It is 2019 and the scams are alive and well… unfortunately. Here are a couple of ways that you can arm yourself against these recent “upgraded” cyber attacks.

DNS Scams– You might get an email that says that you need to renew your Domain Name or lose your website forever… But is it real?

To keep yourself safe, follow these steps.

  1. Double check to see who your domain is registered with by going to whois.com and entering your domain. The company that is listed as your “Registrar” could be something like Network Solutions, GoDaddy, 1and1, eNom, etc.
  2. If the registrar is eNom, you are probably safe and sound with us (Cevado) taking care of your domain through this company. Please email us at support@cevado.net to make sure, and please send us the email you received, so we can stay abreast of all the ways these scam artists are trying to make money illegally.
  3. If it is GoDaddy or any other domain company, they should have an account section on their website, where you can go check to see if your domain is close to expiration and the status of your account. If you need help logging into your registrar account, they should have a support line you can contact.
  4. Best practice is to not give out any personal or banking information to any company you do not trust or in an email thread that comes from an unrecognized email address. If in doubt, reach out to us and ask!

The Google My Business calls– Chances are if you have a phone these days, you have gotten a call from someone saying they are from Google and are looking to help you out.

  1. Google is not going to take the time to call you unless you are spending a TON of money in Google Adwords. They will call you to help you out with your big-spending Adwords account, but they will not contact you in regards to your SEO or your Google My Business Listing.
  2. If you have a Gmail account, you can set up a Google My Business Listing in just a couple of steps. It’s easy and a great way to get noticed on Google. You can go here and set your own up for FREE! https://www.google.com/business/
  3. If you need help with this, give us a call at 877-700-2519 (ask for Vanessa our in-house Google Expert)

The SEO Scammers– We have noticed a high influx of clients contacting us about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) mostly due to spam emails that have been circulating.

  1. If you are one of our clients that is active in our SEO program, you can be sure that your alt tags, headings, meta titles and meta descriptions are done and are optimized to the updated Google Algorithms.
  2. If someone tells you they can guarantee you a #1 listing on Google, they are definitely lying and scamming you out of your money.
  3. Our SEO department would be more than happy to provide you with a FREE site audit that can help you make an educated decision for your online marketing success!

Remember, we are here for you. We have your back. We want you to succeed and thrive. If you have any concerns or questions, just reach out – email, phone, even Facebook messenger. We take your success – and your safety – incredibly seriously. Have a wonderful, productive and fantastic rest of your week!