AI file opens blank - Icons for website - Potential scam

[Surje32046169f3te]

Hi all!

I've contacted a designer to design some icons for our new website. However, when I try to open the AI files that he shared with me via Google Drive, the icons are nowhere to be seen. Illustrator opens the file and it's only a blank white page. Only one layer in the panel. I think it's a potential scam as I tried to contact the designer several times with this matter but he is not responding to my messages. 

I've tried to solve it by going through other people's posts and similar problems but I can't seem to be able to do so. Please help!

P.S. I've tried to upload two of the files here for you to be able to see them, however, this is the message I receive from Adobe for both files:

The attachment's fully customizable retrofittable.ai content type (application/postscript) does not match its file extension and has been removed.



 

[Monika Gause]

You can't upload AI files. Please upload them to Dropbox or the like and post a link in here.

[Surje32046169f3te]

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/apb1ufnnya1khr08dadt4/Fully-customizable-retrofittable.ai?rlkey=e27ms...

[Surje32046169f3te]

Thanks (:

[Monika Gause]

I can't see anything in the file.

[Surje32046169f3te]

Yes, me neither. I opened the file with Illustrator but is the same as it is when you click on the link from Dropbox. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you pay for it?

Not only that the file is empty, but is based on a Print preset CMYK file. Not the kind of file for use on a website.

[Surje32046169f3te]

Yes I did pay for it, I also paid for LinkedIn social media management, and all I remember since we started is Me uploading all the news and articles on the platform, me leading the website development. That's a total crash!

[Monika Gause]

How did you contact that designer? If you found them on some platform, then you might want to complain to that platform so that they can take action.

[Ton Frederiks]

I can see his name as the creator of the empty document, but there are many hits with google, although not many that also have webdesign and Adobe  as search items.