I want to make folks aware of a pattern I’ve noticed which is either a scam or, at the very least, questionable business practices. The first time I was approached on my website’s chat. The second—the one I’m still talking to—was through Instagram.
The approach is as follows:
- Asks a general question about our business: delivery time, product info, etc.
- Compliments the design of our store and mentions that they, too, have a Shopify store. Starts asking for advice.
- Gives me the link to their store (or it’s in their profile). Each time, the store in question has been legit and, from what I can tell, more successful that ours.
- Starts dropping hints about how they made their site successful. Dollar figures—thousands of dollars per week—are mentioned.
- Suggests I talk to someone at Shopify about how to improve my site, then immediately adds how difficult it is to get help from Shopify.
- Finally provides a link to the “consultant” that helped their site become the powerhouse it is.
The first time, I sensed the scam coming and blocked the person. This time I’ve continued the chat to see where it’s going—and to whom.
I’m not going to mention the handle or site that they purport to be because it’s a legit site and, as far as I can tell, not involved. Someone is using their name. I reached out to the store in question each time and made them aware that someone was claiming to be their owner.
Both times, the person approaching me had a very real-looking social media page. They steal content from the original store’s page, provide a link to the store, and—in both cases, so far—have a discount code for the store on their page.
So… My reason for posting is twofold: First, I want people to be aware of what’s going on out there. We’re all hoping to make our sites more popular, to build revenue, and this approach builds on that desire. “If it sounds too good…” I assume you know the rest.
If someone contacts you and says they own another Shopify store, be wary. I don’t want to say it’s always going to be a scam because I have met legit eCom folks because they wanted to ask about how I did something on my site, but if they suddenly start talking about a service or individual who helped them make their site, your Spidey sense should start tingling.
Second, how should we, as a community, handle people like this? I have this individual’s Instagram handles (both the fake store and their consultant identity) as well as their Fiverr ID. This person may be a legit consultant using less-than-ethical business practices to drum up business or someone running a larger phishing expedition; I’m not sure, but I’m guessing the former. I looked in the Shopify Partner Directory and (of course) they’re not listed. From past experience, I assume if I report them to Instagram, they’ll do nothing. It may help to contact Fiverr, but if they get deleted, they’ll be able to setup another ID.
I’ve gone so far as to add something about consultants in my FAQ—a relatively polite “go away”—and if someone approaches with an obvious sales pitch, I’ll ignore or block them. I don’t have the time to deal with these people, yet I never want to offend an actual customer. What are other folks doing to deal with these situations?