payposter.com/[[DON'T CLICK IT!]]

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SterlingKato's avatar
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UPDATE March 2, 2017: Okay so apparently there's been an uptick in activity on this journal and while I don't really have anything further to say I do ask that you read the whole journal before asking questions as I think a lot of questions are already answered within the context of this journal. 
I know people are still panicking about this site but don't -- Just sign the petition and move on -- www.change.org/p/department-of…
 
Don't file reports on it, don't go searching on it, just sign the petition and be done. The less revenue and traffic that PayPoster gets the better. 

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Okay so I have seen and been noted about my work being posted and 'sold' on the website -- http:// payposter. com/ DON'T CLICK THE LINK If you find it -- Seriously... Don't.
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UPDATE Nov. 7, 2016: Well, after some digging by multiple people [thanks to Kommandant4298 for the link] I believe there's a slightly pinpoint in the direction of their web host -- www.similarweb.com/website/pay…
This isn't a 100% promise this is the best thing to place their hosting site but it's a start. I did a search and did wind up with the same place so maybe? 
The 'Referrals' and such sections DO give a lot of pointers that a lot of activity that goes through is from DeviantART.com links and baselines so... 
It's a pretty decent set up to say the least. 

Either way, I'd appreciate any further information on this issue and again, there's a petition to shut it down here: www.change.org/p/department-of…

Also, you can find a bit more information in the comment section here as well! As always be careful and keep an eye out!
Cheers, 
Kato 

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UPDATE Oct. 30, 2016: Firstly, DO NOT PANIC IF YOU DID FILE A REPORT -- it's not the end of the world. 
This is important to remember -- It's not a 100% guarantee your computer will obtain a virus from merely going on the site itself or even searching a username on the site. However, if you did fill out a DMCA report on that site it is a very good idea to scan your computer and change your passwords on any site you have personal information on (dA, email, PayPal, online banking, and any other site that would store your personal information). 
The best thing you can do is keep an eye on all of these sites for a little while and report any suspicious activity you see to the authoritative presence on them. 
There's no set 100% promise this site does phish people's information but it is always better to be safe than sorry. 
From now on, be diligent about what you believe and ALWAYS do more research before jumping the gun with sites like this. I know it's tempting to get in a panic and go to report right away but sometimes that's the worst thing you can do. 
Sites like this prey upon artists' weakness -- art theft -- and they know it'll grab attention when an artist sees a bunch of their art up on this site being sold off.
Don't get too upset about all of it -- there a petition to get the site removed here: www.change.org/p/department-of… and there's others searching for the web host to try and shut down the webpage from the inside outward. 
So calm down everyone, you artwork is NOT being sold off as posters. At least not on that website anyway -- Worry more about Ebay, Amazon, and other random sites first before some shady tin can phone website like this one. 
Either way... Breathe, sign the petition, and then let nature take its course and lastly -- DO NOT FILE ANY REPORTS ON PAYPOSTER. 

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NOTE: -- STOP searching that website and making reports on your artwork when you find it. It's very likely a phishing website. It may be using the scam to snatch up personal information and use it -- Don't hold me to this but it's quite possible given the terrible layout of the site.
If you have visited it, run a virus scan just in case.
If you don't have it get Malwarebytes -- www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-downl… and run a scan with this as well because it picks up more threats that may be tucked away in places on your computer that some anti-viruses can't quite get to.
** For Mac users -- There is a scanner for a Macs: www.clamxav.com if you are interested. Macs are pretty good with security but still, better to check regardless.

Now, moving on...

Truth is that sites like this and that other one people were buzzing about are likely fueled by a search engine service and very likely link through Google and thus when someone searches someone's dA username their artwork will appear to be being sold on that site. This means that no matter what your popularity level is on this website there's a high chance your work will be posted up there for sale.
I mentioned popularity because people were saying it's only well known dA artists whose work is up there, which it not true.
Hence why random adoptables and stuff are up there... 
They claim the search is done via someone's browser but that basically means they aren't admitting that their site sends out a little courier bug to search through Bing, Google, or another searching service to find anything linked to a particular name or keyword. 
It's also possible that the only reason your work might show up is because you'd search it. Their site says they don't store the images on the server, so therefore it has to find them somehow... ie: a search engine. 


Now -- What to do? 
Nothing other than search for the web-host and report the site to it as a whole. Most sites use a host site to set up their own site -- reporting a site to it's web host site can sometimes get it removed from their listings so it's unreachable or shut down completely.
Unfortunately, there's not much else you can do with sites like this other than go to their web-host site and try to get it shut down for actual art thievery (they are 'selling' artwork without explicit permission from the artist so that is by default a crime in a sense) but if that other website was anything to go by -- Wallpart .com (DON'T click the link, there's likely a massive slew of viruses on it at this point) there's very little chance that site is actually selling anything.
Wallpart .com was a scam website, infested with various viruses, and has since been put in the past because it was literally a joke. 
Anyone who bought from that site was likely phished and I'm pretty sure this new site is of a similar fashion. 

Look at the name -- Pay poster dot com -- Sounds to me like some two-bit scam site looking to make an easy dollar pretending to sell all the artwork on the web but giving nothing in return. It looks 'professional' and pretends to be set up like some site similar to redbubble or etsy but really it's nothing too much more than a polished turd. 
Your work may be sold as posters but it's unlikely. 

They also, ironically have a DMCA link right on their front page -- http:/ /payposter.com /dmca meaning they're aware there's stolen stuff on their site being sold and any DMCA report might be taken care of but it's better to just get the site removed as a whole. 
There's also this --
 7b4395771210d0ef84abb1f5085494b0 by SterlingKato

So that essentially means they wash their hands of the whole business if someone does post copyrighted material -- absolving them of any responsibility for what their users post. 
Their whole website is built on lifted artwork from art websites like dA lol -- The site is a mess. 
Also, I may not be a linguist but I am pretty sure - given the way it's written - this website is not a website run by those where English is their first language. 
Meaning there may be loopholes set in the country of origin where they can get away with taking art from dA's artists and sell it because copyright law can differ in various countries.

Apparently it was made by someone in Arizona, USA??? Well, I understand the typos but the grammar is slightly heinous... Anyway, at least there's that. It's illegal pretty much illegal to sell someone's artwork without permission for the most part so at least they can be nailed with that crime.


Either way... this site is a mess and it should be removed as it does violate some laws. If you can find the web-host then report the site as a whole and we'll see what happens. 
Stop searching the site though... because the more or search the more content it'll grab. It's crap. 


:new::new::new::new::new::new::new:
PS: Because people are asking -- I'm pretty sure the only way the site will put any kind of tracking/phishing malware on your computer is if you actively reported or searched something the site, and even then, there's a chance it might not do anything at all! There's always a risk for unwanted malware on sites like this; Wallpart was crawling with them at times. 

The only reason I stated to run an anti-virus scan with Malwarebytes is because there is still a chance it could and I know people are searching on that site lol That's a good easy gateway for anything to enter your computer if it does. 
It's better to be safe than sorry. 
Also, Malwarebytes may find a bunch of PUPs, Rookits, and other malware/unwanted files - it digs pretty deep when you do a full system scan - and those may not have all come from Payposter. There's a chance they're files that have been in your system for a while yet from other sites (malware is stuffed into a lot of unexpected places; sneaky-sneaky) so remove those regardless. 
There's a reason antiviruses give you the optional manual system scans, so you can scan on your own after visiting potentially risky websites. 
Also! Please make it a practice of scanning your computer after every purchase from a website! In this day and age buying online is easy as 1-2-3 but you never know what trackers are on those sites. It's not paranoia, it's just being proactive to keep your data as safe as you can. 

So there you have it -- Don't be scared or paranoid, just be smart and safe! Better to be safe than sorry. 
© 2016 - 2024 SterlingKato
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ZER0GEO's avatar
Welp, I just found my Transformers picture up there. It was from my TFW2005 account of my own movie concept of a character named Cliffjumper. Apparently, someone thought it was good enough and I only searched it once. ONCE! So yeah, this site needs to go down. 

And the petition is closed, so I can't do anything now. So who do I report to now?