This has to be an all time lowest things to do....

I own the website at designmytattoos dot com. Did not hyper links becuase I am not trying to advertise site and don't want the thread to be misunderstood. Anyway today someone hacked into my site and sent out a mass email to my customer list advertising their new services and website while making it look like it was from me. The new site they advertised is an exact copy of mine. createmytattoos dot com. The only reason I know this is becuase I have a few customer emails saying please take me off your mailing list.

So what legal action can I take and where to I go for help? Are there lawyers who will work with me online and even give advice on if I have any case or cousre of action without costing me a ton of money? If it costs to much then I might as well just tank the site which I hate to do beucase it is earning.

I have copies of the email but it all looks like it is sent from me and not someone else so not sure if this leads to anything or not.


Any ideas of suggestions?

Thanks
ichibanda

 

If they copied your site, you can file a DMCA notification
http://www.google.com/dmca.html

You can also email them and threaten them with legal action, notify their host (who will likely ban their account)

I dont think you are likely to get any lawyers willing to help you here.

 

I was starting to look at the DCMA materials and how to fill one out. Thanks for the direct link. Is there anything else I can do. I am so pissed and fired up right now that a DCMA letter seems like such alittle thing. I guess that is all we can do though. Man it just chaps my hide.

THanks
Ichibanda

 

I would file a lawsuit in federal court, also I would call the FBI. What they did was HIGHLY illegal.

 

I went to the url of the copy and it didn't come up.

 

Well, That is how I felt I was so angry about what they did and the clean up has been a pain. But doesn;t this stuff happen all the time online? Also how can I prove that they sent out email since it came from my account? I would love to do as mentioned but not sure I have the time or the means to do so. Where you serious in your post or just joking?

Thanks
Ichibanda

 

By the way the site is no longer comming up for me either. Must have been removed.

 

Serious as a heart attack. I would string these fuckers up.

 

It's the FBI's job to investigate and obtain evidence, not yours.

It may however be worth trying to find out where the guy is located before taking such action - I'll bet he's beyond the reach of US law enforcement (Asia probably) in which case reporting it would just be a waste of time.