Scam Alert: Fake Emails Impersonating Site Smart Marketing
Scam Alert: Fake Emails Impersonating Site Smart Marketing
We hate to be the ones to bring this up, but we’d rather you hear it from us than find out the hard way: email scammers are impersonating Site Smart Marketing (including our team members) and reaching out to businesses trying to collect fraudulent payments for “website services.” We take this seriously, so here’s what’s going on and how to protect yourself.
How To Identify A Fake Scammer Email
A scammer using AI tools to scrape potential customers and find their real email addresses is sending emails pretending to be Site Smart Marketing. These scammers may use real, publicly available information, such as your company name, website, or members of our team, to make their messages look legitimate.
The most reliable way to identify a fake email is to check the sender’s actual email address. Genuine emails from our team will come from a company email address ending in @sitesmartmarketing.com, not a Gmail or other free email accounts as seen here:
Examples Of Fake Impersonating Scammers:
Scam Email Warning Signs
- The sender is not @sitesmartmarketing.com. If a message claiming to be from our team comes from Gmail, Outlook, or another outside email provider, do not trust it.
- It claims there is an urgent website problem. Scam emails may mention WordPress, SSL, security, plugins, “compliance,” licensing, or other technical-sounding issues.
- It pressures you to act or pay immediately. Be suspicious of warnings that your website will be shut down, disabled, or otherwise affected unless you make a payment.
- It asks you to purchase an unexpected service or package. We do not suddenly email customers demanding hundreds of dollars for surprise “compliance” packages or similar services.
- The payment request does not follow our normal billing process. Unexpected invoices, payment links, or requests for payment should be treated as suspicious.
- The branding does not match other emails you have received from us. Mismatched logos or colors we don’t use, signatures with cartoon photos, typos, mistakes in formatting, or other inconsistencies can be signs of impersonation.
How We Actually Do Business
We won’t blindside you with a scary email demanding payment. If we ever identify additional work that needs your approval, we’ll reach out through your usual point of contact and add it to your next monthly invoice, or ask you to call our office to authorize it. For new projects, we use a proper signed proposal system — never a random invoice payment link in an email.
If you’re ever unsure whether something actually came from us, don’t use any contact info in the suspicious email. Contact our office directly using the info you already have.
If You Get One of These Scam Emails
- Don’t reply, click any links, open attachments, or fill out any forms.
- Don’t hand over passwords, credit card numbers, or login info.
- Don’t pay any invoice or payment request from a [email protected] address.
- Report it as spam/phishing and block the sender.
- Forward it to us so we can add it to our records.
If You’ve Already Responded To The Scammers
If you’ve clicked a link, filled out a form, shared login or financial info, or paid an invoice tied to one of these messages, please contact us right away. Don’t delete the original email — forward it to us as-is, since it helps us document what’s happening.
Don’t Worry, We’re On It
We’re working with authorities to get this sorted, and we are reporting all fraudulent emails. Your trust means everything to us. Thank you for staying sharp, and helping us get the details we need to stop them from exploiting unsuspecting customers.
Questions? Something feel off? Give us a call or shoot us an email directly.