The "I will build you a website for free" scam - educate me
Discussion
I see these posts ALL the time, all over Crapbook, something I am trying to use less but do use in an attempt to advertise my side hustle on (don't bother it's drivel and achieves nothing).
This week I saw an alternative to the usual "I am looking to build my portfolio" post and this time a female username who said she would not charge anything, only a fee which could be agreed if the client loved it with no obligation to continue. So nothing to lose right? I agreed to a call which came earlier on a mobile number. I have just upgraded so didn't note the number however I have my old phone still l so might google it once I get that back from a repair. I wasn't expecting the conversation I had. Articulate, fluent, intelligent, understanding of business acronyms, totally got my position and held a logical and methodical conversation about the importance of a website and a booking form as a platform to entice custom through a professionalism. It was literally a flawless conversation and I genuinely felt she was bonafide, but surely it HAS to be a scam.
After she told me that having a website to any business is the first step in making a success of anything (I let her go on and give me the hard sell) I then asked her what her website was for me to do my due diligence. But she doesn't have one. I then asked if she had any referenceable link or business however, no, she doesn't. She does this as a passion as she likes helping local businesses, apparently. I asked her where she was from and she gave a legitimate area around 30 mins from me, I also saw her post this advert in that local Facebook group yesterday. But the first post I saw from her was for a local group nearer to me and some distance from her so she is clearly posting in a lot of places. The posts are under an anonymous nickname and the DM then comes from a profile called Zoe Nys, shown as an author/filmaker with 35 friends, no photos and a profile picture of a bird just my type that I can't click on an expand.
So it all absolutely stinks of scam to me. But I am stunned by the conversation I had with her, as my instincts felt to me she was likely genuine.
I presume a page is created and shown to you, you like it and pay, and either 1) pay a sum only for everything to disappear the next day or worse 2) when paying it is some form of transaction scam where they take hundreds/thousands in one lump sum then vanish?
ETA - Am just about to screenshot the posts
This week I saw an alternative to the usual "I am looking to build my portfolio" post and this time a female username who said she would not charge anything, only a fee which could be agreed if the client loved it with no obligation to continue. So nothing to lose right? I agreed to a call which came earlier on a mobile number. I have just upgraded so didn't note the number however I have my old phone still l so might google it once I get that back from a repair. I wasn't expecting the conversation I had. Articulate, fluent, intelligent, understanding of business acronyms, totally got my position and held a logical and methodical conversation about the importance of a website and a booking form as a platform to entice custom through a professionalism. It was literally a flawless conversation and I genuinely felt she was bonafide, but surely it HAS to be a scam.
After she told me that having a website to any business is the first step in making a success of anything (I let her go on and give me the hard sell) I then asked her what her website was for me to do my due diligence. But she doesn't have one. I then asked if she had any referenceable link or business however, no, she doesn't. She does this as a passion as she likes helping local businesses, apparently. I asked her where she was from and she gave a legitimate area around 30 mins from me, I also saw her post this advert in that local Facebook group yesterday. But the first post I saw from her was for a local group nearer to me and some distance from her so she is clearly posting in a lot of places. The posts are under an anonymous nickname and the DM then comes from a profile called Zoe Nys, shown as an author/filmaker with 35 friends, no photos and a profile picture of a bird just my type that I can't click on an expand.
So it all absolutely stinks of scam to me. But I am stunned by the conversation I had with her, as my instincts felt to me she was likely genuine.
I presume a page is created and shown to you, you like it and pay, and either 1) pay a sum only for everything to disappear the next day or worse 2) when paying it is some form of transaction scam where they take hundreds/thousands in one lump sum then vanish?
ETA - Am just about to screenshot the posts
Ubiquitous2024 said:
This convo was about a "one off fee of around £400". And the potential to pay a monthly fee for ongoing maintenance and updates.
All to a person I know nothing about though.
It'll be the updates that will end up costing you.All to a person I know nothing about though.
A friend of mine had a similar situation- I priced up building a website for her in a popular template host, with the idea that she could then update the website herself.
However a few weeks later she declined my quote and went with something similar to what's been offered to you. A much cheaper up-front cost, but every text change/update/addition would have a cost associated.
Over time this would cost far more, but all she could see was the small upfront cost.
However, if this contact doesn't have any to demonstrate to you, then I'd run a mile. They're claiming to have done this for 'many local businesses' but can't offer any proof? Dodgy.
make you own on https://www.squarespace.com/ piece of piss top use, you can even get AI to write the text for you in a style you like aimed for your target audience
Almost certainly, as others have mentioned updates/lock in.
Want to change anything = fee.
They pick the hosting = ongoing fees.
They 'own' the domain name = supplier lock in (Ok, technically you can go to the registrar and usually acquire ownership, assuming name is trademarked etc, but this isn't trivial to do) and fees.
So basically having not paid, you don't actually own the website, but the website is now associated with your business. Any falling out with the supplier and they can screw over your business by pulling the site or changing it in ways that damage your business. Suddenly become massively successful and its fairly easy for them to start demanding a lot more money to maintain your potentially now critical website.
And I suspect they are producing it off a relatively standard template so you can do a comparable DIY job off free templates...
Want to change anything = fee.
They pick the hosting = ongoing fees.
They 'own' the domain name = supplier lock in (Ok, technically you can go to the registrar and usually acquire ownership, assuming name is trademarked etc, but this isn't trivial to do) and fees.
So basically having not paid, you don't actually own the website, but the website is now associated with your business. Any falling out with the supplier and they can screw over your business by pulling the site or changing it in ways that damage your business. Suddenly become massively successful and its fairly easy for them to start demanding a lot more money to maintain your potentially now critical website.
And I suspect they are producing it off a relatively standard template so you can do a comparable DIY job off free templates...
The "Free Website Build" Business Scam
Scammers and disreputable agencies frequently use free web design as a "hook" on platforms like Facebook to attract small businesses or entrepreneurs.
Once you agree, you are hit with hidden costs, loss of ownership, or predatory terms.
Common red flags include:Hidden Monthly Costs: Mandatory, overpriced hosting fees to keep the site live.
Locked-in Contracts: You cannot transfer your domain or website files to another host.
Upcharge Traps: Essential features like SSL certificates, contact forms, or SEO optimization cost hundreds of pounds/dollars.
Non-Ownership: The agency registers the domain under their own name, holding your business hostage.
__________
I think the fact that they don't have their own website and have no contact details says all you need to know.
Scammers and disreputable agencies frequently use free web design as a "hook" on platforms like Facebook to attract small businesses or entrepreneurs.
Once you agree, you are hit with hidden costs, loss of ownership, or predatory terms.
Common red flags include:Hidden Monthly Costs: Mandatory, overpriced hosting fees to keep the site live.
Locked-in Contracts: You cannot transfer your domain or website files to another host.
Upcharge Traps: Essential features like SSL certificates, contact forms, or SEO optimization cost hundreds of pounds/dollars.
Non-Ownership: The agency registers the domain under their own name, holding your business hostage.
__________
I think the fact that they don't have their own website and have no contact details says all you need to know.
My wife did a website creation business several years back.
It was a nightmare, and wasn't profitable for her (us).
Ultimately doing a proper job instead of some cheap ass buggy template took time, like getting features to work.
Bottom feeding web based developers would give the idea all this could be done for buttons.
And when something broke or needed changing, the customers wanted it fixed for free, or some sort of 24-7 call centre to fix stupid things they'd done.
My work pays website front and back end developers £600 a day on agency rates, so there's money in it somewhere.
But anyone getting it for free must know they're going to pay for it somewhere...
It was a nightmare, and wasn't profitable for her (us).
Ultimately doing a proper job instead of some cheap ass buggy template took time, like getting features to work.
Bottom feeding web based developers would give the idea all this could be done for buttons.
And when something broke or needed changing, the customers wanted it fixed for free, or some sort of 24-7 call centre to fix stupid things they'd done.
My work pays website front and back end developers £600 a day on agency rates, so there's money in it somewhere.
But anyone getting it for free must know they're going to pay for it somewhere...
Ubiquitous2024 said:
Interesting thanks, will look at squares pace
Myself and my wife have been using Square Space for years. Really well designed templates and an easy to use interface. Also, their support is top notch.I would recommend registering your domains separately. They're cheap these days and you can buy a few alternatives too (like a .com a co.uk, etc).
As others have mentioned, they will “hook” you in, then it becomes a very expensive lock in or worse case you will never see your money again and receive nothing.
Plenty of options there and you can also pay professionals, instead of a random person on social media.
The red flags are there already as you have mentioned of a scam, no photos or details or even reference websites
Plenty of options there and you can also pay professionals, instead of a random person on social media.
The red flags are there already as you have mentioned of a scam, no photos or details or even reference websites
Regardless of whether its a scam or not, the caution I'd urge is entrusting your site to a single-person service provider without evidence of there being some form of support structure their end should they become incapacitated - and assurance that you are provided all passwords and access rights to your site (which many such providers are prone not to provide as this would enable you to do things yourself).
A good friend had his site developed by a one-man-band who provided a good service, up until the point at which he died. My friend was then left with a site he couldn't access leading to a world of aggravation that was never fully resolved.
A good friend had his site developed by a one-man-band who provided a good service, up until the point at which he died. My friend was then left with a site he couldn't access leading to a world of aggravation that was never fully resolved.
Web design / User Experience designer here:
There are various levels of website. A basic website which is a basic theme / wordpress or squarespace etc, on its own will do nothing for your business apart from a place people can see you are legit. They will tell you the website is free, spend 4 hours making it, maybe an hour of changes then host it, theyll charge you £120/£150 a year or so for hosting and domain, maybe even something like £15 a month with no changes or £25 a month with free changes. Their cost will be around £15 per year plus time.
If they can keep you paying for 2-3 years, they earn about £100 per hour, but their aim is to get 100/200 people paying for these websites then its a passive income with very little work, they can even farm updates out to very cheap international labour.
The website wont do much, it wont be SEO optimised, it wont be great performance, but it will serve a basic purpose.
If you went to a proper designer, you would get something bespoke, tailor-made content written to convert, the images would be bespoke for your business and SEO and Performance would be at the top of the requirements. They will talk targeted landing pages, conversion rate optimisation and things like that.
I used to freelance early on in my career and its just not a great way to make money, I still have some clients who I host for and occasional updates, but you need to think how they will make a profit.
With AI these days you can make a basic website within 10 minutes, Last website re-work I done for my mother in laws business was literally two prompts, website UI was done, I then spent a few hours tweaking content, adding pages and making it 'human'.
Edit to add - the issue will be if you ever try to leave them, they will register the domain name in their name then charge a fee for transferring it. Saw this a few times, yellow pages used to be known for it, £120 to move it, when it cost nothing but 5 minutes time, we used to inform nominet and force transfer but eventually they refused if they saw yellow pages where the owner.
There are various levels of website. A basic website which is a basic theme / wordpress or squarespace etc, on its own will do nothing for your business apart from a place people can see you are legit. They will tell you the website is free, spend 4 hours making it, maybe an hour of changes then host it, theyll charge you £120/£150 a year or so for hosting and domain, maybe even something like £15 a month with no changes or £25 a month with free changes. Their cost will be around £15 per year plus time.
If they can keep you paying for 2-3 years, they earn about £100 per hour, but their aim is to get 100/200 people paying for these websites then its a passive income with very little work, they can even farm updates out to very cheap international labour.
The website wont do much, it wont be SEO optimised, it wont be great performance, but it will serve a basic purpose.
If you went to a proper designer, you would get something bespoke, tailor-made content written to convert, the images would be bespoke for your business and SEO and Performance would be at the top of the requirements. They will talk targeted landing pages, conversion rate optimisation and things like that.
I used to freelance early on in my career and its just not a great way to make money, I still have some clients who I host for and occasional updates, but you need to think how they will make a profit.
With AI these days you can make a basic website within 10 minutes, Last website re-work I done for my mother in laws business was literally two prompts, website UI was done, I then spent a few hours tweaking content, adding pages and making it 'human'.
Edit to add - the issue will be if you ever try to leave them, they will register the domain name in their name then charge a fee for transferring it. Saw this a few times, yellow pages used to be known for it, £120 to move it, when it cost nothing but 5 minutes time, we used to inform nominet and force transfer but eventually they refused if they saw yellow pages where the owner.
sriggers said:
Web design / User Experience designer here:
A basic website which is a basic theme / wordpress or squarespace etc, on its own will do nothing for your business apart from a place people can see you are legit.
The website wont do much, it wont be SEO optimised, it wont be great performance, but it will serve a basic purpose.
Square Pants SEO checklist, A basic website which is a basic theme / wordpress or squarespace etc, on its own will do nothing for your business apart from a place people can see you are legit.
The website wont do much, it wont be SEO optimised, it wont be great performance, but it will serve a basic purpose.
https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/...
Got a text with an image of a bit of the front screen of what was done, she has been chasing me for a call to go through it. It did look amazing, although, some clear cut and paste work from existing youtube channel / google business page, and also interesting choice of language - it said "edited in house by the bloke who filmed it". I would never have used that phrase in what would be a professional website or platform.
I have told her I can't proceed and heard nothing since.
I have told her I can't proceed and heard nothing since.
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