Hi, thanks as at all times for reading TechCrunch. We would like to speak with you quickly about something essential.
We’ve discovered that scammers are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads and reaching out to firms, pretending to be our staff once they absolutely should not. These bad actors are using our name and fame to attempt to dupe unsuspecting businesses. It drives us crazy and infuriates us in your behalf.
Anecdotally, this isn’t just happening to us; fraudsters are exploiting the trust that comes with established news brands to get their foot within the door with firms across the media industry.
Here’s an example of essentially the most common scheme we’ve been tracking: Impostors impersonating our reporters to extract sensitive business information from unsuspecting targets. In several cases we find out about, scammers have adopted the identity of actual staff members, crafting what looks like a typical media inquiry about an organization’s products and requesting an introductory call.
Sharp-eyed recipients sometimes catch discrepancies in email addresses that don’t match our real employees’ credentials. But these schemes evolve quickly; bad actors keep refining their tactics, mimicking reporters’ writing styles and referencing startup trends to make their pitches increasingly convincing. Equally troubling, victims who conform to phone interviews tell us the fraudsters use those exchanges to dig for much more proprietary details. (A PR rep told Axios that somebody posing as a TechCrunch reporter raised suspicions once they shared a scheduling link.)
Why are they doing this? We don’t know, though an affordable guess is that these are groups searching for initial access to a network or other sensitive information.
As for what to do about it, if someone reaches out claiming to be from TechCrunch and you may have even the slightest doubt about whether or not they’re legitimate, please don’t just take their word for it. We’ve made it easy so that you can confirm.
Start by checking our TechCrunch staff page. It’s the quickest technique to see if the person contacting you truly works here. If the person’s name isn’t on our roster, you’ve got your answer right there.
If you happen to do see someone’s name on our staff page, but our worker’s job description doesn’t square with the request you’re receiving (i.e., a TechCrunch copy editor is suddenly very excited about learning about what you are promoting!), a foul actor could also be attempting to con you.
If it seems like a legitimate request but you ought to make doubly certain, you must also be happy to contact us directly and just ask. You’ll be able to learn find out how to reach each author, editor, sales executive, marketing guru, and events team member in our bios.
We understand it’s frustrating to must double-check media inquiries, but these groups are counting on you not taking that extra step. By being vigilant about verification, you’re not only protecting your individual company — you’re helping preserve the trust that legitimate journalists rely on to do their jobs.
Thanks.