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As a web designer, I regularly receive inquiries from potential clients seeking website development services. Most of them are legitimate business owners, but occasionally, a scammer sneaks through. If you do a lot of remote work, or get a lot of your clients online, this article is for. Kindly share it to let other developers beware.
This case study details my email exchange with a supposed client who turned out to be a scammer. At first, everything seemed genuine, but as the conversation progressed, red flags started appearing. This is a well-known scam targeting web designers, and I’m sharing my experience to help others avoid falling into the trap.
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The Initial Inquiry
The scam began with a simple contact form submission on our website from one “Gloria Anderson”:
Message: “Would you be able to help our company with website design?”
This is a common and normal request, so I responded professionally, thanking her for reaching out and asking for more details about the project.
Gloria responded with an elaborate project description, claiming she had opened an Irish restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. She provided a reference website and asked for a quote, mentioning that her budget was “SUPER FLEXIBLE”—a potential red flag since real clients usually have a set budget.
I didn’t suspect any foul play at this point, thinking our new U.S landing page was converting already.
Too Good to Be True
I sent her a project quote, breaking down the cost and scope. She responded enthusiastically, saying:
“Sounds good! After reviewing the price quote, I think we should continue with the next step.”
Everything seemed normal at this point—until she asked to pay with a check.
“Please give me your payment information so that I can issue your deposit payment in the form of a check mailed and addressed to your U.S.-based individual/company/entity or your partner.”
This was the first major red flag. Checks are rarely used for online transactions anymore, and legitimate businesses typically pay via direct bank transfers, credit cards, or digital payment platforms.
The Scam Becomes Clear
I replied that we only accept direct bank transfers and Mobile Money payments, which are very common in here in Ghana and among our typical client-base — Ghanaian business owners and the Ghanaian diasporan. Her response was filled with excuses:
“I recently had issues with my bank account… $14,600 was deducted, and my bank advised me to stop issuing wire transfers… PayPal is also not an option.”
Then came the scammer’s real intention:
“Do you have anyone in the U.S. who can receive a check on your behalf? It could be a relative, brother, sister, or colleague. I’ll mail the check to them, and they can forward the funds to you.”
This is a classic overpayment scam. If I had agreed, she would have sent a fraudulent check for an inflated amount, then asked me to send a portion of the money to her “consultant” before the check bounced.
How I Responded and Cut Off the Scam
At this point, it was clear that this was a scam, so I sent a firm response:
“We have U.S. clients who pay for services via direct bank transfers and Mobile Money. If the only way you can pay is via check, we won’t be able to proceed. Kindly find another web developer.”
After this, she stopped responding—confirming my suspicions.
This experience reinforced some important lessons for web designers and freelancers:
- Be Wary of Unusual Payment Requests – Legitimate clients will not insist on outdated payment methods like mailed checks.
- Too Much Enthusiasm Can Be a Red Flag – Scammers often accept quotes without any negotiation or questions.
- Fake Urgency & Overpromises – The scammer pushed a strict deadline and claimed to have a flexible budget—classic scam tactics.
- They Avoid Direct Communication – She refused to call, claiming to be in Asia, which is a common excuse scammers use.
- Trust Your Instincts – If something feels off, verify the client’s identity before proceeding.
Scammers are getting more sophisticated, but by staying cautious and recognizing the warning signs, web designers can protect themselves from falling into their traps. As a designer, you likely already have a lot of experience working remotely, let this guide you. Clients are the same regardless of where they come from. Unless the client is an in-house developer seeking to outsource to you, they likely would not be eloquent in web design contract formalities, and more likely to need some guidance.
Always verify your clients, insist on secure payment methods, and never agree to handle payments on behalf of a third party.
I share this experience hoping other web designers can avoid wasting time and money on similar scams. I encoueage you to share it too. Thanks for reading.
