diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
index 00d614db437..a9662be65b1 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/archive_parser.go
@@ -382,6 +382,9 @@ func newPackageFromMavenData(pomProperties pkg.PomProperties, pomProject *pkg.Po
 	}
 
 	parentKey := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s:%s", groupID, parentPkg.Name, parentPkg.Version)
+	// Since we don't have a package yet, it's important to use the same `field: value` association that we used when creating the parent package
+	// See below where Name => pomProperties.ArtifactID and Version => pomProperties.Version. We want to check for potentially nested identical
+	// packages and create equal virtual paths so they are de duped in the future
 	pomProjectKey := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s:%s", pomProperties.GroupID, pomProperties.ArtifactID, pomProperties.Version)
 	if parentKey != pomProjectKey {
 		// build a new virtual path suffix for the package that is different from the parent package
diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/package_url.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/package_url.go
index b41e321fac5..d29f1ae3c06 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/package_url.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/package_url.go
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@ func groupIDFromPomProperties(properties *pkg.PomProperties) (groupID string) {
 		return cleanGroupID(properties.GroupID)
 	}
 
+	// sometimes the publisher puts the group ID in the artifact ID field unintentionally
+	if looksLikeGroupID(properties.ArtifactID) {
+		// there is a strong indication that the artifact ID is really a group ID
+		return cleanGroupID(properties.ArtifactID)
+	}
+
 	return groupID
 }
 
@@ -101,12 +107,24 @@ func groupIDFromPomProject(project *pkg.PomProject) (groupID string) {
 		return cleanGroupID(project.GroupID)
 	}
 
+	// sometimes the publisher puts the group ID in the artifact ID field unintentionally
+	if looksLikeGroupID(project.ArtifactID) {
+		// there is a strong indication that the artifact ID is really a group ID
+		return cleanGroupID(project.ArtifactID)
+	}
+
 	// let's check the parent details
 	// if the current project does not have a group ID, but the parent does, we'll use the parent's group ID
 	if project.Parent != nil {
 		if looksLikeGroupID(project.Parent.GroupID) {
 			return cleanGroupID(project.Parent.GroupID)
 		}
+
+		// sometimes the publisher puts the group ID in the artifact ID field unintentionally
+		if looksLikeGroupID(project.Parent.ArtifactID) {
+			// there is a strong indication that the artifact ID is really a group ID
+			return cleanGroupID(project.Parent.ArtifactID)
+		}
 	}
 
 	return groupID