An “independent artist” has reached out, claiming that his music is being used in our videos. Small problem: We don’t use any music at all.
“I’m an artist, trust me” – the next questionable copyright notice
We’ve all been there: No sooner have you uploaded a video than a message lands in your inbox. This time, it’s supposedly from an “independent artist” who’s worried about his music.
Sounds important at first. But it’s actually not.
The email from isagupenav99@gmail.com
Greetings,
I wanted to contact you about an important issue concerning my track.
I saw my track being used in your video without prior consent.
As far as I understand, this use does not have my permission, and it may raise copyright concerns. I’ve already contacted YouTube support regarding this, and the matter is under review.
Please consider removing my track from the video as soon as you can.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you for your time and understanding.
Warm regards,
Independent Artist
Oh, really? Which track, exactly?
What immediately stands out:
Zero details.
- No name
- No song
- No video
- No timestamp
- No real sender
Instead: “Independent Artist.” Yeah, right. That’s obviously a huge help.
YouTube usually knows more than “Independent Artist”
If there really is a problem, it’s not just some random Gmail address that gets in touch, but YouTube itself:
- Content ID claim in the Studio
- Official copyright complaint
- Clear details about the affected content
Here? None of that.
Classic tactic: Sowing doubt
The scam is simple:
“Something’s already happening on YouTube—you better take care of it fast.”
Goal: To get you to react hastily, delete content, or engage in a dialogue.
Why?
Because the first response often leads to the next step—with links, demands, or further “problems.”
Conclusion
This is not a legitimate copyright notice, but rather:
- poorly crafted spam
- or an attempt to get attention (and responses)
As long as YouTube itself doesn’t report anything, you can safely ignore the email.
For those generally interested in such scams:
👉 https://acapio.de/ – there you’ll find regular examples and analyses of scams, phishing, and related topics.
Update – Contact with the phisher
Phishing for YouTube login credentials via: https://dmcahub.io/
Things are already looking suspicious here, since we wrote using an account that has nothing to do with our YouTube accounts. We click the link and are taken to a website. Here, we’re first asked to enter our channel name. That’s quite interesting—on one hand, they know about our copyright infringement, but first they need our channel name? Yeah, right!
Just for fun, we enter “ZDF,” and lo and behold, they find a copyright violation! At the same time, we’re asked to log in with our Google account. Alright, let’s click that too!
What follows is a well-made fake Google login page. The page isn’t a separate window, as is usually the case, but is embedded directly into the page. The green lock, the link—it’s all fake.
Anyone who enters their login credentials here is in trouble and is handing over their Google account to the phishers.
Second Conclusion
Always stay vigilant; a genuine copyright notice is visible on the channel itself. If you have entered your information, you should immediately change your passwords and log out of all accounts, if still possible. Unfortunately, there is a high chance that the account will be taken over immediately.
