Scams and Spam, Ad Nauseam
The Sprocket Report
This article has been updated on 12/14/2021 with the article entitled “Old Website Scams Your Business Still Needs to Watch for.”
"There's a sucker born every minute." Contrary to popular belief, P.T. Barnum didn't actually say this quote, but both he and David Hannum, the guy who did say it, would no doubt find the sentiment extremely applicable to the internet. Has someone tried to sucker you in with these common scams?
As web professionals, we can spot spam and scams a mile away and we get a good laugh out of many of them, but if you aren’t spending every moment on the internet like we are, it may be harder to tell who is telling tall tales. Below are a few that you may be wondering about.
Via Email
"I am not spamming. I have studied your website and believe I can help with your business promotion."
The rest of the email explained in some detail how we needed "immediate improvement for some major issues" regarding our broken back links, poorly performing keywords and the fact that the site is not mobile. All of which was true since no website was yet associated with that domain name. That’s not what we call in-depth studying.
"I’m not sure what your company does, but we can get you #1 in search engines."
Since our name is Sprocket Websites, we’re pretty sure this email was not sent by anyone who has a clue about search engines.
Via Snail-mail
"Domain Name Expiration Notice"
At some point, everyone with a website gets this letter from the Domain Registry of America. Technically, domain names do expire and the DROA will renew them, but you’ll pay way more for their service than you should and you may lose ownership as well. Compare the prices at our Sprocket Store, a sister store to GoDaddy, so you’re familiar with what domains ought to cost.
If you are the owner or registrant of your domain name, any renewal notices will come from the place where you registered it the first time. If your web developer registered your domain name for you, as commonly occurs, they will handle the renewal as your agent, which should be detailed in your agreement with them.
Via Phone
"Your website is not showing up in dozens of search engines."
When you get this call, your first thought might be that it must be better to be in more search engines, but honestly, how many search engines do you personally use? While the Yippy search engine might be useful for certain niches, Google, Bing, and Yahoo is where the vast majority of your visitors will be.
You’re busy doing your business, but websites are our business. If you ever have a question about whether you are being scammed, contact us. We’re always happy to help.
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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