Is it a web design scam?
February 5, 2026
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
If I had a dollar for every time I saw an email or social media post from scammer I would be a rich man, and unfortunately, the web design industry has it’s fair share of bad eggs.
There are of course some common red flags to look out for which I’ll cover below, but it’s really important to appreciate just how vigilant you need to be with this stuff. Making the wrong choice and engaging with a scammer could potentially cost you a lot.
Lets go though some of the red flags to look out for:
The email address
If the person is using a freebie email address, this could potentially be a scam. Yes, other legitimate businesses that are not in the web design field may use a freebie email address; we’ve seen it firsthand.
But it is extremely rare for an industry that’s all about that online presence to not have a business email address that ends with their website domain ( such as ours @thrivingwebdesign.com )
If you are approached by someone offering to do your SEO or your website and they’re using a @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @outlook.com or any other freebie email address, this is a very big red flag and you should be very cautious about engaging with them.
The portfolio is missing, low quality or has made-up business clients
If they don’t have a portfolio of work they’ve already done when they’re claiming to be the expert, that’s a potential red flag. If they have work, but the websites are very badly designed and look pretty poor or amateurish, that might possibly be an indicator that it’s a scam (or someone who just isn’t qualified or experienced enough to provide decent work).
If the websites they have in their portfolio are businesses you have never heard of, it would be a good idea to do your own independent search on Google or on social media to see if they actually exist, or if they have an ABN you can look up.
Also, be on the lookout for work that’s been stolen and claimed as their own, if you see similar search results with the same portfolio work from another web designer, particularly if that other web designer seems more legit, you might have a pretender on your hands, and that is a definite red flag.
They don’t have an ABN or registered business name
A lot of scammers originate from oversees and it’s impossible to get yourself on the Australian Government’s official business name registration or ABN records.
Scammers based right here in Australia might even be hesitant to register their business officially, simply because it requires you to provide real details that can pinpoint who you are.
If they don’t have their business registered with ASIC (Australian Securities & Investments Commission) or have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
There’s no social proof
Not always a sure-fire indicator of a red flag, but it’s worth checking out their social media. The sign of strong social proof is seeing photos or videos of the staff, the location that evidently looks like it’s in Australia and that it doesn’t look like a fake A.I generated attempt at faking those things.
Look at their followers, if any. Made-up fake accounts will have little to no detail and may even be in another language. It’s not uncommon for scammers operating online to use any number of fake accounts. If virtually all their followers appear like they’re all recently made-up accounts with little to no content, chances are you may be looking at a scammer.
The scare tactic
Some web design and SEO scammers will often approach you via email, telling you they’ve checked out your website and that you have a whole slew of problems and are not showing up on Google.
They might even promise you they can guarantee you get ranked number 1 in search (spoiler alert, no one can guarantee that, Google’s calling the shots, you can only put in good SEO practices to aim high).
In these cases, it’s important to seek a second or third opinion from a more legitimate expert (without being pressured into commitment) to determine if what the person is claiming is true.
Who knows, perhaps some of it is true, perhaps some of it is not. The point is that fear is a common tool in a scammers tool kit, making you worry that you’ll lose visibility or worse if you don’t commit to paying them to fix the problem as fast as possible.
The faster, the less time you have to rethink it.
Prices too good to be true
If the price they are offering seems very cheap, this too is a red flag. While web design businesses that are legit will always endeavour to quote reasonably, pricing dirt cheap is just not feasible. Time has to be put in, the actual work involved, the feedback, the revisions, the quality, and the experience. All this stuff in any industry can impact the price.
So if they’re offering it to you at a low, low price, somethings very wrong. Either they are legit, and they don’t know what they’re doing (or will do a bad job at it through sheer lack of skill and experience), or it’s a scam, and they’re just after a cash grab.
Again, seek other legitimate experts and get them to quote the same thing and compare. If 3 or 4 experts are quoting higher but roughly within the same ballpark area, there’s a reason for that.
Chances are, the low baller who approached you may just be a scammer.
The high-pressure rush
Scammers hate it when people don’t take the bait right away. The more time you have to think about it, the less chance they’ll win. You will often find a typical scammer will tell you to “act now”, or “limited time offer”, or any other phrase that tries to rush you into committing.
They may even email you multiple times a week or call you nonstop. If this is happening to you, give them the heave-ho and ditch them. Never let anyone rush you into anything.
They ask for weird forms of payment
If you haven’t picked up on it being a scam and you have already started conversing with them, be wary if they ask for weird forms of payment such as cryptocurrency or in gift cards (especially gift cards they ask you to read out over the phone).
Legitimate Australian businesses will always ask using legitimate payment methods (such as payment by direct debit or direct deposit, credit card and generally via an invoice).
Look to make sure if you are paying via direct deposit, the name on the account matches the name of the business and not someone’s personal banking account. And always ask for a receipt.
If paying by credit card, be wary if they are asking for it over the phone. Make sure that if you are paying them online, the website belongs to the right business, a legit business.
The phone number looks local, but you can’t call them back
Scammers will sometimes use virtual numbers. This is where they pay for a number that looks local to the country they are targeting, and make calls to those victims in the hopes they’ll pick up.
Whenever you call these numbers back, they’re more often than not unreachable, with a voice recording telling you the service is not in operation or is unreachable.
Vet for information if you do pick up any of these calls so you can do your research after you get off the phone and never, ever commit to anything when they are on the phone with you. Including information like your email address, full name, date of birth, where you live or any other sensitive information or payment details.
They’re anonymous online or try to continue the conversation via direct message
A common tactic we have seen are social media accounts that post anonymously or behind a “persona” account that isn’t a business name or real person.
They’ll make an offer in a social media post, ask people to DM them directly, and turn off the comments section so others can’t warn readers it’s a scam.
Go for someone local
The final advice we can give you is go with someone local. A local business will have a registered business name, ABN and will either have an office or be able to meet you in person locally. This will give you the opportunity to get a sense of who they are, get a feel for what you are dealing with and how they present themselves.
An overseas scammer will not be able to do these things. Be safe, be vigilant, especially if they approach you first, not the other way around.
If you’re looking for a local, real web design and SEO business in Perth, look no further than us. We have a registered business name, an ABN and we have been helping clients locally for many years now, with the proof in our portfolio to back it up.
