Beware of Website Scams
I wanted to share what happened to a handful of my author clients recently, because there's a chance that if you’ve ever worked with a website designer (regardless of platform), you’ll encounter it too.
A few of my clients received an email about their website that appeared to come from me.
Except it didn’t.
The message was convincing enough that I completely understand why they might have been deceived. Fortunately, they forwarded it to me for verification before responding.
Over the past year or so, scammers have increasingly targeted website owners with emails claiming that urgent work is needed on their site.
Sometimes they pretend to be web designers, website support providers, or even Squarespace itself. In this case, the sender impersonated me using a fake Gmail address and put my photo in the email signature.
If you ever receive an unexpected email about your website, here are a few things to remember:
Trust your instinct
It’s not as urgent as they claim - don’t panic.
There may, in fact, be nothing whatsoever wrong with your website.
Don't click links straight away.
Don't send money, especially not if the payment method is different from the one your designer used originally
Never share login credentials (your real website designer won’t need them).
Instead, contact the person you normally work with — using an email address for them that you know is legitimate — and ask if the message is genuine.
Common warning signs
Be cautious if an email:
Claims your website is at risk of suspension or being taken offline
Mentions a mysterious "compliance audit," "compliance licence," or "security review"
Creates a sense of urgency and pressure
Asks you to reply with "YES" to get started
Comes from a Gmail address or an email address that doesn't match the sender's business domain (sadly, Gmail addresses are fairly easy to create)
Requests payment for work you didn't ask for
Asks for passwords or account access
And to my past clients:
If I ever recommend work on your website, I'll explain exactly what needs attention and why
You'll hear from me using an email address that ends @brilliantauthor.com
And I'm always happy to confirm whether a message is legitimate
You can also review this Squarespace guidance, telling you what to look for if the email claims to come from them.
Example phishing email (not from me!!)
See my list of warning signs in this fake email
Warning signs in this email:
I don’t use Gmail addresses to send business emails — and the one you see here is a malicious fake
Techno-mumble; the explanation isn’t clear
Asks you to “reply with Yes”
I don’t use animated gifs for “kind regards”
I don’t sign off with “CEO & Founder” - that's a bit too hoity-toity for me :)
But, it’s very clever, nonetheless.
Report the message
You can be a good online citizen and help protect others from scammers by:
Reporting the phishing attack to Google (if a Gmail address was used)
Reporting to Squarespace (if the message pertains to your Squarespace website) — forward phishing emails to reportphishing@squarespace-security.com
If you did reply to the scammer and were sent an Upwork payment link, report it to Upwork here.
The good news is that receiving one of these emails does not mean your website has been hacked
These scams are affecting website owners across many platforms, including Squarespace.
The Squarespace security team has investigated and found no evidence of a specific security breach.
Instead, scammers are probably using public information, for example visiting your website and seeing who originally built it, so they can impersonate an existing business relationship.
Nonetheless, this would be a great time to:
Make sure that you are using a strong password and 2-factor authentication to access your website account and (if separate) the account where you register and control your website domain name.
Check out this related piece I wrote, which discusses unsolicited emails trying to sell you SEO services and similar.
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Ready to work with a legitimate website designer?
If you want to collarborate with a trustworthy partner to create an author website that engages your readers and sets you up for business results, let’s design, build, and launch your online home together. Learn more about working with me, and then inquire here.
More resources for author website confidence
When to know it’s time to change your author website platform
Talk it through with me: book an Author Website Clarity Call
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