Hello, and thank you as always for following TechCrunch. We’d like to quickly address an important issue with you.
Recently, there has been a surge in scammers pretending to be TechCrunch journalists or event organizers, contacting companies while falsely claiming to represent us. These individuals are exploiting our brand and reputation to deceive unsuspecting businesses. This situation is extremely frustrating for us, and we’re upset on your behalf. The frequency of these scams fluctuates, but based on the rising number of emails we receive asking, “Is this person actually on your team?” it seems to be happening more often right now.
From what we’ve heard, this problem isn’t unique to us; scammers are taking advantage of the credibility of well-known news outlets to gain access to businesses throughout the media sector.
Here’s the most frequent scam we’ve noticed: impostors pretending to be our journalists to obtain confidential company details from unsuspecting victims. In several instances, these fraudsters have assumed the identities of real TechCrunch employees, sending what appear to be typical media requests about a company’s offerings and asking to set up an introductory call.
Some recipients spot inconsistencies, such as email addresses that don’t match our official domains (see the list of fake addresses below). However, these scams are constantly evolving; fraudsters are always updating their methods, copying our reporters’ writing styles, and referencing current startup trends to make their messages seem more authentic. Even more concerning, those who agree to phone calls report that these scammers use the opportunity to probe for additional confidential information. One PR professional told Axios they became suspicious when a supposed TechCrunch reporter sent a scheduling link.
What’s their motive? While we can’t say for sure, it’s likely these groups are seeking initial access to networks or other confidential data. In fact, former Yahoo colleagues have told us these incidents match the tactics of a persistent threat actor they’ve been monitoring, who has a history of impersonating TechCrunch to carry out account takeovers and steal data, especially from cryptocurrency, cloud, and tech companies using various ruses.
So, what should you do? If someone contacts you claiming to be from TechCrunch and you have even a slight suspicion about their authenticity, don’t just take their word for it. We’ve made it simple for you to check.
First, visit our TechCrunch staff page. This is the fastest way to confirm whether the person reaching out is actually part of our team. If you don’t find their name listed, that’s your answer.
If you do find their name but their job title doesn’t match the nature of the request (for example, if a copy editor is suddenly asking detailed questions about your business), it could be a scammer trying to trick you.
If the inquiry seems legitimate but you want to be absolutely sure, you’re welcome to contact us directly. You can find contact details for each of our writers, editors, sales, marketing, and events staff in their bios.
We understand it’s inconvenient to have to verify media requests, but scammers are counting on you skipping this step. By taking the time to confirm, you’re not only safeguarding your own organization—you’re also helping maintain the trust that real journalists rely on to do their work.
Thank you. For your reference, here are some of the domains we’ve seen recently that have been used to impersonate TechCrunch:
email-techcrunch[.]com
hr-techcrunch[.]com
interview-techcrunch[.]com
mail-techcrunch[.]com
media-techcrunch[.]com
noreply-tc-techcrunch[.]com
noreply-techcrunch[.]com
pr-techcrunch[.]com
techcrunch-outreach[.]com
techcrunch-startups[.]info
techcrunch-team[.]com
techcrunch[.]ai
techcrunch[.]biz[.]id
techcrunch[.]bz
techcrunch[.]cc
techcrunch[.]ch
techcrunch[.]com[.]pl
techcrunch[.]gl
techcrunch[.]gs
techcrunch[.]id
techcrunch[.]it
techcrunch[.]la
techcrunch[.]lt
techcrunch[.]net[.]cn
techcrunch1[.]com
