Scam Alert: Fraudulent Emails Impersonating DP Web Design

We are currently aware of fraudulent emails being sent to DP Web Design clients by people impersonating Danny Poole and DP Web Design.

From the emails that have now been supplied to us by clients, this campaign appears to have been operating since at least 8 June 2026 and has continued through July and into August.

These emails are not being sent from DP Web Design. The sender has copied publicly available information from our website and other online profiles, including our business name, logo, website address, social media links, photographs and other details in an attempt to make the messages appear genuine.

There is no indication that the DP Web Design website, server or email accounts have been compromised. The information being used appears to have been gathered from publicly available sources.

Fraudulent Email Addresses Identified

So far, we have identified the following Gmail addresses being used to impersonate DP Web Design:

• This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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New variations may be created, so clients should not rely solely on checking an address against this list. The most important warning sign is an email claiming to be from DP Web Design that has been sent from a @gmail.com address.

Genuine DP Web Design correspondence is sent from our @dpwebdesign.com.au domain.

What Are the Fraudulent Emails Saying?

The wording has changed as the campaign has progressed, but the emails generally claim that there is an urgent problem with the recipient's website that needs to be addressed immediately.

Claims we have seen include:

• WordPress requires urgent updates or configuration;
• a domain name urgently needs to be renewed;
• plugins require configuration or renewal;
• a website template does not have a valid licence;
• a website is supposedly not compliant with WordPress requirements;
• SSL or security work must urgently be completed;
• SEO work is required to keep the website operational;
• accessibility or WCAG compliance work is urgently required;
• the website has been flagged, restricted or "disallowed";
• the website may be suspended or taken offline if work is not completed by a particular deadline.

Some of the emails have used subject lines such as:

• Action required to keep your WordPress site active
• Urgent: WordPress Compliance & Renewal Required

The scammers have also claimed to have spoken with "WordPress support" and, in some cases, claimed that they have negotiated an extension or grace period on the client's behalf.

These claims are false.

How the Scam Progresses

The initial email is often relatively simple and appears designed primarily to encourage the recipient to reply.

Once someone responds, the impersonator provides more detailed information about the supposed website problems and begins increasing the urgency.

Follow-up messages we have seen have offered services including website backups, plugin updates, SSL and security configuration, SEO work, performance optimisation and supposed website compliance checks.

In one example, the scammer offered two fictitious website compliance packages priced at $650 and $1,000 and advised the client that an invoice would be sent once they selected which package they wanted to proceed with.

This appears to be an attempt to establish trust by impersonating DP Web Design before ultimately requesting payment for work that has not been authorised or performed by us.

Some of the Emails Can Look Very Convincing

These messages are not necessarily obvious spam emails. Some have included genuine information copied from DP Web Design's online presence, including:

• our business name;
• our logo;
• Danny Poole's name and photograph;
• our genuine website address;
• our physical business address;
• links to genuine social media profiles;
• an email signature designed to resemble legitimate DP Web Design correspondence.

The inclusion of genuine business information does not mean that the person sending the email is actually associated with DP Web Design.

Always check the actual sender's email address, particularly when an email involves payment, website access, passwords, renewals or urgent work.

What Should You Do If You Receive One?

If you receive an unexpected email claiming to be from DP Web Design:

• Do not reply to the suspicious email.
• Do not click unexpected links or open attachments.
• Do not provide website usernames, passwords or other access details.
• Do not approve or pay an unexpected invoice.
• Do not provide banking or credit card details.
• Contact DP Web Design independently if you are unsure whether an email is genuine.

Where possible, please forward suspicious messages to us before deleting them or marking them as spam. The original message can provide useful information when identifying and reporting new fraudulent accounts.

Your Website Will Not Suddenly Be Suspended by "WordPress"

One of the common themes in these messages is the claim that WordPress will suspend, disable or take a website offline unless certain work is completed by an arbitrary deadline.

There is no general WordPress authority contacting DP Web Design and requiring client websites to complete SEO work, plugin configuration, template licensing or other maintenance by dates such as 30 July or 10 August.

If legitimate maintenance, hosting, domain renewal or other work is required for your website, it will be communicated through our normal DP Web Design channels.

We Are Continuing to Monitor the Situation

We have been identifying and reporting the fraudulent Gmail accounts being used and have also implemented additional email filtering across servers managed by DP Web Design.

We expect that this particular campaign will eventually reduce or stop as accounts are blocked, reported and become less effective. However, clients should remain vigilant even after the current activity appears to have ended.

The increasing availability of artificial intelligence makes it considerably easier for scammers to create professional-looking emails, imitate the writing style of legitimate businesses, collect publicly available information and produce convincing correspondence at scale.

This means these types of impersonation scams are likely to become increasingly common and may be much more convincing than the traditional poorly written scam emails people have become accustomed to recognising.

Article updated: 10 August 2026