Fake emails impersonating Honest Web Designs

The messages may claim that website renewals, maintenance, plugins, themes, hosting, or other services are due, then ask you to reply or pay. Multiple businesses have reported receiving them.

At this time, we have found no evidence that Honest Web Designs systems, client websites, or client data were breached in connection with this campaign. The pattern is consistent with scammers using publicly available business information to find potential targets.

How to recognize a fake message

• It claims to be from Honest Web Designs but comes from Gmail or another non-Honest Web Designs address.
• It demands an unexpected renewal, maintenance, plugin, theme, or hosting payment.
• The sender, reply-to address, signature, or linked contact details do not match.
• It pressures you to click a link, reply, share a password, or pay quickly.

A familiar name, logo, or email display name does not prove a message is legitimate.

How to verify a message

Direct email from Jeff comes from jeff@honestwebdesigns.com. Automated invoices may arrive through FreshBooks, but they will identify FreshBooks and match a service or project you recognize. Honest Web Designs will not ask you to pay an unexpected invoice sent from a personal Gmail account.

If you are unsure, start a new email to jeff@honestwebdesigns.com or call using a number you already have. Do not reply using contact information in the suspicious message.

What to do

• Do not reply, click links, open attachments, provide information, or pay.
• Report the original message as phishing in your email app.
• If possible, forward the original as an attachment or with full headers before deleting it.
• If you clicked a link, entered a password, or sent payment, contact Jeff immediately. Change any exposed password, enable multifactor authentication, and contact your bank if you paid.

We will update this notice if the situation changes.

Last updated: September 25, 2026.