Scam Alert (Often Imitated, Never Duplicated)

Ahoy folks,

Some scuzzy scammers are impersonating yours truly and other top-tier web designers.

Their emails may claim that your website has some kind of security or compliance or other issue that needs an update. If you respond (thinking it's me), then they try to get money from you and/or access to your website.

As Admiral Ackbar once said…

Don't worry, this doesn’t mean I’ve been hacked. Neither have you, unless you give them access, haha. This is an ongoing industry-wide phishing campaign targeting clients across multiple high-profile web designers.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for us to stop these knuckleheads. They scan portfolios and site credit links to match clients to designers, then create Gmail accounts to impersonate us (the designers) to you (the clients).

Whenever a client alerts me to a specific one of these, I report the accounts being used to the providers, as well as any other identifying details we are able to gather about these “canker blossoms” (as Shakespeare once said).

How to spot 'em

They come from third-party email addresses, not from strongsites.co. I only email from this domain.

What to do

Don't click links in, or reply to, any email claiming that your domain or website is in crisis. Instead, go straight to where it is registered or hosted, log in, and check your account. If your stuff actually needs your attention, you'll see it there.

If you get one of these emails, please forward it to me. The full original (.eml) format is most helpful. Every report helps get these jackwagons taken down faster.

And if you're ever unsure whether an email is really from me, just ask. I'd much rather verify a real one than have you click a fake one. You can give me a call, or if you can't find my number, message me via the contact form on my website, including your phone number, and I'll call you back as soon as I can.

In your corner!

Vic