Watch out for the new Reuters footer scam, which asks websites to add a footer to their pages for which they are willing to pay $1600 for three months. The e-mail I was sent was from Frank Helen, claiming to be Jane Barrett, the Head of AI Strategy at Reuters.

These e-mails are not coming from the real Reuters company and instead use a reuterscompany (dot) com domain. They want you to add a footer to your website, which they will never pay you for. So, what’s the point of this scam? Read on to find out.

The Reuters Footer Scam E-mail

This scam starts with an e-mail from a personal Gmail account, which is the first thing that makes it suspicious. Good thing they helpfully explain why they are using it at the end of their e-mail. Darn business email limits.

Here is the e-mail I was sent:

My name is Jane Barrett and I am the Head of AI Strategy at Reuters. We are interested in collaborating with you for footer posts on your website.

Our budget is $1600 for three months, and we are seeking a six-month arrangement. If there are options to increase the budget for additional opportunities, I am happy to discuss this with my team. Please review the attached screenshot to understand the kind of footer post we are looking for.

If there is any issue contacting this email, you can contact us at our company’s email info@reuterscompany.com. Due to the limit on the business email, we are contacting you from a separate email because we need to reach 1000+ admins in one day.

If you don’t understand our idol, you can tell us. I look forward to your response.

Reuters Markets is Not Associated with Reuters

The ReutersMarket (dot) com domain is parked for free at GoDaddy. You can see in the WHOIS directory below, that it was also just registered this year.

Scammers have been doing this a lot lately, to give their scam another level of realism. They take a domain, add something to the real name, and pretend they are the real thing.

The Reuters footer scam is identical to the Mashable Footer Scam that was going around last year. In fact, I’m pretty sure it is the same people behind it, as they sent me the same response when I expressed interest.

What is the Point of this Scam?

This is a strange scam that boils down to selling backlinks. The Reuters footer they ask you to add contains a link to the real Reuters website, and an e-mail to “sign up for their free daily newsletter.” To do that, you have to e-mail someone at the fake Reuters domain.

Of course I e-mailed!

You can see the e-mail response below. This whole thing is an effort to sell backlinks. There is no newsletter. They don’t even make an effort to pretend there is a newsletter.

Selling Backlinks

They also include a link to a file with a list of websites, with their DA and traffic stats. The whole thing is attributed to Reuters and includes all their info.

A small portion of the file is below. It is a very big list with tons of websites!

What is Reuters?

Reuters is a long-standing international news organization known for delivering straightforward, fact-driven reporting. It was established in 1851 in London and has since grown into a primary news source for media outlets, financial institutions, governments, and businesses around the world.

The organization covers a wide range of topics, including global affairs, economics, markets, technology, law, and politics. Its reporting style emphasizes accuracy, speed, and verification, often relying on multiple sources before publishing. Because of this approach, Reuters is frequently used as a reference point when reliability matters more than opinion.

A defining feature of Reuters is its commitment to neutrality. The focus stays on reporting events as they happen rather than promoting commentary or emotional narratives. This makes it a trusted source for professionals who need clear information without editorial slant.

Reuters operates under the Thomson Reuters umbrella, which also provides data and research tools for legal, financial, and corporate sectors. Whether breaking news or in-depth analysis, Reuters is widely regarded as a dependable source for clear and responsible journalism.

They are not associated or involved in this scam in any way.

Does Jane Barrett Work at Reuters?

Yes, Jane Barrett is real and holds the position of Head of AI Strategy at Reuters. She stepped into the role in July 2024 and oversees how artificial intelligence is approached across the organization. She does not spend her time trying to get websites to add footers.

Her work focuses on guiding the responsible use of AI in newsroom operations and editorial workflows, as well as shaping broader strategy around emerging technologies. The role also involves balancing innovation with Reuters’ long-standing standards for accuracy, transparency, and trust in journalism.

Her work has nothing to do with footers or ad outreach. And she would definitely have her own Reuters e-mail address and not need to use Frank Helen’s Gmail account to reach you.

If you are looking up this footer scam, I hope you found this post before you wasted any time adding it to your website!