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Urgent Security Alert: Impersonation Scam Targeting Our Clients

Hi Everyone,

I'm writing to alert you about a recurring scam where individuals are impersonating me and Inspire Small Business again.

It appears that clients who have left reviews for us on the Shopify Partners platform are being specifically targeted, as your business name is publicly visible there.

Your vigilance is crucial. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and your business

 

How to Identify a Scam & Protect Yourself

 

  1. We Will Never Use Gmail
  • Myself or anyone on my team will only ever email you from our official @inspiresmallbusiness.com domain.
  • The scammers are using: info.inspiresmallbusiness@gmail.com at the moment
  • ACTION: Search your inbox for this address. If you find any emails from it, report them as phishing and block the sender immediately. I recommend blocking it even if you haven't received anything yet.
  1. We Will Always Invoice in Your Local Currency
  • Our invoices are always sent in your local currency (e.g., GBP for UK clients, AUD for Australian clients).
  • We would never send an invoice in USD to a client outside the USA, except in extremely rare historical cases. Moving forward in 2025, this rule will be strictly followed without exception.
  1. We Only Use Official Payment Platforms
  • We only send invoices through:
    • PayPal (from clayton@inspiresmallbusiness.com)
    • Stripe (under "Inspire Small Business" or "Clayton Bates")
    • Direct Bank Deposit (under "Inspire Small Business" or "Clayton Bates")
  • We will never ask for payment through an unfamiliar or unofficial platform.
  1. We Use Secure, Official Access Methods
  • The only safe way to grant us access to your store is via an official Shopify collaborator request (a 4-digit code).
  • Never accept any other type of access request, even if it uses my name. Our official requests will always show as coming from "Inspire Small Business"

What to Do If You've Been Contacted or Paid

  • If you received a suspicious email: Please forward it directly to me so I can continue to track this issue.
  • If you made a payment: Don't panic. We have successfully helped others get refunds. Please contact me immediately with all the details, and I will personally help you navigate the process.

We know this scammer is operating from Nigeria and has already stolen thousands from clients of various agencies. While we are actively working to stop them, your awareness is the best defense.

For a deeper dive, I've created a video that explains these scams in detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anJNf0BGEPU&t=207s

I also want to say that when we first found this out I tried to get the email shutdown but couldn't so if you can report and block it would be good. I have also tried to get all the payment gateways etc shutdown with no luck yet but the harsh reality is that even if they do get shut down they will just open a new one. 

Stay safe, and when in doubt, always feel free to contact me directly to verify any communication.

Cheers,