Once your business has a website, a domain and a Google listing, the scam mail starts. Some of it looks like an invoice. Some of it sounds urgent on the phone. Almost all of it is built to make a busy owner pay first and check later.
Here are seven of the most common scams aimed at local businesses, how to spot each one, and what to do instead.
1. The fake domain renewal notice
What it looks like: a letter or email titled something like “Domain Name Expiration Notice”, with your business name, your web address and a payment slip. It looks official and it looks urgent.
What’s really going on: it comes from a company you’ve never used. Read the fine print and you’ll often find that paying doesn’t renew anything. It moves your domain to them, usually at a higher price, and sometimes it buys nothing at all.
What to do: find out who your real registrar is (the company your domain is registered with) and only pay renewals that come from them. If you’re not sure, look up your domain in a free WHOIS or registration lookup tool, or ask whoever built your website. If a notice names a company you don’t recognize, throw it away.
2. “Someone is trying to register your name in another country”
What it looks like: an email from a “registration service” saying another company has applied to register your business name as a domain in China or Asia, and asking whether you “authorized” it. They offer to protect you by registering those domains for you first.
What’s really going on: there’s no other company. It’s a pressure tactic to sell you domains you don’t need.
What to do: ignore it. A local business doesn’t need foreign versions of its domain. Your customers are finding you at the one you already have.
3. The “Google listing” robocall
What it looks like: a call, often recorded, warning that your Google listing will be removed, marked as closed or “not verified” unless you press 1 and pay.
What’s really going on: Google doesn’t charge for a Business Profile, and the people on these calls aren’t Google. They want a payment, or access to your account.
What to do: hang up. Manage your profile yourself by signing in to your own Google account. Our Google Business Profile guide walks you through it, step by step, for free.
4. “Guaranteed #1 on Google” SEO offers
What it looks like: emails such as “I noticed your website has 37 errors” or “We can get you to the first page of Google in 30 days, guaranteed.”
What’s really going on: these are mass emails sent to thousands of businesses. No one can guarantee a top ranking on Google. Google says so itself. Some of these sellers just take a monthly fee and do little. Others use spammy tricks that can hurt your site.
What to do: don’t reply. If you want help with search, work with someone you chose, who explains what they’ll do in plain words and doesn’t promise rankings. Our guide to showing up in “near me” searches covers what really helps.
5. Review removal and review extortion
What it looks like: two flavors. One offers to “remove your bad reviews” for a fee. The other is a threat: pay up, or a flood of one-star reviews is coming.
What’s really going on: no outside company can get a Google review removed for you. Paying for that is money gone. Threats of fake reviews are extortion.
What to do: don’t pay either one. Report reviews that break Google’s rules from your Business Profile, and report extortion attempts to Google too. Then keep earning genuine reviews. Our guide on getting more Google reviews the honest way shows you how.
6. The directory listing “invoice”
What it looks like: an invoice for a listing in an online business directory you never signed up for. Sometimes a caller first “confirms your details”, and that call is later presented as proof that you agreed to buy.
What’s really going on: they’re hoping your bookkeeper pays it without asking questions.
What to do: only pay invoices you can match to something you actually ordered. Tell whoever handles your bills to check with you before paying any company they don’t recognize. You don’t owe money for something you never agreed to buy.
7. “Your website will be shut down” emails
What it looks like: an urgent email saying your website, hosting or domain will be suspended today unless you “update your payment details” through a link.
What’s really going on: it’s phishing. The link goes to a fake login page that steals your password or card number.
What to do: don’t click the link. Go to your provider’s website by typing the address yourself, or call them on a number you already have. If there’s really a problem, you’ll see it there.
How to protect yourself for good
A few simple habits shut down almost all of these:
- Know who your registrar and web host are, and keep their contact details in one place.
- Make sure your domain is registered in your name, not in your web designer’s name. If you ever part ways, you keep it.
- Turn on auto-renew and registrar lock, so your domain can’t lapse or be moved without you.
- Use an email address you control for your domain and hosting accounts, and keep it up to date.
- Verify before you pay. If anything feels urgent, call the company on a number you already have, not the one in the message.
- Slow down. Scams depend on urgency. A real company will still be there tomorrow.
Been targeted? You can report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It helps them spot patterns and warn other businesses.
Want one less thing to watch?
With BoostCrow, your domain is included on every plan and registered in your name, so it’s yours. We handle renewals for you while you’re a client, and if a notice ever looks suspicious, you can just forward it to us and ask. Our website cost guide explains what a website should really cost, and you can compare our plans or see a free demo of your new site. It costs nothing and there’s no commitment.