Inspiring

Answered

My Adobe Stock account was de-activated after a suspicious contact

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
March 6, 2026
6 replies
463 views

I have been contributing to Adobe Stock for over a year and a half, and yesterday my account was deactivated for a Terms Violation. I believe I may have been the victim of a scam.

On February 23, I was contacted on Behance by someone claiming to own a small Christian company with a limited budget. The website looked somewhat generic, but still believable for an early-stage project.

This person wanted to hire me to create a loop video of Jesus walking on water, based on a video I have on Adobe Stock. I ended up giving them the original video from my Adobe Stock portfolio for free through Behance messages. After that, the person never thanked me and stopped responding.

On March 5, my Adobe Stock portfolio was suddenly blocked without any prior warning. A few hours later, the website of that Christian company went offline. I have some screenshots of the website and the full conversation on Behance.

The situation becomes even more concerning when I recall that there were other contributors with larger portfolios producing content very similar to mine — especially biblical content, ironically.

I’m currently trying every possible way to contact Adobe to understand the reason for the suspension. It could also be related to some ancient nude statues I uploaded (they were artistic and not obscene).

I also want to make it clear that I am fully willing to provide complete transparency and any information necessary to help with the investigation.

I'd like to know if any contributors have experienced something similar. My portfolio is important to me as a hobby rather than for financial reasons, and I would really like to continue contributing.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Nancy OShea

I assume you’re creating content with AI.

I think that your engagement on Behance is unrelated to what happened on Stock, and the timing was purely coincidental.

Re-read the Submission Guidelines, TERMS of AGREEMENT and updated policy statement on use of NAMES in titles, keywords & prompts. It’s possible you overlooked something that triggered a violation.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/submission-guidelines.html

https://www.adobe.com/go/contributorterms (PDF)

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/updated-artist-name-guidelines.html

Hope that helps.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Hello,

My account was reactivated recently. I’d like to summarize some information that may be useful to the contributor community:

What was the reason for the deactivation?

Spam. I had submitted too many similar images and videos. According to the email I received:

"As a general rule, contributors can submit up to three different versions of one image."

Similar guidance can also be found in the article "How to submit distinct content on Adobe Stock":

"Curate submissions to three variations of a single photographed scenario, unless there’s a clearly defined change that calls for more."

I believe this may also apply to resubmitting previously rejected assets after editing them, but that's just my guess.

How long was my account suspended?

Approximately three months.

Was the suspension for "Terms Violation" or "Suspicious Activity"?

Terms Violation. So, if your account was deactivated for the same reason, there is still hope.

How many appeals did I submit?

I submitted two appeals in total. The general recommendation is not to send multiple appeals.

Did that suspicious Behance contact have anything to do with the deactivation?

I don’t believe so. It appears to have been a strange coincidence. The user was banned after I reported the account.

What about using the names of historical figures in titles and keywords?

I replied to the email asking whether names that are in the public domain may be used in asset titles and keywords. If I receive a definitive answer, I will share it here or in another thread, so there is no need to keep reviving this one unnecessarily.

I believe this thread can now be closed.

Thank you all for your help and support.

Madeleine2182

Participating Frequently

Thanks for taking the time to provide an update, it’s really helpful for others going through this process like myself. I received a ban email for ‘suspicious activities’ so not the same issue, but it’s encouraging that your appeal was resolved in 3 months.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Hey, do you think submitting photos with this level of difference would be considered spam?

daniellei4510

Community Expert

Yep. Beside, the buyer can make such subtle changes on their own.

Adobe Community Expert | If you aren't submitting your assets in sRGB, you probably didn't read the rules.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

So… I’ll put ‘spam’ at the top of the list of possible causes for the suspension. Thanks everyone for the replies.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Ok, things have become strange again. While checking my account settings, I noticed there is an active session that I do not recognize, started on February 23 — the same day I received the message on Behance.

The login shows as coming from Linux, which I have never used. It also indicates the Chrome browser, which I normally don’t use either. On the other hand, the location listed is the same city where I live.

Should I deactivate this session immediately, or should I contact support first? I believe this could be relevant evidence.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Ah, sorry about that. I just found out that access from an Android phone can be identified as a Linux device, so it was probably my own login from my phone.

Nancy OShea

Correct answer

Community Expert

I assume you’re creating content with AI.

I think that your engagement on Behance is unrelated to what happened on Stock, and the timing was purely coincidental.

Re-read the Submission Guidelines, TERMS of AGREEMENT and updated policy statement on use of NAMES in titles, keywords & prompts. It’s possible you overlooked something that triggered a violation.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/submission-guidelines.html

https://www.adobe.com/go/contributorterms (PDF)

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/updated-artist-name-guidelines.html

Hope that helps.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Yes, my entire portfolio is made with AI. I did use some titles like “Anne Bonny and Mary Read on the pirate ship,” assuming that since they are historical figures, there wouldn’t be any issue. If the problem is related to those titles or tags, I believe I can resolve it. If that’s the case, I hope Adobe will give me the opportunity to correct the titles of those assets. Thank you for your response.

Jill_C

Community Expert

There never is any warning when Adobe is about to suspend an account. They suspend, then investigate, then restore if no issues are found. It’s your decision to give away your assets, even if they are on Adobe Stock, and that not a reason for suspension since Adobe does not claim exclusivity.

Jill C., Forum Volunteer

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

The person’s account was banned from Behance after I reported it. I’m wondering if this person deliberately used the video I donated to them to somehow sabotage my account. Is that possible? My Adobe Stock portfolio is still blocked. I will post updates as new information becomes available.

Jill_C

Community Expert

I suppose it’s possible that they submitted a claim to Adobe that the video you gave them is actually there’s and was created by them…

Jill C., Forum Volunteer

daniellei4510

Community Expert

We are contributors like yourself her and we can not be of any assistance. I assume you used the “Contact us” link you were met with when you attempted to access your Dashboard. You may also file an appeal here: https://survey.adobe.com/jfe/form/SV_74fM1z4DvUPyPlk

Adobe Community Expert | If you aren't submitting your assets in sRGB, you probably didn't read the rules.

Cosmic StudioAuthor

Inspiring

Yeah, I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar, and also share my concern and frustration.

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