I was doing a bit of vanity googling today and came across a few of my pictures for sale on fake web sites. Make no mistake, these sites are all scams. They set up by robots using scripts that harvest pictures from around the web and build out a respectable looking store complete with credit card processing and working customer service. I have written about these sites before, but this is the first time that my images have been used.
All of the pictures in question where once listed for sale on FineArtAmerica as an experiment. Despite having no sales on that site, all the images I posted on FineArtAmerica have been leaked to these scammer.
What can be done? Nothing. One of these sites is hosted in Rwanda by someone who doesn’t even bother to hide their name, email address, and physical address. Buyer beware and contact me directly if you want to buy a print.