Inspiring

Answered

Deactivated for “Suspicious Activity, I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT MY FAULT IS?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
April 28, 2025
3 replies
2551 views

Hello everyone,

Is the Adobe Stock contributor program truly safe and fair for creators? as My Adobe Stock contributor account (Case #00368169) was unexpectedly deactivated for “suspicious activity,” and I’m at a total loss. I’ve been contributing for over two years on Shutterstock and Fiverr with zero strikes, and my Adobe Stock sales have always been 100% organic and policy-compliant.

Key Facts:

2+ years on Shutterstock & Fiverr with zero warnings, removals, or policy violations

Single, verified bank account for all payouts—no chance of unauthorized payments

Recent Adobe Stock growth driven solely by fresh, high-quality uploads

Never used bots or ranking-boost tools; I adhere strictly to Adobe’s guidelines.

Correct answer RALPH_L

It really doesnt matter what Shutterstock & Fiverr do.

We have no idea why your account was flagged. You have to wait.

E

EPS JPGAuthor

Inspiring

My case is very similar to this one: https://community.adobe.com/t5/stock-contributors-discussions/account-deactivated-due-to-suspicious-activity/td-p/15233377

The contributor, after their account was reactivated, expressed it :
'Now I don't know when I'll have good sales — should I be happy or sad? 🙂
Now I have account deactivation anxiety syndrome.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

"Do it for joy, and you can do it forever."

— Stephen King

Paralysis from analysis of things you can't control is counterproductive.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

Jill_C

Community Expert

"Suspicious activity" usually means that they've detected possible fraudulent sales, such as someone using multiple Free trial stock subscriptions to purchase images, or stolen credit cards to make purchases, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean that they suspect you of having done any of that; but, unfortunately, the investigation requires that your account be temporarily suspended.

Jill C., Forum Volunteer

E

EPS JPGAuthor

Inspiring

If someone fraudulently purchases a contributor's content, why does the contributor suffer the loss through account deactivation, instead of blocking the buyer and reversing the transaction?

WHY IS ADOBE PUNISHING THE CONTRIBUTOR BY MAKING THEM A PRACTICE TARGET?

Abambo

Community Expert

I found the Shutterstock forum and contributor system to be more effective in preventing suspicious activity from buyers. They manage illegal transactions without penalizing contributors, which is why my Shutterstock account continues to run smoothly.

In contrast, my Adobe Contributor account was deactivated after receiving just one payment—apparently due to suspicious activity by a buyer, which I believe was the reason.

I found the Shutterstock forum and contributor system to be more effective in preventing suspicious activity from buyers. They manage illegal transactions without penalizing contributors, which is why my Shutterstock account continues to run smoothly.

By @EPS JPG

Your options, I think, are clear.

In contrast, my Adobe Contributor account was deactivated after receiving just one payment—apparently due to suspicious activity by a buyer, which I believe was the reason.

By @EPS JPG

There is a check done when you ask for a payout. One buy from one suspicious buyer won't lead to a ban.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

RALPH_L

Correct answer

Community Expert

It really doesnt matter what Shutterstock & Fiverr do.

We have no idea why your account was flagged. You have to wait.

E

EPS JPGAuthor

Inspiring

Of course, the practices of Shutterstock and Fiverr are separate matters. However, I firmly believe that

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.

I am 100% confident that I have not violated any of Adobe Stock's terms and conditions. My contributions have always been in full compliance with the guidelines, and I have never engaged in any activity that would breach the platform's policies.
I have reached out to Adobe Support through the official channels and am currently awaiting their response. In the meantime, I wanted to share my experience here to see if any fellow contributors have faced similar situations and could offer insights or advice.
Thank you for your understanding and support.

Abambo

Community Expert

However, I firmly believe that

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.

By @EPS JPG

This is not a tribunal. This is Adobe's turf, and Adobe decides on their suppliers. Contributing is not a right that you can claim, but it is something that Adobe does allow you to do … or not.

I have reached out to Adobe Support through the official channels and am currently awaiting their response. In the meantime, I wanted to share my experience here to see if any fellow contributors have faced similar situations and could offer insights or advice.

By @EPS JPG

All you can do is waiting and yes, other contributors were in similar situations. Check the forum, you'll find many posts concerning this.

All have one thing in common (mostly):

the contributor did nothing wrong
the contributor does not know what they did wrong
they want a fast resolution of their case.

However, it seems to me that Adobe is not attributing a high priority to this and that they are very sure about their case. In addition, the cases went from one each half year to many in a week. This correlates with the acceptance of generative AI, which has lured many new contributors to the Adobe site.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

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