CEG / AKM emails sent to me

[jamking]

Hi

I am very sorry that this is slightly off topic as I received an email from CEG not Getty.
I don't know what else to do and I am very worries about what is going to happen.

My deadline to pay is coming up in a few days!
So any help would be great.

So basically CEG sent me an email straight to an email address found on the 'contact me' section of my blog. They said I had used a few pictures that belonged to AKM-MGS and I have to pay $500 for each infringement.

I did not click any links on my website and have now deleted my whole website.

I have no money or assets as I am a student who is actually over £10,000 in debt due to uni loans.

They did not send me any screen shots of the alleged infringed pictures.

Should I email CEG?
What should I say?
Should I tell them I am in debt already and have no money at all?
Will they come after my parents since I cannot pay?
If I was taken to court how would they make me pay as I have no money?
Will I get a criminal record if I was taken to court?
Would it be a magistrates court?
Will I get a bad mark against my financial record?

Any help would be much appreciated, I have look through countless forums and I am leaning towards emailing them back using a disposable email and hiding my identity as much as possible.

Thanks

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

Should I email CEG? - -NO absolutely not, they have no way of knowing if you ever got the email
What should I say? - NOTHING
Should I tell them I am in debt already and have no money at all? - NO
Will they come after my parents since I cannot pay? - NO
If I was taken to court how would they make me pay as I have no money? - They can't make you pay, even if you had money
Will I get a criminal record if I was taken to court? - It's a civil matter not criminal, so NO
Would it be a magistrates court? - No clue, but chances are very slim they would sue over 1 or 2 images
Will I get a bad mark against my financial record? - NO

Any help would be much appreciated, I have look through countless forums and I am leaning towards emailing them back using a disposable email and hiding my identity as much as possible.

Thanks

do more reading, get better educated, and do not concern yourself with the "deadline to pay" it's largely a scare tactic, and as I have stated earlier, they have no way to confirm you even got their email in the first place..

[jamking]

Thanks for the information. I have read many of posts and some say you have to respond just in case they take you to court. They say I should ask them to provide evidence I infringed the copyright as well as the agreement CEG has with AKM images.

Also I should ask how they came up with the price they are trying to make me pay to settle.

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

Thanks for the information. I have read many of posts and some say you have to respond just in case they take you to court. They say I should ask them to provide evidence I infringed the copyright as well as the agreement CEG has with AKM images.

Also I should ask how they came up with the price they are trying to make me pay to settle.

Generally if you receive a registered letter that you singed for, it would be prudent to respond..the fact that they were cheap and emailed you, says nothing but scam..also you should not have to "ask for evidence" they should simply provide it..which they don't. Feel free to engage them if you wish, it will just generate a continuos back and forth designed to wear you down... just my opinions here, you must make the decision ob how to proceed.

[stinger]

I agree with Robert.  Until you get a posted letter, nothing has happened.

[jamking]

Thanks for the advise, will not respond until I get a posted letter.
A bit worried though as my settlement deadline in up tomorrow so I will not receive a posted letter until after that.

Also to get my address they would need a sopena so by that time they would have all my details and be more likely to bring me to court. So maybe I should respond now so they don't need to get a sopena.

I don't know what to do!

[stinger]

You need to relax and remember that the settlement deadline is artificially created by them to make you stress and pressure yourself into doing something rash - in this case giving them money.

If you do nothing, they have no way of knowing if you ever received any email from them. 

My approach with Getty has been to never acknowledge or engage them in any conversations by phone or email.  This way, in the unlikely event that I ever find myself in court with them, everything is neatly documented.  There will be no "He said, she said, No I did not" stuff going on.  There will be no "I never received this".

The most important thing to remember is that these guys are businessmen - looking to get paid where ever they can.  The more it costs them to track you down and try to exert payment, the more likely they are to move away and chase easier game.