Skip to main content
valentin001001
Participant
May 1, 2026
Question

suspicious activity is getting old story!!

  • May 1, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 83 views

I’m seeing that many creators’ accounts are being blocked due to “suspicious activity.” Isn’t this an issue on Adobe’s side? Creators simply upload their work and hope for more sales.

I have over 10,000 files, and once, when one person downloaded many of my videos, my account was blocked. I appealed, and they restored it. Now, I’ve sold four videos worth over $100, and after 10 days, I still haven’t been paid. I’m worried they might use the same excuse again to block my account.

If Adobe continues with this policy for contributors, they will lose more and more creators. There are many other platforms where we can sell our work, so they may end up losing more money than us we can simply move elsewhere.

Adobe management really needs to change this policy of immediately blocking creator accounts whenever something unusual happens. I have over 50,000 video clips on another platform and earn over $20,000 every month. Imagine if that were on Adobe they might block me every time because of high sales.

As you can see, this is not only my problem. Many creators are facing account blocks just because someone purchases their work. This is a terrible policy.

3 replies

Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 1, 2026

Digital assets are now regarded as a high-risk business. The entire sector is deluged with chargebacks, fraud, and in some regions, money laundering.

 

Welcome to the digital age.🤷‍♀️

 

Adobe’s required to block accounts exhibiting suspicious activity in the same way that local law enforcement are required to block off a crime scene. You may not like it, but it must be done for everyone’s protection.  Deal with it.

 

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
Jill_C
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 1, 2026

There are actually numerous ways in which a contributor can be complicit in the “suspicious activity”, so it’s not necessarily an issue on “Adobe’s side”. Waiting 10 business days is the standard payment window.

Jill C., Forum Volunteer
RALPH_L
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 1, 2026

Adobe flags accounts for "suspicious activity" primarily to protect the marketplace from fraud and manipulation. While some triggers are automated, others are the result of manual audits, especially when a payout is requested.

 

Understanding these triggers isn't just about avoiding a ban—it's about understanding what Adobe doesn't want so you can build a legitimate, high-performing portfolio.

Common Reasons for "Suspicious Activity" Flags

  • Artificial Sales Inflation: This is the most common reason. It includes "self-buying" (purchasing your own assets) or "download circles," where groups of people agree to buy each other's work to boost rankings.

     

  • Irregular Sales Spikes: A sudden, massive jump in sales—such as going from 2 sales a day to 200—often triggers an automatic review. While this can happen legitimately (e.g., a major news outlet buys your image), it often points to bot activity or fraudulent credit cards.

     

  • Content Spamming (The "Similar" Rule): Uploading hundreds of nearly identical files with only micro-adjustments (like a 1% color shift or slight crop) is considered spamming the database.

     

  • Metadata Manipulation: "Keyword stuffing" or using trending but irrelevant tags to trick the search algorithm.

     

  • Identity & Payout Mismatches: Discrepancies between your Adobe ID name, your tax forms (W-8BEN/W-9), and your payout account (PayPal/Payoneer) can look like money laundering or account hacking.