Scam Warning

Scam warning: fake emails using my name

Last updated 16 October 2026. I will update this page if new sender addresses appear.

If you have an email from "Chris Allen" sent from a Gmail address, it is not from me. I only email from an @achris.co.uk address. If you are in any doubt, call me on 07980 700 547 or forward the email to support@achris.co.uk.

What is happening

Since early October 2026, someone has been setting up Gmail accounts in my name. They copy my real email signature, the photo from my LinkedIn profile, my logo, and my Google reviews link. Then they email my clients, and other small businesses whose addresses are listed on their websites. Often these are info@ or reception@ inboxes.

They also use email tracking tools, such as Streak and mail-merge services, so they can see who opens their messages.

Sender addresses so far

These are the addresses I know about. None of them are mine.

  • chris.chris.co.uk@gmail.com (the $550 renewal bill, 3 October)
  • chrisallenwebdesign@gmail.com
  • allen.achris.co.uk@gmail.com
  • chrisallens.website@gmail.com (website "review" and follow-up, 9 and 15 October)

Free Gmail accounts are easy to create, so more will probably follow. The address is less important than the pattern: any Gmail address using my name is fake.

The emails I have seen

  • A fake "website licence / renewal" bill asking for $550 (early October).
  • "Urgent: Immediate WordPress Core Maintenance and Server-Level Updates Required" (13 October). It claims WordPress 6.9.x security patches and PHP upgrades must be done by October 18th, and offers a "scope of work".
  • "Important WordPress Update – Please Confirm" (13 October). It says "Since I'm currently managing your website..." and asks you to say if you would like them to go ahead.
  • "Portfolio Accuracy, Enquiry Journey & Website Improvements" (9 October, with a follow-up on 15 October). It looks like a friendly website review, with details taken from your own site, and offers a "priority plan" with a one-time cost. It is not from me.

The wording changes, but the idea is the same. A deadline, a technical-sounding problem, and a request to reply or pay.

What they want

  • Upfront payment for work that does not exist.
  • Logins for WordPress, hosting or your domain. With these they can take over your site or infect it.
  • Remote access to your computer, through remote-control software.
  • A list of people who open their emails. That list can be used later for fake "our bank details have changed" invoices.

How I actually work

  • I only email from an @achris.co.uk address, never Gmail.
  • I never send a surprise bill, or an urgent upgrade demand for work we have not agreed.
  • My invoices only come through FreeAgent.
  • My bank details never change by email.
  • I never ask you to email me a password or login.

If an email does not fit that list, treat it as fake and check with me first.

If you got one of these emails

  1. Do not reply, click any link, or pay anything.
  2. Report it as phishing. In Outlook or Microsoft 365, use "Report phishing". In Gmail, use "Report phishing" from the three-dot menu.
  3. Forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk, the National Cyber Security Centre's reporting address.
  4. Let me know. Call 07980 700 547 or forward it to support@achris.co.uk.

Help get these accounts shut down

You don't have to do any of this. Deleting the email is enough to keep you safe. But if you have a few minutes, reporting it helps protect you and other businesses from being caught out.

These scammers target small businesses that are busy and trust the people they work with. Each report makes it more likely that the fake account is closed before it reaches someone who replies, pays or hands over a login. I report every one I see, and the more reports an account gets, the faster it is shut down.

  1. Google. Fill in the Gmail abuse report form. Enter the Gmail address that sent the email, then paste in the full email headers and the text of the email. Answer "No" to "Is the email impersonating Google?". You don't need a Google account. Use one form for each Gmail address.
  2. National Cyber Security Centre. Forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk. Forwarding it as an attachment is best, because that keeps the headers.
  3. Anti-Phishing Working Group. Forward the email to reportphishing@apwg.org. They share reports with email providers and security companies.
  4. Streak. The emails I have seen use Streak, a tool that tells the sender when you open them. Forward the email to support@streak.com and ask them to ban the sender. Streak's support team has been very responsive and helpful. They have banned two of these accounts so far, the first within half an hour of my report.

How to get the full email headers

The headers show where an email really came from. Google needs them to trace the account.

  • Gmail: open the email, click the three dots, then "Show original". Click "Copy to clipboard".
  • Outlook (desktop): open the email, then File, Properties. The headers are in "Internet headers".
  • Outlook on the web and Microsoft 365: open the email, click the three dots, then View, "View message source".
  • Apple Mail: open the email, then View, Message, "All Headers" (or "Raw Source" to see everything).
  • iPhone or Android: phone mail apps usually cannot show headers. Forward the email to a computer, or just use "Report phishing" in the app.

Google has a guide to finding headers in other email programs.

If you replied, paid or sent a login

  1. Call me straight away on 07980 700 547.
  2. Change the password for anything you shared, and for any other account that uses the same password.
  3. Call your bank if you paid or shared payment details.
  4. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.

For other web designers and small businesses being impersonated

You cannot stop people creating free Gmail accounts. Google removes them one at a time, after you report them, and new ones appear. These steps help:

  • Warn your clients with a plain email that has no links in it.
  • Say "we only email from @yourdomain" on your website, in your footer, in your email signature and on your invoices.
  • Report each fake account to Google using the Gmail abuse form, and include the full email headers.
  • Report the tracking tools the scammers use to the companies that run them.
  • Forward samples to reportphishing@apwg.org and report@phishing.gov.uk.
  • Ask recipients to use "Report phishing" rather than just deleting the email. It teaches mail filters the wording.
  • Make sure your own domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up, so nobody can forge your real address.

I am not the only one. Another agency, Sumy Designs, has written up the same scheme: their impersonation scam warning and how they suggest protecting yourself.

You can also find my real contact details on the contact page.