Scam Alert: Fake Emails Claiming to Be From Apexweb

Scammers are sending emails pretending to be me, Brian Dorey of Apexweb Ltd, and asking website owners to pay a fake £500 "website renewal and maintenance" fee. These emails are not from us. Please do not reply, click any links or make any payment.

Several of our clients have received these emails and kindly let us know. They appear to be going to businesses whose email addresses are listed on their website contact pages, so you may receive one even if you have never worked with us.

What the fake emails look like

The emails use my name, our company name and our real office address to look genuine. Watch for these signs:

• Sender address: info.apexweb.co.uk@gmail.com (a Gmail account, not ours)
• Subject line: "Website Renewal & Maintenance – Service Update"
• Content: says your website's plugins, extensions and software need updating to avoid security or compatibility problems, and asks for a £500 fee
• Follow-up: if you reply, the scammer sends bank details for an overseas account and asks for a screenshot of your payment confirmation

The scammers may change the sender address, subject or amount, so treat any unexpected request for payment with caution.

How to tell a genuine email from Apexweb

• All genuine emails from us come from an @apexweb.co.uk address. We never use Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com or any other free email service for business.
• We will never ask you to pay a fee that doesn't match an invoice or agreement you already have with us.
• We will never ask you to pay into an overseas bank account.
• If you are unsure about any email from us, call us on 01929 421070 before taking action. Please use the number on this website, not one given in the email.

Your data is safe

Our systems have not been compromised, and none of the private information we hold about our clients has been accessed. The scammers appear to have collected email addresses that are publicly listed on websites, such as contact pages, and copied our business details from our own website.

What to do if you receive one of these emails

1. Don't reply, click links, open attachments or make any payment.
2. Forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk, the National Cyber Security Centre's reporting service, then delete it.
3. Let us know. It helps us track the scam and get the accounts behind it shut down.

If you have already paid, contact your bank straight away and ask them to recall the payment. Then report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at actionfraud.police.uk.

We have reported this scam to Action Fraud and to the bank whose account is being used to collect payments. If you would like to cut down the spam reaching the email address on your website, we can replace it with a contact form or a protected address. Just get in touch.

Thank you to the clients who alerted us, and I'm sorry for any worry this has caused.

Brian Dorey, Founder, Apexweb Ltd