So you know those scams that target people? Well I recently got caught in one AGAIN. Being fully aware of copyright laws, a German “company” called COPYTRACK dinged me for $270 for use of a photo of Ed Sheeran in 2021 (taken from his Facebook page) for our newsletter and website. This has happened before. Of course, after I’d sent the money via wire transfer (my money, not COMBO’s), all of the board members said I’d been scammed. The bank even questioned me about the legitimacy of the claim but entering the website came up with a pretty real looking business.
The second time around, the manager at the bank decided just to do a “Google” search and guess what popped up???!!! Complaints about CopyTrack being a scam! The bank reported the transaction to the police and I filled out a report. The police even called asking if I would like to join in some counseling on how to spot a scam. That was very nice of them. So the point of this story is – besides the prospect of losing your hard-earned money – to not go to just their website but to do a search on the company to see if anyone else has had a problem with them before you send them money they do not have a right to. Lesson learned – the hard way.
And, again, on CMA Thursday morning, an expert said that it is “fair use” if you are a not-for-profit educational organization!
Photo: (NOT Ed Sheeran) Stu, Diane, and Barb at the Mile High Scenesters show
March 21, 2024| Buyer Beware| Barb Dye