Website Designers – Beware of this Scammer
This post is to secure all the fellow website designers or web design companies from falling prey into this scammer’s trap. The scammer – Simon Shawntee Demetrice starts by writing you an email for work relationship. And tries to draw money from you by working out an emotional built-up on you.
Check this out:
From: Simon Shawntee Demetrice <simonshawnteedemetrice@gmail.com>
Subject: [your-subject]Message Body:
0000000000
Website Design
Website Design Needed
Hello, how are you doing today? My name is Simon Shawntee Demetrice, I wanna know if you can handle website design for a new company and also if you do you accept credit cards ?? kindly get back to me… so i can send you the job details.Thanks Demetrice
This is the email you might see in your inbox.
Looks like a general inquiry right?
Next you respond to it with a “yes” and here’s what’s following;
The response of the spammer to your email:
Thanks for getting back to me, I have business which i want to turn into large scale business now it located in SC and the company is based on importing and exporting of Salon Equipment such as Dryer,hair cream,Weavon,Hairdressing,Clippers, i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ?. so i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible. http://govliquidation.com… I have a private consultant that has the text content and logo for the site. the site would only be information, so i need you to give me an estimate.
1. I want 20pages with the example site i gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3. I don’t have a domain yet but i want the domain name as S.SALON
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. i will be providing the images, logos and content for the site.
6. i want the site up and running before ending of 3months.
7. My budget is $5000 to $10,000
8.Give me your personal cell phone number
9.Are you the Owner
Smells fishy?
Yes, your instincts are right. Let’s be double sure about it. And you send another email with the details he asked for.
And here’s the spammer again:
Thanks for your response, I am okay with the estimate and i wanna proceed so i will pay the sum of $3,000 as down payment for the job using my credit card so work can commence ASAP i understand the content for this site would be needed so as for the job to commence so regarding the content But i will need a little favor from you And the reason why i need this favor from you is because the consultant that has the content and logo for the website does not have the facility to charge credit cards and i also Am presently in the hospital with my Daughter for surgery so i will be glad if you can help me out with this favor.
The favor i need from you is. i would give you my card info’s to charge for $8,200 plus credit card company charges, so $3,000 would be a down payment for my website design and the remaining $5,200 you would help me send it to the project consultant that has the text content and the logo for my website so once he has the $5,000 he would send the text content and logo needed for my website to you also the funds would be sent to him via cash deposit into his account sending of funds would be after funds clears into your account And also $200tip for your stress So i will be looking forward to read back from you. Thanks
RED FLAG. In fact BLOOD RED FLAGS.
It’s time to block the scammer. Or ignore him or if you can best to report the scammer. So that he does not succeed in his motives to fool any more website design companies or even freelancers.
Do your Due Diligence before taking any website designing project
Guard yourself off the scammers forever with your attentiveness.
If something is too good to believe; then don’t.
If you are in a website designing business then don’t just jump upon any client without learning the basic details about them.
“If the client should be smart to choose his website design company. Then the website design company also has all the rights to gain knowledge about who they will be working for.”
Therefore never hesitate from asking some general details about your clients so as to fail the spammers efforts of fooling you and taking away your hard earned money.
Need to design your website or want a free SEO Analysis? Contact us to get started!
