I get a lot of spam as I have a public email address on my blog. I ignore 99.99%, but here's one that's found in my inbox a few times and ticks me off. The first time it happened, I took enough time to actually look at the image in question. Within seconds, I realized it was an absolute farce as the image they linked was AI slop. I figured I should sound the alarm on this scam as my blog has solid domain authority and gets a surprising amount of traffic. Another blogger, Mark Carrigan has seen this exact template, jabardasti on Twitter and variations have been seen on Reddit.

Here's how it works:

  1. They find a blog post with an image that they claim is theirs and use AI slop that has a similar-ish image. It always seems to be linked to Imgur and not another website. I imagine in time, they'll bot it to steal your image and upload it to Imgur as 'proof.' Don't fall for it.
  2. They send a legal threat to the blog owner, demanding a backlink to their site.
  3. If you don't comply, they threaten legal action.

Shitty ai slop image
Pictured: This is the slop iamge that I received and I stole so that I'm actually now committing IP theft and defaced it.

How can I confidently say it's a scam? I've ignored this at least three times now and its been over a year. Absolutely nothing has happened. It's a variation of the old "You have a broken link on your blog. You should link X instead" backlinking scheme.

Here's the email I received, complete with spelling errors and grammar mistakes:

James Harris | Citi Legal Services <james@clexperts.org>
3:45 AM (5 hours ago)
Dear owner of https://blog.greggant.com/posts/2021/09/24/mac-osx-snow-leopard-nature-desktop-backgrounds-in-5k.html,
We're reaching out on behalf of the Intellectual Property Division of a notable entity in relation to an image connected to our associated client: Big Cat Snow Leopard.

Image Reference: https://i.imgur.com/wid2Pil.png
Image Placement: https://blog.greggant.com/posts/2021/09/24/mac-osx-snow-leopard-nature-desktop-backgrounds-in-5k.html
We've observed the above image being used at the above specified placement. We are emailing you to insist our client is correctly credited. A visible link to [fake link removed some big cat facts website, I don't even want to acknowledge them in print as I don't want to give them any benefit] is necessary, placed either below the image or in the page's footer. The anchor text should be "Big Cat Snow Leapard". This needs to be addressed within the next five business days.

We're sure you recognize the urgency of this request. Kindly understand that simply removing the image does not rectify the issue. Should we not see appropriate action within the given timeframe, we will reference case No. 82831 and implement legal proceedings as outlined in DMCA Section 512(c).

For your convenience, past usage records can be reviewed using the Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org, the main recognized digital web archive.

Take this communication as a formal notice. We value your swift action and expect your cooperation.

Regards

James Harris
Trademark Attorney

Citi Legal Services
1 Beacon St 12th floor
Boston, MA 02108

james@clexperts.org
www.clexperts.org

James I assume is not a real person. The website impressively has multiple pages, a few blog posts, and even a phone number and office location. That said, I know multiple real-life lawyers and real estate lawyers would not be dabbling in intellectual property law on the side.

If you receive emails from clexperts.org, clexperts.site, clexperts.info etc, it's a bullshit law firm. Ignore it. Move on. Don't take my word for it, you can google what real DMCA take down notices look like.