hi5.com TwiggyDEVOUR faker selling using my name

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

Trying to keep it together right now, as I have just found this fake account.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... =firefox-a

..if you scroll down to the comment section you can clearly see the comments made by a fake account posing as me and even selling my Deathawk pieces using my images and banners.

This isnt the only fake account:
http://oem.wink.com/landing?nm=twiggyde ... HI5_HI5_mi
I'm so scared right now because on that list is a Fashion account using my images and if it is the same person, then no doubt they are making rip off clothing using my work and name :'[

I've made an account in order to try and contact these clowns, but I'm not registered so cant message them..
Does anyone have an register account?

[Shay Wynter]

Just wanted to make sure...this one here is the fake you?

http://clabvro.hi5.com/friend/p43130801 ... OUR©--html

have you contacted the site admins?

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

..yeahh, that is one of the fake accounts.

I have sent an email to the site, but there might be a chance nothing will be done about it. Going on the activity this person is doing (selling hair items posing as me) I may have to take this further.. but is there any actually protection/legal action that can be done ?

[SyntheticSin]

Well technically she is committing identity theft since she is posing as you.

[Nenedhel]

Well technically she is committing identity theft since she is posing as you.

Thats true

This sucks hun hope you get it sorted soon. I'm pretty sure there is a legal process that can help, shall look into it further for you

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

As the link isn't working, this is the main fake profile in discussion:
http://clabvro.hi5.com/friend/p43130801 ... 2%A9--html

I have contacted the admin, but still no reply or any action taken.

[starlotus]

It seems like there's a new incident with theft of images or some jerk posing as a reputable seller every week. It's really shameful. It almost makes me glad that I haven't been selling long enough for anyone to be interested in stealing my stuff yet.

This might be a dumb idea....but has anyone who has been through this BS from start to finish and had successful results with getting images removed/fake accounts closed/reporting to authorities/taken legal action thought of starting a how-to thread? This seems to be happening more and more and even though a lot of you lovely ladies have had to deal with this crap, I thought maybe it would be useful to have kind of a go-to place....almost like a tutorial....for what steps to take and in what order for different issues, whether they be stolen photos or someone actually infringing on your name and assuming your identity. Apologies if there's something like that around here, but I've only found threads about specific sellers/thefts and I thought at step-by-step process outlined might be helpful (especially since contacting site admins for places like this and myspace and such seem to be marginally effective at best and you can't guarantee the same person won't just make a new profile or go to another site and continue doing the same thing)....I sure know if this ever happened to me I'd feel really helpless and overwhelmed and someone laying out for me everything I have to do would be something I'd need. Then again, stuff like this is impossible for me to get a handle on unless someone spells it out for me like I'm five years old....I have problems dealing with organizing myself when it comes to legal processes and confrontations.

Thoughts?

And another question: Do you have to have your business name copyrighted and registered in order to make it not-ok for someone to steal it? Like I'm sure no one's heard of me since I'm teeny tiny small potatoes and just started making the foray into serious selling, but I call myself Twisted Kandi, although I don't have anything copyrighted/registered officially yet (it's something I'm looking into, but again - legal stuff just makes my brain go to mush so it's a process) so do I really have any rights to anything or recourse if someone else starts using the same name? I don't know how many of you actually went through all the channels to copyright your name/logo and officially register businesses for tax purposes, so I don't know how relevant a question this is.

I hope none of these are "duh" questions that someone who sells should already know the answer to - call me a noob or whatever, but I feel like this information is important for me and anyone else who takes the responsibility of selling our work to have a handle on. The bottom line is, whether you sell here and there on Etsy or you're cranking out dreads like an awesome fake-hair-making machine, any of us who sell are technically small business owners (be they legit and registered or otherwise) and most of us here are women....and as much as it sucks, being a chick in the business world in any aspect gets a lot of roadblocks and crap thrown at you....knowledge is power and blah blah. Maybe some of the more experienced "big" sellers on here could give advice on this stuff?

Sorry to hijack your thread a tad. I hope you nail this chick. It's not fair that you work so hard and just have someone else come along and take advantage of everything your poured so much of yourself into. I wish I had advice to give beyond sympathy and "good luck."

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

:Starlotus: ..that didn't help at all :/


Question to all:

-Is there a where I can block Sweden web users from finding my UK online profiles?, whether it be through Myspace, Facebook or Google search ?

[SyntheticSin]

I don't think you can block specific countries, only ages. Like I know on myspace you can block people who are like 18 or under and so on. I would say the safest thing to do is put all your profiles private and just have the pain in the ass job to go through all profiles that add you. I'll make a Hi5 account and see if there is anything we can do since the admins don't seem to give a shit.

Not sure if you went here, if you have just ignore it but this is a page that tells you what information they need in order to get the fake profile deleted.
http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/s-1 ... ction=view

[starlotus]

Sorry, it was just an idea/question. Guess a dumb one. Good luck.

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

..I did try making an hi5 account, but you have tyo pay to be a full member AND in order to view the fake account profiles have to be on their friendlist :[

Thank you for the link, I did follow through the details before contacting the Admin.. still no response.. I'll give them another email, but websites like hi5 arent made to protect copyright infringment :/

[Monique_marion_may]

I would advise having a word with Lara (rivetlicker) as i know she has some strong opinions on people who steal images and try to rip them as their own (rightly so) and she seems to know hwo to go about getting it sorted!

[SyntheticSin]

Hmm that's odd because I made a profile for free and added that girl and she added me. I'll take print screens for you. As far as I'm able to see, she isn't selling anything, just faking you.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2usekhv.png
http://i54.tinypic.com/9zoxsj.png
http://i52.tinypic.com/2hd06rs.png
http://i53.tinypic.com/ekkc2e.png

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

Omg, she's basically copied and pasted my entire Vampirefreaks account D:

I doubt she'd/he be stupid enough to post about sales on the account profile itself. But I have screen shots of a conversation she had with another hi5 member clearly posting images of my hair products I make, and even stated she only sells within Sweden.

[Miss Liberty]

not sure just how much this will help, but on the profiles you do have write a brief list with links of where folks can find you. State that ANY other site or link different from the ones posted are false. Maybe that would at least bring awareness to your customer base where to buy from the real you, and at the same time drum up poor feedback and reputation for those obviously posing as you if folks come across those profiles.

I know that it doesn't get the stolen images removed, but at least you cover things on your end, and alert all customers past, present and future to be aware of the real methods of contact for you.

[rivetlicker_]

I would advise having a word with Lara (rivetlicker) as i know she has some strong opinions on people who steal images and try to rip them as their own (rightly so) and she seems to know hwo to go about getting it sorted!

Oh, I just take the law into my own hands and warn people about them (it's not defamation if it's true, unless you're in the UK). It usually involves getting abused and other things (like someone actually attempting to sue me). Fail.
The Nintendo thread has some good info too.

Also, there's a new facebook page called D.A.W.P. "Designers Against Wardrobe Piracy", not just for clothing designers, but for all sorts of crafters.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Design ... 409?ref=ts