what they were owed for any sales made. Bottom line is that our product has been transferred to the customer.

In the case of credit card fraud, if the agency issues refunds of royalties, what incentive do they have to implement any loss prevention mechanisms? The agency is in a volume business, so letting some digital goods out the door when the agency doesn't get paid hurts them minimally, as long as there's a decent volume of real sales. An unethical agency might decide to cut costs on fraud prevention and just ignore the loss to their suppliers (i.e. us) when those goods are usable by the "customer". In the case of retail goods, the store owes the supplier for a stolen item even if the sales rep doesn't get a commission...


When the agency takes upwards of 70% of the gross, I believe the agency should bear any losses their slipshod, lazy, inept or careless business practices bring about. That gives them an incentive to improve them, and it's their cost of doing business. If suppliers have to pay bandwidth fees (for the bandwidth for the customer to download the image), storage fees (for the length of time the file is at the agency), and on and on, then the agency should take no more than 30% of the gross. They can't have it both ways. They can try, and because they're now large and powerful they might get away with it (think of car dealers' "documentation fee" for sales paperwork), but it's a disgrace.

The other thing I would want, if there were an ethical agency "charter", would be a requirement for transparency on any chargebacks - what exactly was it for and somewhere on the web site to keep a history of such transactions. The "trust me" model of accounting only works if you actually trust the other party.

Yes of course a pair of shoes is not perfect. The point is, the store lost the money, and they shouldn't pay a salesperson for the commission, just because something is gone from stock. Digital goods are an interesting problem, because we can't be protected from theft (I'm saying stolen and illegal use) because it's not a tangible good. Hard to prosecute. Kind of stinks.

Yes of course, the reasons for the deductions, refunds or whatever anyone calls them, should be included. If it's CC theft they should say, Fraud or what happened.

If it's a returned download, sure, same thing.

But in no case should someone be paid for something that's stolen from the agency.

Returns, maybe they can absorb that. If people want accounting for returns and the issue is image quality, they should also get ready for images to be removed, when they have been returned. After a close inspection for a valid reason.

Maybe we'll get an answer why a new batch of returns was dropped on the contributors? I'd agree that it seems unusual for start of the year, that someone in accounting just found all these issues and problems, and made the corrections. Hey, wait, when's the annual report. None of those losses will be in the fourth quarter of 2020 will they?

I'm still going to side with reasonable and standard business practices. A person who works on commission, doesn't get credit for selling something, if the customer doesn't pay. I sell some tools to a company, they are delivered, and then returned, I get the commission reversed. I sell some chemicals to a manufacturing plant, and they never pay, but everything is gone. The commission is reversed.

Since you brought up a completely different issue from what I had written, yes we should be notified why there was a deduction or reversal.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 05, 2021, 11:13

Also, does the thief stop wearing the shoes?

The images that we ended up not getting money for because Shutterstock let someone scam them will still be used, or, more likely, resold. Wouldn't even surprise me if the images ended right back for sale on Shutterstock.  :(

Yes that too. Once someone has a digital download, there's no giving it back. Or no proof that they honestly deleted it and didn't use that download. That's always been a problem, and as others have pointed out, misuse as well, beyond the license terms or for outside of the license terms.

Maybe SS should get some theft insurance?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: SpaceStockFootage on February 05, 2021, 17:21
Maybe SS should get some theft insurance?

The thing with insurance is that, on average, it always costs more than it pays out. And as SS are unlikely to cover the cost of that, it's going to be passed on to contributors, or split with them at the very least. At the end of the day, you'd lose more money than if they didn't have insurance.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: cascoly on February 05, 2021, 23:29
since the number of returns is small, why not do a reverse image search to uncover at least some types of fraud?

Finding your image in use, when you license via multiple agencies, doesn't help you prove fraud, so short of calling every site you see with a use, how on earth could a reverse image search help?
i was referring only to images that were marked as returned by an agency - not ironclad but at least a start for those who really care - not aimed at you, but better than just whining here

mostly this sort of thing isn't worth worrying about
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Firn on February 06, 2021, 02:08

 i was referring only to images that were marked as returned by an agency - not ironclad but at least a start for those who really care - not aimed at you, but better than just whining here


Why would this make any difference?  That only works if the image that was returned was only sold on one agency and only sold once. If the image sold 100+ times, but was returned once, that poses the exact same problem people described.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Diana Herrmann on February 06, 2021, 07:55
New way to make money in microstock, have a friend use stolen credit card to download EL
(https://i.ibb.co/jkTbXWv/robbery.jpg)
then complain on forum how SS stole your money.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 06, 2021, 08:32
Someone actually did complain about this?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: PokemonMaster on February 06, 2021, 10:03
Adjustments tab appeared a few years ago. Circa 2018. There's very few of it, usually. But if you never had a refund, you don't see this tab. Once you have first, it will appear. End of story.

What is weird is that a lot of people had adjustments for January. And it's mostly a singles/extended. Like they wanted to cheer up people for the earnings cut and dropped a few big sales for us to show the bigger numbers. But then took it away, because this sales was fake. Can't say it's a truth, but it really looks like this.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 06, 2021, 10:52
Adjustments tab appeared a few years ago. Circa 2018. There's very few of it, usually. But if you never had a refund, you don't see this tab. Once you have first, it will appear. End of story.

What is weird is that a lot of people had adjustments for January. And it's mostly a singles/extended. Like they wanted to cheer up people for the earnings cut and dropped a few big sales for us to show the bigger numbers. But then took it away, because this sales was fake. Can't say it's a truth, but it really looks like this.

I was thinking that subscriptions are either not worth the effort to claim (or process) a refund or the fraud is less often, because the credit cards are checked more carefully. So yes, we will see more of the ELs, SO or ODs. Has anyone ever got a subscription adjustment?

I'm still wondering why this is apparently January accounting thing? Or maybe some discussion on the SS forum encouraged people to look. But if they are all just now and in January, that's odd? I just saw mine for the first time that I remember.

I have one and it's a big one. Why would someone take the top level, expensive download to cheat the agency, and me? Sold 6/15/17 refunded 9/20/18 -$53.39 (a year and a half later?) When they, according to some people here, can get these all for free? It just seems wrong to waste the time paying with bad credit cards, the potential risk and all, when the images are free? And why an EL? The single is less expensive and the same size.

I mean, why would they care about the license for the image they are stealing illegally?  :o

New way to make money in microstock, have a friend use stolen credit card to download EL
(https://i.ibb.co/jkTbXWv/robbery.jpg)
then complain on forum how SS stole your money.


Yes that would sure look suspicious to me if I was SS. I can see all kinds of possibilities and speculation about how that happened.


Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: gnirtS on February 06, 2021, 13:56
Doesn't have to be stolen credit cards.
It could be a hack/fraudulent use of an existing buyer account.

Certain seem to be a lot more people noticing it for much bigger amounts than normal last month.

https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101647-i-lost200/
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101652-massive-refunds-in-january-total-320-less/
 and so on.

Still not certain it isnt their own internal systems screwing up a reset or similar.
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: BalkanskiMacak on February 10, 2021, 11:33
Well, when you try to scam SS with a stolen card, is it an attempt to fraud the fraudsters?
Title: Re: money disappear
Post by: Uncle Pete on February 11, 2021, 10:54
Well, when you try to scam SS with a stolen card, is it an attempt to fraud the fraudsters?

Good thinking.