Does Mashable really want to advertise in your footer for $1200 a month? The Mashable website footer scam is fooling websites into adding a footer at the bottom of their site which includes a Gmail address for people to contact. It starts with the supposed manager of Mashable e-mailing you to ask about paid footer ads on your website. Read on the find out more about this new scam.
How much does one post from you cost?
This is the subject line on three of the e-mails I’ve gotten involving this scam: How much does one post from you cost? The e-mails have come from both Krew Chambers and Neckomincs.
Seems like a normal guest post inquiry, but when you reply back with your rates, they reply back with the message shown above and request you add this footer for $1200 a month. What a deal! Unfortunately, they are never going to pay you.
The Mashable Footer
Below is the footer they want you to add to your website. They are impersonating the website Mashable and trying to trick people into sending them money to be on Mashable.
******** Mashable is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company.
For more queries and news contact us on this Email: mashablepartners@gmail.com (not really Mashable, don’t e-mail)
Please Create PayPal Invoice At This Email. Please Note: If your invoice is not paid on time, this is an issue, then you can contact us on this email. Our finance team pays invoices every Tuesday and Friday
Mashable Fails to Reply to Scam Notices
I contacted Mashable directly to let them know about this scam and never got a response. I have never once gotten a response from any of these places scammers are impersonating so I was not shocked that my messages were ignored.
But you know who did respond? The websites that fell for the scam!
I Googled the footer, and it popped up on several websites! So, I e-mailed those websites and asked if they’d ever been paid for the footer. It’s no surprise that the answer to all of them was no, and that they removed the footer after failed payments.
What’s the Point to this Scam?
To find out what the end game is here, I e-mailed the contact and asked about opportunities with Mashable.
Here’s the reply:
Mashable™ Is A News Website, Digital Media Platform, Press Release, Informational Guest Post And Entertainment Company
| Guest Post: 50$ For Regular, And $100 For Casino Posts |
| Link Insertion: $40 For Non-Sensitive, And $60 For Sensitive Link Insertions |
| Banner Placement: $120 Per Month Or $600 For 12 Months (Inquire For Bulk Banner Deals) |
| Here Are Our Guidelines: Please Click This Link Mashable™ Guidelines |
| Please Note: We Prefer Pre-Payment Prior To Live Link |
| Payment Via PayPal Or Credit Card. All Payments Must Be Made Within 24 Hours |
I’ve removed the links, but they don’t go to the Mashable website. They go to Google docs. What they want is for you to pre-pay for guest posts and ads, which they will not be delivering.
They also include a big list of websites that offer guest posts for various amounts. Maybe those are real, maybe not, but I wouldn’t trust anything from this person. I suspect it is some kind of SEO backlinking scam.
What is Mashable?
Mashable is a popular digital media platform that covers a wide range of topics, including technology, entertainment, culture, science, social media, and more. Founded in 2005 by Pete Cashmore, Mashable started as a blog and has grown into a global media company known for its engaging articles, videos, and social media content.
If anyone is going to be contacting you from Mashable, they will have a website with the actual url in it, NOT Gmail!
Key Features of Mashable:
- Tech and Gadget News: Mashable provides updates on the latest technology trends, product launches, and reviews.
- Pop Culture and Entertainment: The site covers movies, TV shows, music, and viral internet trends.
- Social Media Insights: It offers guides, news, and analysis related to platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more.
- Science and Innovation: Mashable explores advancements in science, space, and environmental issues.
- How-Tos and Tips: The platform includes practical guides on tech usage, social media strategies, and other day-to-day digital tips.
Mashable is known for its accessible, reader-friendly tone and its ability to appeal to both casual readers and tech enthusiasts. The site’s global reach and relevance make it a go-to source for staying updated on digital culture and innovation.
It also makes it a target for scammers to impersonate!
So don’t waste your time adding this footer to your website. And please comment if you found this post because you were contacted about the Mashable footer scam.
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Categories: Mom Blog, scam alert
I just got solicited with this one. It looked exactly as you presented it here!
Saw a lot of red flags:
no name,
no signature,
no email connected to Mashable,
emailing on a Saturday,
calling me “Dear,” (no “kindly” or “do the needful”)
they sent a screen shot of the footer ad “in action” on another site, but when I went to that site, it wasn’t there,
avoiding answers to direct questions.
Still, I wasn’t sure it was a scam, because how does asking me to PayPal invoice them accomplish anything?
How does this work?
Thank you for clarifying this. I see the convoluted, roundabout way they try to extract money now.
And I also contacted Mashable, and got no answer.
Thank you for commenting! It was such a weird scam that I was wondering if anyone would find my article warning about it. I appreciate you letting me know you found it.
Thnk you for putting it out. I searched for it and came accross your site.
Thanks for letting me know the post is finally being found! Such a weird scam I wasn’t even sure what to call it, lol.
Contacted me twice so far.
Same! On two different e-mails of mine as well, so this guy is really getting around.
I also receive same email. They offer $1200 per month for showing footer ads on my blog. I created the invoice but they never paid me. Again they send email that they have some issues and sent me new PayPal email to create invoice. They never pay you and it’s better to stay away from these emails. Thanks for sharing this detailed post to aware bloggers and webmasters.
Thank you for sharing that! I am happy to hear people are finding my post about this. It’s such an odd scam.
I got same offer today, before going ahead I google, and found your post, Thank you so much for saving my time, and exposing this scam
They are very busy! They’ve sent it to me four more times now. Glad you found the post.
Yes they are 100% scammer. I also scammed by them they still chasing me by saying they will pay the invoice.
They are relentless!
yes, received a few days ago. Surprised to see the amount they are willing to pay. Not wasting my time to create an invoice which will never be paid.
Of course you can offer people any amount, if you never intend to pay it, lol.
They just reached out to me too! Glad your article is showing on Google for “Mashable Scam”! Hopefully will stop people being tricked and losing money.
So glad this post is being found! It’s really crummy the way they are tricking people.
Just received the same email. What do they even get? Are Mashable behind this for free publicity? Because apart from not paying to the website owner, what exactly the benefit they are getting?
It’s free advertising for their guest post scam. When someone contacts the e-mail, they send you big list of places you can add a post and the rates. Then you have to prepay. Then they just keep the money and don’t post anything.
Yes i got one request like this too. Thanks for the warning, saved me a lot of time.
Happy to hear the post is working 🙂
I got this today offering me $2000 – not even going to bother replying now I’ve seen this post!
Definitely do not waste your time!