This is a story about a web design scam.

So today we received an email from a potential client (Jeff Brown) enquiring about a new web build –

Hello,

I would like to know if you can handle website design for a new
company and also if you accept Visa credit card as mode of payment.
Please advice so i can send the job details.

With Regards

To which I replied –

Hi Jeff,

Yes, we can take credit card as payment!

How can we help you?  If you would like to chat about it you can also reach me on 01959 447456

Kind regards

A few hours later…

Hi Paul,
Thanks for your swift response, Here is the job details.I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so 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://www.agroamerica.com…. the site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on the site i gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and i want the same page as the site i gave you to check out and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages 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 iCertifiedfarmproduct.com
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. i will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
6. i want the site up and running before ending of next month.
7. My budget is $4000 to $8000Kindly get back to me with:
(1) an estimate
(2) your cell phone number
(3) And will like to know if you are the owner ??Thanks, Jeff.

Jeff Brown

This is where the alarm bells started going off, Dollors ($), surely he can see we are a British company and so would deal in Pounds (£) ? Okay, so with benefit of doubt given I went on to checking the domain he wanted ‘iCertifiedfarmproduct.com’ which surprisingly had already been registered  in 2016.

So, time to start looking up ‘Jeff Brown’ (mdx01968@gmail.com) as his gmail account even had a photo so he must be real! Nope, couldn’t find him, even searched images on Google and proifiles on LinkedIn etc.!  Hmm…Is he real?  He looks so nice and trustworthy in his picture. :I’m sad:

Time to use the old Google “” test and searched for the first line of his response “I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business“, the results of which you can see by clicking here.  Low and behold he’s been contacting other web designers for work that is rightfully ours, the git!!

So it was time to respond to his last reply and secure this awesome potential job –

Hi Jeff,

Looking at the site you have sent me we could only take on the job if the budget started at $24,756 (&24p) due to the amount of work involved. I have a nut allergy and will have to get some very special and costly protection software to ensure I do not go into toxic shock when working on your site as it has now been proven that images can trigger such deadly allergy’s.

I am really excited to start working with you and am over confident that I can do an award winning job on your site and will be well worth your investment.

To get started I would need a small ‘good will’ donation deposited into my off-shore Nigerian account which I hope will not be a problem.  If okay I will send you the details.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Hail Satan, our lord and master.*

Kind regards.

I am yet to get a response but will be sure to update this post if I do.

So lesson to be learned – If it looks to good to be true, and the grammar and structure is iffy, don’t touch it with a barge-pole!

*I am not a satanist