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Art Thief Alert! Be On Guard!
8 years ago
General
Okay, so... Last night, it was brough to my attention that someone who recently started +Watching me had stolen some of the art in my gallery that I'd commissioned, and was posting it all over social media- Twitter, Furry Amino, etcetera- pretending that it belonged to them and, to some extent, that they were me (i.e. Cloudwalker). Not only did they take my fursona and claim it as their character, but they did the same with several other people here, specifically members of the Chakat community.
Thankfully, a couple friends of mine caught on to them and read this person the riot act, convincing them to take all of the art they'd stolen down from these various websites. From the sound of things, this person seemed penitent and was someone young and most likely looking for attention and/or people to cling to. They even sent me an apology through another person here on FA.
However, that still does not change the fact that what they did was wrong. The damage is done.
This... This legitimately scared me, everyone. It scared me, it hurt me, and it shook me to my core. That someone would take this part of me, that I had to work to discover and put in effort to find within myself and to bring to life, this safe place to find comfort in when times are tough, and twist it like that, pervert it for their own gain... It disturbs me in ways I can't even begin to describe.
I've already blocked them on FA- as well as their new account they hopped over to. I had a bad feeling about them from the get-go. I replied to a kind comment they made on one of my commissioned pieces of Cloud', and they latched onto that in a creepily clingy manner that unnerved me in an instant. They posted me on their page under "My Friends," without my knowledge or consent, copy/pasted my userpage format and interests list- not even bothering to change up the order I put them in- and hounded me, asking if I could write their story for their character for free. When I called them on this bad behaviour, they snapped at me and then moved their account. It was after that fact, when I came home from a long day's work, that I learned that they'd stolen from me.
Obviously, I've filled out a Trouble Ticket and reported them- and their new account- to the staff here on FA. I've been told that this should help, and my friends here have also agreed to keep a look out for any more art theft and take screenshots of any further acts of theft for evidence to report them should this happen again. Because of FA's ToS, I apparently can't name this thief, but I still wanted you guys to know so that you can be on guard yourselves.
Just... Be safe, everyone. Be vigilant. Be careful who you reply to and who you show kindness to as well. Apparently there are people out there who see that as a green light to stalk you and steal things that are important to you. Be it your fursonas, your art, or your sense of safety and security.
Thankfully, a couple friends of mine caught on to them and read this person the riot act, convincing them to take all of the art they'd stolen down from these various websites. From the sound of things, this person seemed penitent and was someone young and most likely looking for attention and/or people to cling to. They even sent me an apology through another person here on FA.
However, that still does not change the fact that what they did was wrong. The damage is done.
This... This legitimately scared me, everyone. It scared me, it hurt me, and it shook me to my core. That someone would take this part of me, that I had to work to discover and put in effort to find within myself and to bring to life, this safe place to find comfort in when times are tough, and twist it like that, pervert it for their own gain... It disturbs me in ways I can't even begin to describe.
I've already blocked them on FA- as well as their new account they hopped over to. I had a bad feeling about them from the get-go. I replied to a kind comment they made on one of my commissioned pieces of Cloud', and they latched onto that in a creepily clingy manner that unnerved me in an instant. They posted me on their page under "My Friends," without my knowledge or consent, copy/pasted my userpage format and interests list- not even bothering to change up the order I put them in- and hounded me, asking if I could write their story for their character for free. When I called them on this bad behaviour, they snapped at me and then moved their account. It was after that fact, when I came home from a long day's work, that I learned that they'd stolen from me.
Obviously, I've filled out a Trouble Ticket and reported them- and their new account- to the staff here on FA. I've been told that this should help, and my friends here have also agreed to keep a look out for any more art theft and take screenshots of any further acts of theft for evidence to report them should this happen again. Because of FA's ToS, I apparently can't name this thief, but I still wanted you guys to know so that you can be on guard yourselves.
Just... Be safe, everyone. Be vigilant. Be careful who you reply to and who you show kindness to as well. Apparently there are people out there who see that as a green light to stalk you and steal things that are important to you. Be it your fursonas, your art, or your sense of safety and security.
It's not just me that they hurt though. They took several pieces that I'd commissioned from
This is just really, really scary.
I can't imagine being in your place and having such a part of myself being so dear to me stolen away, but I'm glad that you were resolute enough and were able to put a stop to the situation as soon as possible, I hope everything's better now ♥
That was just cheap whatever that person did. I wish for the best of you Cloudwalker. *offers a soft hug*
Hopefully that one learned their lesson, only time will tell.
I'm so glad you were able to get on top of it. *hugs* Hopefully it will not go any further than necessary and you can put this behind you.
But, hopefully, this will not go any further. They've got a lot of heat on them now, and they know that deplorable actions like this have serious consequences.
*hugs you*