Why Scammers Purposely Write Terrible Emails

A few years back, an email landed in my inbox from a “friend.”


“Hope you are doing well? It takes me great pain to write this email to you and I feel so devastated. My family and I had a trip visiting Manila,(Philippines) unannounced some days back for a short vacation, unfortunately we were robbed at the park of the hotel where we stayed.”


I didn’t fall for it.


Some of my friends are dumber than Homer Simpson. THOSE friends might’ve sent me an email like that. But the guy whose name was on this one? He’s sharper than a Ginsu. Stranded. Broke. Panicked. Doesn’t matter. He’d never write like that.

Which raised a question I couldn’t shake:


These con artists rake in millions convincing people to wire cash to “friends in need.” They’re clearly not idiots. So why do their emails read like they were dictated by a raccoon?


Dr. Phil solved the riddle. He spent some time with a few of these scammers (as one does), came back, and laid it out on the morning news:


The bad grammar is deliberate.


Respond to a clumsy email, and you’ve told the scammer everything he needs to know. You’re a mark.


If you write your scammy pitch too well, though, you’ll snag sharper tacks. Those people might bite at first. You might even string them along for a few rounds. But eventually, they’ll smell the con and walk, long before any money changes hands.


The garbage email does one job perfectly: it drives away everybody who was never going to send the money, before they nibble and waste the scammer’s time.


In marketing, nobody wants to hang out with the never-gonna-buy nibblers.


So the smart marketers drive them away. They qualify real prospects and disqualify the “suspects.”


Think of all the entry points you offer. The webinar you host. The lead magnet you offer. The email list you build. The booking calendar you share.


Each one is a door. And you get to decide what’s posted on it. You can prop it open and cheer for anyone who wanders in. Rack up the registrations. Watch the download counter climb. Celebrate your subscriber count. Marvel at your fully-booked calendar…


…and then moan and groan about no-shows or meetings with never-gonna-buy nibblers.


Or you can post a sign that says, plainly, who should enter, and who shouldn’t.


Want to see an example?


At BookProfitSession.com, I offer a complimentary 1:1 Plan-to-Prosper Session with me. In that session, I review your business (marketing assets, audience, current funnel, current bottlenecks), discuss what’s working and what’s not, and map out a custom Plan to Prosper Blueprint, a roadmap that outlines the right strategies, tech, and team to make growth simpler and faster.


When you pick a date on the booking calendar, I ask you to complete a short (<1 minute to complete) survey which is designed to separate the prospects from the suspects. It lets in the serious business leaders who are ready to grow and prosper. It keeps out the tire-kickers and dabblers.


Check it out here. And, if you’re one of those ready-to-grow and prosper people, go ahead and book a session. I’d be happy to meet with you.