Impersonators are targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

TechCrunch has issued a stark warning to companies across various industries, alerting them to a concerning rise in sophisticated scams. Malicious actors are actively impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads, leveraging the publication’s trusted brand name to deceive businesses and extract sensitive information.

These fraudulent individuals are reaching out to companies, falsely claiming to be affiliated with TechCrunch. Their objective is to dupe unsuspecting organizations, aiming to compromise data and gain unauthorized access. This trend highlights a broader issue where scammers exploit the credibility of established news entities to facilitate their illicit activities.

The most prevalent scheme involves scammers adopting the identities of actual TechCrunch staff members. They craft phishing attempts that mimic legitimate media inquiries about a company’s products, often requesting introductory phone calls. While some recipients may catch discrepancies in fake email addresses, these bad actors are continually refining their tactics. They meticulously copy reporters’ writing styles and reference current startup trends to make their pitches appear increasingly convincing.

Victims who have engaged in phone interviews with these impersonators report that the fraudsters aggressively seek proprietary details about their businesses. In one instance cited by Axios, a PR representative grew suspicious of an individual posing as a TechCrunch reporter due to an unusual scheduling link they provided, underscoring the evolving nature of these deceptive practices.

The exact motivations behind these scams are not definitively known, but it is reasonably suspected that these groups are seeking initial network access or other valuable, sensitive corporate information.

TechCrunch emphasizes the critical need for vigilance and provides clear steps for verification. If you receive an inquiry claiming to be from TechCrunch and harbor any doubts about its authenticity, do not proceed based solely on the sender’s word. The publication urges recipients to verify the legitimacy of the contact through specific channels.

The most direct method is to consult the official TechCrunch staff page. This resource lists all legitimate employees. If the name of the person contacting you is not present on this roster, it serves as immediate confirmation of a fraudulent approach.

Furthermore, even if a name appears on the staff page, recipients should cross-reference it with the nature of the inquiry. For instance, if a TechCrunch copy editor, whose role is editorial, suddenly expresses significant interest in your company’s business operations, this discrepancy could indicate a scammer attempting to mislead you.

For added certainty, companies are encouraged to contact TechCrunch directly to confirm the legitimacy of any outreach. Contact details for writers, editors, sales executives, marketing personnel, and event team members are available via their respective bios on the TechCrunch website.

While it can be inconvenient to perform these extra verification steps for media inquiries, these fraudulent groups are banking on a lack of diligence. By remaining vigilant and performing thorough checks, companies not only protect their own sensitive data but also contribute to preserving the trust that legitimate journalists rely upon to conduct their work effectively.

TechCrunch expresses gratitude for the proactive cooperation of companies in combating these deceptive practices.