SEO Strategist or scam?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A new Shopify store owner received multiple unsolicited messages from alleged SEO experts within 24 hours of launching their store. One contact, claiming to be a marketing strategist from Pakistan, requested payment via PayPal and collaborator code access but avoided a video call with vague excuses.

Community consensus:

  • This is a common scam pattern targeting new Shopify merchants
  • Red flags include: unsolicited outreach, avoiding video verification, requests for PayPal payment, and lack of credible online presence
  • Scammers often use scripts to automatically detect new stores and mass-message owners

Recommended precautions:

  • Verify if contacts are listed in the official Shopify Partners Directory
  • Always request video calls before engaging services
  • Check for legitimate websites and credible online presence
  • Be especially cautious with unsolicited offers promising quick results
  • Learn basic SEO fundamentals independently

The original poster confirmed they moved the contact to spam and avoided the potential scam by trusting their instincts.

Summarized with AI on October 29. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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Hi everyone, I am new to Shopify - but not to scammers. As many new shops on this platform have experienced already, I am being pelted with messages from so-called experts telling me that my website needs help.

One person, Mora Yomi, feels more legit than the others (good grammar/spelling, screenshots, engaging, etc). He/she keeps asking to work with me for a “small fee” and to pay with PayPal. They claim to be a Shopify marketing strategist/marketer, and is offering to fix my website using my collaborator code. His Facebook profile tells me he’s in Pakistan with less than 300 followers…

I asked to meet virtually over video and he’s “in a seminar” (it’s a weekend) but might be able to tomorrow.

I think I already know the answer, but what do you think of this? Is this the norm for Shopify or is this a scam?

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Hi @jct1111

Welcome to the community. And welcome to world of scammers :slightly_smiling_face:

There are so many scams that it’s really hard to trust someone, or to give a chance to a real developer who is looking for honest work.

First, think it like this. Have you posted a job offer or posted about some problem anywhere? If the answer is no, then let’s think more, did that SEO strategist just stumble on your store or does he have some script to track new Shopify stores and try to offer services? Well, most likely it is the second option. Now is it a scam or han onest offer? See if it has a credible online presence: does it have a website, is it a Shopify partner (https://www.shopify.com/partners/directory), and does it post here in forums? Also, there are a lot of good developers from Pakistan and India, but… a lot of scammers do come from those countries, so one warning flag. And you did a good thing to try to make a video call, that is always a good sign of what the final answer. Think, if you really need a job, you would make 15 minutes for a quick call just as an introduction and to set up the next meeting at least, and not to make excuses like “seminar”.

So yes, a norm for a scammer :slightly_smiling_face: There are a lot of those here on forums; they relentlessly try to get new clients, or, better to say, victims every week. Because they do take money for doing almost nothing, fixing something that is not broken. And how they do it, they make 10- 15 random posts, like replying with Chatgtp and not contributing to a real solution, but have a message " Contact us on email for more." What more? :slightly_smiling_face: And that is, btw again forum rules, but who checks that. Then make contacts through Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, promise 40K income a week but end up just scamming, maybe taking customer info and money and then disappear and make a new social accounts and to it again and again. There are others that will maybe find security issue with your computer and then hackers and offer anti-virus subscriptions… but that is just one example.

One story to share, we were active on Upwork looking for a developer, and from maybe 50 profiles with good reviews, there was not a single one that matched the profile image and country. You see people from Eastern or Central Europe, but when you get on a call, it is clear that they are from China, India, and Pakistan. Also “experts in Shopify”: " Well, I did not write any code in Liquid, but I have read about it" :skull_and_crossbones:

So watch out, search before any action. If you do have any question do ask it here, or watch for AMAs, they are frequent now with real experts, agencies and developers. And I do advise spending a bit of time learning at least the basics of SEO, it could be helpful in the long run.

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Thank you for your detailed reply! I really appreciate the time you took to write this out. Sometimes I feel like I’m overly cautious and should relax my worries, but I’m glad I followed my instincts. I have since sorted this person into my spam folder and have moved on! He nearly got me!

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Thank you! I’m so grateful for this forum. I searched the topic in various ways, and I kept getting brought back here. Because the answers were dated, I just wanted to confirm that my instincts were correct. I have since moved this person to my spam folder. Thank you again for your help!

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I will definitely reach out to someone when ready. I had only listed my store, not even 24 hours prior and they were already reaching out like vultures. I had over 10 messages, which I think was generated using social media.

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