Scam Alert: Fake Website and SEO Emails Are Targeting Business Owners

Scammers are finding new ways to make fraudulent emails look legitimate, and a recent tactic is specifically targeting businesses that work with website design and SEO companies.

Here’s how it works: scammers identify businesses listed on a marketing agency’s public portfolio, case studies, or website credits. They then contact those businesses while pretending to represent the agency that designed or manages their website.

Because the scammer may already know your business name, website address, and the company you work with, the message can look surprisingly convincing.

At Fishnet Marketing, we want our clients and other business owners to know what to watch for and how to verify a message before taking action.

How Does the Website and SEO Scam Work?

A marketing agency’s portfolio is intended to showcase its work, but it can also provide scammers with publicly available information about the businesses that agency works with.

Once scammers identify a potential target, they may send an email that appears to come from the company’s website designer, SEO provider, or marketing agency.

The message might claim that:

• Your website has a serious technical or security problem.
• Your WordPress website or plugins need an urgent update.
• Your domain or hosting is about to expire.
• Your website has an SEO issue that requires immediate attention.
• Your SSL certificate needs to be renewed.
• Your website has an accessibility or compliance problem.
• An unexpected payment is required for website maintenance or another service.

The message may then ask you to click a link, provide login information, download a file, or send payment.

Why These Scam Emails Can Look Legitimate

Unlike generic phishing emails, these messages can contain real information about your business.

A scammer may know who designed your website, your company’s name, your website address, and other details available online. They may even use the name of a real employee from the marketing agency.

That familiarity can make a fraudulent email seem much more believable.

Receiving one of these messages does not necessarily mean your website or your marketing company’s systems have been hacked. Information connecting a business to its website provider can often be found through portfolios, website footers, search engines, social media, and other public sources.

Warning Signs to Watch For

The first thing you should check is the sender’s actual email address.

Don’t rely solely on the name displayed in your inbox. A scammer can make the sender’s name appear to be a company or person you recognize while using an unrelated email address.

Look carefully for misspellings, additional words, unusual domains, or messages coming from Gmail or another free email account when you normally communicate with the company through its business domain.

You should also be cautious when a message creates unnecessary urgency.

For example:

“Your website will be shut down unless you respond today.”

“Your domain is about to be suspended.”

“We found a critical SEO issue that requires immediate payment.”

“Your website has a security problem that must be fixed immediately.”

Website issues occasionally require quick action, but unexpected demands for immediate payment, passwords, or account access should always be verified.

Don’t Click the Link—Contact the Company Directly

If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from your website designer, SEO company, or marketing agency, don’t use the contact information provided in the email.

Instead, contact the company independently.

Use a phone number you already have, type the company’s website address directly into your browser, or start a new email using an address from previous legitimate correspondence.

Then simply ask:

“Did you send this?”

That quick verification can prevent you from sending money or sensitive information to a scammer.

Protect Your Website Login Information

Be especially cautious with requests involving your WordPress administrator account, hosting account, domain registrar, Google account, or other business credentials.

Never provide passwords in response to an unexpected email. You should also avoid signing into an account through a link supplied in a suspicious message.

If a request is legitimate, your website or marketing provider can confirm it directly.

Did You Receive a Suspicious Message From “Fishnet Marketing”?

If you receive an unexpected email, text, invoice, or other communication from someone claiming to represent Fishnet Marketing, and something doesn’t seem right, contact us directly before taking action.

Don’t click suspicious links, download unexpected attachments, provide passwords, or send payment until you’ve confirmed the message with our team.

We would much rather have you ask us about a legitimate message than respond to a fraudulent one.

When in Doubt, Verify

Scammers rely on two things: familiarity and urgency.

Using publicly available information allows them to make an email look familiar. Creating urgency encourages you to act before you have time to question it.

Taking a few minutes to independently verify an unexpected request can make all the difference.

If someone contacts you claiming to represent Fishnet Marketing and asks for an unexpected payment, website access, login credentials, domain renewal, SEO payment, security update, or other action, contact Fishnet Marketing directly before proceeding.