A reminder to always check – and double-check – the URL of any page that requests your username and password.

One of our clients received a typical spam email today that appeared to be coming from Bluehost.

The text read: “Your account contains more than 6729 directories and may pose a potential performance risk to the server. Please reduce the number of directories for your account to prevent possible account deactivation.”

Naturally the client was alarmed, and he clicked what appeared to be a URL link to Bluehost in the email.

However, when clicked, the URL link changed to the address of a Russian spammer (.ru), as you can see in the image below. The Russian spam site is a perfect duplicate of the Bluehost login page. If he had entered his username and password, he would likely have lost his site in one way or another, and been subjected to no end of trouble. Only by double-checking the URL is it obvious the email did not come from Bluehost.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS double-check site links before entering any text on a website! And if you’re not sure, please forward any email requests you receive and we’ll be happy to advise you at no charge.