CGtrader, theft and fraud

Hello everyone,

I promised to keep you updated on developments, so here it is:
To this day, CGTRADER categorically refuses to provide us with any information regarding the theft of our 10 3D models, and we're not talking about money here, we're talking about INFORMATION.

Despite our official requests by registered mail and despite the European regulations to which the platform is subject, they are hiding behind Lithuanian law, a small tax and legislative haven. We have contacted our professional insurance company, PACIFICA, which refuses to support us, despite our legal assistance contract, precisely because "Lithuania is too complicated!"

But why is CGTRADER refusing to provide us with this information?
The only answer we can think of is that it would prove their negligence and incompetence. And therefore, we could claim damages.

We have deleted all our models and encourage other artists to do the same. Because tomorrow, it'll be you, CGTRADER doesn't protect you. Worse still, they despise you and treat you like shit.

Now, I think that to defend the interests of all of us, we should create a global artists' association.
A stupid idea, no doubt, but if such an association were capable of taking legal action to defend us, these assholes would be less arrogant, and our rights, our creations, would be truly protected.

For now, I'll continue to denigrate CGTRADER as it should be. Let's despise those who despise us!

May i suggest to CGTrader that only well proven cards from earlier / plus any other secure ways like Paypal, may be used for immediate purchases/downloading of content from the very near future on?.. although a smirkable fraction of the value in question for the OP, but still, the so called extremely rare case just happened over here as well.

@StudioVertex
Hi, please be so kind and reread the terms and conditions you agreed to when you registered as a seller.
Your money is gone, sorry, $2,500 is a lot of money :/

Thank you Ibrahim
I will not fail to keep you informed of events.

To LemonadeCG
Thank you for your support and the misogynistic and racist remark greatly benefits the rights of artist-authors.

To Ibrahim-i-Sheikh,
Indeed, the situation is complicated. But in reality, since the 3D assets are hosted on their servers, acting as an intermediary, even if CGTrader is the victim, they have obligations towards us, the sellers. This is the principle of rebound.
That is to say, if you are a professional, you must protect yourself against possible incidents affecting your clients. To do this, you take out professional insurance. CGTrader is liable to us; they are obligated to compensate us through their insurance. It is then up to them to take action against the bank in question, which itself has insurance for these cases.

Let's not forget that CGTrader isn't making any money in this situation, but we have lost 3D assets, and therefore money. Furthermore, we will have to devote resources to continuously verify that these models are not being sold or misappropriated.

I also want to say that my anger is also directed at the fact that they didn't immediately raise the alarm about the theft or apologize. If we hadn't noticed and contacted them, they wouldn't have told us anything.

And what's more, they refuse to provide us with any information, documents, logs, etc., that would allow us to file a complaint against the thieves with our local court.

I feel for cgtrader support staff, they must to deal with Karens like OP every day and stay calm and polite. Must be incredibly tough.

You are deflecting the problem, this is a company to whom you entrust your work.If a problem arises, it is their responsibility.If Amazon has a warehouse burglarized, it covers the losses of the sellers who have entrusted their merchandise.It's the same.I remind you that if one of your assets creates a problem, Cgtrader will come after you and make you pay dearly.

Wait guys, here are the trades with CGtrader today:

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Kristupas-cgt (CGTrader)

Aug 7, 2025, 10:44 GMT+3
Hello,

Thank you for reaching out. I completely understand how frustrating and upsetting this situation must be.

Unfortunately, this appears to be a case of payment fraud, where fraudsters used stolen credit card details to make purchases on the platform. While these transactions initially appeared legitimate (with valid card information, matching details, and no immediate red flags), the fraud only became apparent after our team identified suspicious patterns.

Because we deal with digital files, once a purchase is made, the files are delivered instantly and can't be returned the way physical goods can. That’s why fraud in digital marketplaces is particularly difficult - by the time the chargeback is issued or fraudsters are caught, they have already downloaded the content.

We want to be transparent: no system can fully prevent this type of fraud when valid credentials are used. Our fraud detection systems, along with the team, constantly monitor transactions, but sophisticated fraudsters can still bypass initial checks - especially when they have access to full, legitimate payment details.

We deeply regret that this impacted your account and earnings. While these cases are rare, we understand how damaging they can feel, and we are continuing to invest in stronger fraud prevention to protect creators like you.

Again, we’re very sorry this happened. If you have any further questions or would like us to review this case in more detail, we're here to help.

All the best,
Kristupas

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Studio Vertex :

Frustration, but also anger, disgust, hatred, dismay, and loss of trust.

You had a duty to inform us immediately. You said nothing: no notification, no email, no information, and yet you claim to be transparent?

Despite what your so-called terms of use say (which, according to our legal advisor, are meaningless and don't even comply with Lithuanian and European law), you are the intermediary guaranteeing transactions between us and the buyer. We have no control, no possibility of validation.

Since the buyer and seller do not communicate or interact in any way, you are de facto responsible for any problems related to unpaid bills, illegal downloads, and all transactions.
As a matter of principle, you must guarantee the security of our models and transactions. Any failure to fulfill this obligation results in compensation.

As a company, you are insured for these rare cases, as you say. You've probably already filed a claim and received compensation from your insurance company.

First, to properly file a claim, we need all transaction-related information. This includes names, contact information, phone numbers, email addresses, credit card or other payment information, logs, IP addresses, etc. Everything you have, without restriction.

Second, we demand legitimate compensation for the damages we have suffered. This is the least you can do. I remind you that this involves TEN 3D MODELS, 35 downloads, and the use of 3 to 4 different fake profiles. The total value is over $2,500, not including the emotional distress and the consequences of the theft (complaints, daily internet searches for fraudulent use, etc.).

In conclusion, we very recently considered leaving CGtrader following your various reforms. In the end, we decided to continue to trust you. Would we have been wrong?

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Kristupas-cgt (CGTrader)

Aug 7, 2025, 14:30 GMT+3
Thanks for your message. I completely understand your frustration, and I’m truly sorry for the situation you've experienced.

To clarify, the fraudulent purchases were made using valid card details, which made them appear legitimate at the time. We only identified the issue after a deeper investigation and took immediate action to block the accounts involved.

Please also note that we do not receive any compensation for these cases. In fact, we pay additional fees when chargebacks occur. We know how unfair this feels, especially when digital files have already been downloaded and cannot be revoked.

As for tracking or identifying the fraudsters, there is, unfortunately, very little usable information. These accounts used temporary emails, no real names or billing addresses (as those aren't required for purchases), and likely accessed the site via VPNs with varying IP addresses. So it's not a matter of withholding data. There’s simply no meaningful data to share.

We deeply regret this situation and are actively working to strengthen our fraud prevention systems.

All the best,
Kristupas

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Studio Vertex :

You admit that your payment system is not secure. That anyone with a card and an email address can steal our work.
For a platform like yours in 2025 (the second-largest 3D marketplace), this is completely unacceptable. Furthermore, you didn't deem it necessary to inform us of the theft of our models within seven days. You waited quietly, assuming we wouldn't say anything.

You acknowledge that you therefore don't ensure the security of artists' assets or transactions. You talk about transparency at every turn, but as soon as we ask you for all the information necessary for us to file a complaint (on your behalf) with the relevant authorities, you dismiss us on the grounds that you don't have specific information. And you claim not to be insured against the theft or hacking of user data (including 3D assets) in order to compensate us.

This is an admission of serious misconduct and irresponsibility towards the customers and salespeople who provide your livelihood!

THEREFORE, WE DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR THE DAMAGES SUFFERED!

Wot a Bummer! Feel for ya my friend!

We are the ones who are subject to a triple burden:1) our models are stolen2) we are deprived of all our winnings, no compensation.3) we end up with stress, annoyance, anxiety, anger.All we get is radio silence!It doesn't sound like a lot when you say it like that. But as an artist who lives on the edge every day, every month, every year, it's huge.

Have you written to CGTrader? What did they do? From my understanding, depending on our contracts, they may be legally tied from just giving you money, but they can leverage the law against the individual(s) who defrauded you and make them pay or else force them to delete the models through court order.

I WANT MY MONEY BACK !!