Spam site using my content is indexed, my site has been kicked out!

[whatley]

I have recently noticed that my site has been hijacked by another company - they have basically ripped my whole site, including the images and are using all the pages on their site.

The only way I have noticed this is by doing a search for http://www.exmple.com, it's now showing just one page and that's from this site that has hijacked all my content.

I have no idea what to do! I have put in a spam report to Google, I have even e-mail the site that has my content, but I am afraid that it's too late for my site as I have been kicked out of the Google index and this scumbag has been allowed in!

Does anyone have any suggestions in what to do?

[edited by: tedster at 4:50 pm (utc) on Oct. 10, 2006]
[edit reason] use example.com [/edit]

[tedster]

In my opinion, you should be filing a DMCA complaint with Google [google.com], and not just a spam report. This is theft.

[mcskoufis]

Apart from the DMCA complaint I would suggest altering a bit your content, or the parts that have been copied.

I am not suggesting re-writting your content... Things like altering title, meta description and the first and last paragraphs.

If there is a lot of content, try editing the content of your most important "entry" pages and send an email to the Google Support team, who sometimes reply promptly and quickly.

Hope this helps...

[SteveWh]

In addition to the DMCA complaint, you might also benefit by filing a complaint with the webhosting company that hosts the website in question. Copyright violations are prohibited by most webhost terms of use and is grounds for suspension or termination. If they are terminated, the site might also forfeit any hosting fees that they have paid in advance.

[Pirates]

Ok so what you may be looking for is an ip address thats been hitting your site really hard. Then use this page to lookup source of ip.

www.arin.net/whois/

I am betting you find the range will belong to hijacker range and I think they may think your site was just RIPE for doing this too.

[edited by: tedster at 4:53 am (utc) on Oct. 11, 2006]

[Pirates]

Assuming your site has been going a while you can use wayback machine as a way of proving you are the original owner of content.

[archive.org...]

I do not think all is lost. You have identified the problem. Perhaps you can track the ip's of the hijackers and you have taken steps to recover your site. Google I am sure will restore you as quickly as possible.

[whatley]

Guys,

Thank you for all the help, I will reply when I get some results, soon I hope.

It has been over 24 hours since I have contacted Google and nothing has changed and they have not contacted me either.

[mcskoufis]

whatley, it could take months to sort out.

[g1smd]

Google usually takes several days to a week to reply to anything you fill out on any of their forms.

They must get millions per week.

[kaled]

You should certainly contact the host. They can kill the offending site instantly and take down all his other sites hosted with them.

You might also consider contacting the domain registrar - it can't do any harm.

Also, if Adsense is involved, you should contact them immediately. I imagine they will close the account permanently.

Kaled.

[edited by: kaled at 10:26 am (utc) on Oct. 11, 2006]

[whatley]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I have contacted the host, but they have not replied - they are in Thailand, I am in the UK.

Hopefully Google will look into this in the next few days and not weeks!

I will keep you informed of the progress.

[whatley]

The guy was using a nph-proxy.cgi!

I have now blocked the IP for this and hopefully this will sort the problems!

No doubt it will take G a few months!

[Spine]

More evidence that Google SUCKS at sorting these things out.

I've had a site that downloaded 100% of my content and site structure outranking me for awhile - on Google only. The other SEs rank me just fine - G has me in 99% supplemental, while the theif isn't, and his pages actually come up in searches.

I contacted the affiliate program that I (and the thief) use - the man in charge switched the affiliate code so that the efforts of the theif are paying into my account now.

I also sent a threatening letter to the theif, and they have taken the content down (for now).

Now to see how long G takes to figure this out.

[whatley]

Spine,

Try and fidn the IP and block it in your IIS settings, its working for me at the moment!

Whatley!

[Spine]

Thanks for the tip, but I don't think it's that kind of hijack.

This person used a downloader and copied my entire static website to a domain of their own.

[AndyA]

I have blocked entire IPs in my htaccess file. They dig for things they shouldn't be digging for, generating errors in my log. Almost always, when I do a Arin search for the IP, it's administrated by RIPE in Amsterdam.

I'll bet I have 5 or 6 IPs that are blocked in this manner, because they will eventually find a hole as much as they dig around.

I've had a few people contact me saying they can't see the site from home, but can at work, etc., and I tell them why. My target customer isn't in that part of the world anyway, and while I hate to shut anyone out, it is sometimes necessary. At least they're able to see the site from an alternate location, though.

[edited by: AndyA at 4:01 pm (utc) on Oct. 11, 2006]

[trinorthlighting]

Is the hijacker using adsense/overture?

[whatley]

The offending site was literally just using the pages from my site, the only purpose of this I can see is to build pages in there site.

[Marcia]

There are a TON of sites doing this, some running scripts through free hosting providers and running revenue-producing ad programs as well, via presenting the ripped pages called by framesets.

I've written one such free hosting provider with a complaint, and will be pursuing further by notifying the provider of the adverts (who are SUBSIDISING the theft) as well as Google for copyright violation.

Meantime, I'll be inserting a JS frame busting script - in due time after I have reported the offending party that STOLE the page and its content, as well as whatever else I'll now be able to track down, to the Google Spam Team.

Theft is not a light matter, and the fact that it's being done digitally and remotely does not make it any less damaging or wrong than if a thief breaks into our homes and steals our tangible goods. A web page is no less personal property than the blanket you put on your bed. Both belong to you (or me) and no one has a right to take them from you (or me), for any reason whatsoever.

[edited by: Marcia at 8:36 am (utc) on Oct. 12, 2006]