Scammers Target Digital Marketing Agency Owners With Fake Business Inquiries

Scammers keep devising new schemes to perpetrate frauds. While people often find digital marketing email scams in their inbox, it’s not just website and business owners that get targeted. Scammers also try to cheat genuine digital marketing agencies with their elaborate scams.

As a digital marketing & SEO agency and owner of numerous websites, I often get the front row in the scam shows.

In the latest scam, someone from Bangladesh sent a business inquiry message via the contact form available on our digital marketing agency website. Let’s look at the online scam that has been devised to trap and cheat agency owners.

Here’s the complete scam email received.

The Anatomy of Scam Email Targeting Digital Marketing Agencies

Scams often pass as genuine opportunities. That’s how the scammers devise their scheme.

Let’s unravel the intricate anatomy of a scam message crafted with the intentions to cheat the recipients.

Creating a Fake Persona

In any scam, the first step is creating a fake persona and disguise as perfectly as possible to match it.

The story begins with an email inquiry submitted via the contact form of the digital marketing website. In our scam message, we received an inquiry from Jennifer Lopez, the Marketing Manager at TEVA, an established US brand in the footwear industry. (The scammer could have done better in using another name.)

In an attempt to establish authenticity, the message mimics genuine business inquiries and provides details of the brand.

As part of the nefarious scheme, the scammer has registered a domain that can easily pass as that of the brand – tevainc.com. An email address (marketing@tevainc.com) is provided to create credibility.

From a basic introduction of the brand to the mention of TEVA’s official social media pages and website, every element is carefully orchestrated to establish credibility.

The Bait of A Prized Client & Money

Digital marketing agencies want to work with big brands and high-paying customers. These scam emails use it as the weakness to trap their targets.

In the scam digital marketing inquiry, the agency is provided with a tantalizing proposition – the opportunity to collaborate with a big brand like TEVA on expanding its market in their country (India in our case).

The promise of lucrative fees further entices digital marketing agencies eager to secure high-profile projects. It’s a trap laid with precision, preying upon the ambitions and aspirations of agency owners seeking growth and recognition.

Identifying the Red Flags

Despite the elaborate scheme, you can find the glimpses of deception. The email address, though bearing resemblance to TEVA’s domain (teva.com), isn’t that of the company website domain. It’s the first hint of the foul play.

When you visit tevainc.com, the domain of the email address that the scammer wants you to use for communications doesn’t look professional. In fact, it’s the default page for hosting provided by a cheap web hosting company – Hostinger, quite popular among scammers.

Our website contact forms log the IP address of the senders. With this additional piece of information, we are able to check the origin of the message.

Further investigation reveals that the IP address associated with the user is 103.204.42.15, which doesn’t align with TEVA’s headquarters in the US. A quick search shows that the IP address of the sender is located in Bangladesh. This country is notorious for online scammers. So, we have our scammer pretending as a marketing manager of an American company while being located in some dingy hole. This raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the email and the intentions behind it.

Moreover, the request for communication via WhatsApp isn’t the norm for companies in the US, raising suspicion. Despite these warning signs, the promise of lucrative rewards may cloud judgment, leading the recipient to overlook these discrepancies.

Exploiting the Gullible Agency Owner

Once an agency owner is hooked, the scammer begins the next round to exploit the recipient for their own gains.

When you get trapped in the scam, you now risk getting scammed in multiple ways. By posing as a representative of TEVA, they aim to gain access to sensitive information, extract payment under false pretenses, or perpetrate identity theft. The mention of “campaign management fees commensurate with your experience and skills” serves as bait to lure the recipient into further communication and potential collaboration, paving the way for exploitation.

UPDATE: Here’s an email about the working of this scam, received from a digital marketing expert managing an agency.

“I got the Teva email and was just about to set up a meeting with them. My business partner and I couldn’t find the contact person on LinkedIn and something seemed off. But your article confirmed our suspicions. They actually had a keyboard logger file in one of their Dropbox links about pricing.” – (Name & Identity Withheld)

The Trojan Attack

Once someone falls for the initial scam email and responds to the fake business inquiry, the scammer sends you a long email with links to infected files and trojans designed to compromise your computer.

Here’s a portion from the scammer’s next email when you express your interest in working with the company.

Staying Alert Against Scams

With scammers constantly looking for targets, vigilance is paramount. Everyone, including website owners and digital marketing agencies, must arm themselves with skepticism and scrutiny, carefully checking every communication for signs of fraud.

To avoid falling victim to such scams, digital marketing agencies must exercise caution and implement robust security measures:

1. Verify the Sender: Always cross-check the sender’s email address with the official domain of the company they claim to represent. Look for inconsistencies or irregularities that may indicate foul play.
2. Research the Company: Take the time to research the purported company, visit their official website, and verify their contact details. Reach out through official channels to confirm the authenticity of the inquiry.
3. Stay Vigilant: Be wary of unsolicited emails requesting sensitive information or immediate action. Trust your instincts and don’t hesitate to investigate any suspicious communication.
4. Educate Your Team: Train your staff to recognize common signs of phishing scams and provide them with guidelines on how to respond to such threats appropriately.
5. Report Suspicious Activity: If you encounter a scam or phishing attempt, report it to the relevant authorities, such as your email service provider or law enforcement agencies.

Digital marketing agencies have the responsibility to safeguard themselves and their clients from falling victim to such nefarious schemes. Stay informed, exercise caution, and keep your guard up!