This Mornings Public Annoucement is:
Be Careful...Be Smart...Be Diligent..Be Informed! DO NOT OPEN THAT LINK...YET...or Maybe NEVER!!
Last night, late evening, I received a DocuSign email from an attorneys office that I have not done business with nor am involved with on any transaction...current or past. Receiving a DocuSign is not unusual but this one seemed too far off.
Although the email supposedly came from a company that is on the edge of the area our company serves...none of our current clients are near there...and yet not always so unusual as we have clients with attorneys and lenders far from their home.
Of course my antenna's went up very fast.
I could clearly hear and see in my mind Will Robinson's Robot yelling "Danger, Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!"
How many hairs stood up on my arms? A lot!!
So Let's see what raised my concern. And should raise yours if you receive a similar email (or links from unknown folks).
Issue: An email arrives with a Link to an unknown document from an unknown sender.
Concern 1: Our industry is using these types of ways to sign docs more and more and many times from a sender we know little about. But it ususally shows up during business hours. This showed up about 10pm CDT.
Concern 2: Email address was from "copier@m....elaw.com". A legitimate website and attorney. However, rarely do I receive any email with a DocuSign link from an attorney office or anywhere else and without some notification prior that it is coming. A text, call, email, in the middle of negotiations, etc.
Concern 3: As you can see 
from the screenshot I marked up...there are a few huge indicators...but they are easily missed...especially if we are on our phones.
The time it arrived was the first indicator to me. The lack of any other communication was 2nd.
The mispelled word in the header was 3rd and the biggest; and my email showing my first name twice in lowercase seemed odd.
The tiny copyright symbol in the header also seemed odd and the quality of the verbiage below the blue box seemed a bit hazy.
This email no longer exists in my system.
The reason for this blog is simple: Always Notify Your Clients Before YOU Send or Have Sent a link they are supposed to open. I talk about this with both buyers and sellers as well as family members, agents, and friends.
My message is simple: I will never send links without letting you know in a separate email, text, or phone call what and why I am sending. The time it takes you to read this paragraph you could have sent a voice text that says something simply like this: "Hi Jake, Am sending you a link. It is safe to open and review. Call/Text with any questions, Dad". I do this often when talking investing with my son, Jake.
Remember...most of us are on the computer for hours upon hours and are well versed on most signing programs. Many of our clients are not.
Part of our job is to help protect our clients from harm...that includes computer and phone links.
Until Next Time... Confirm you are sending a link or requesting signatures. Your clients will thank you! Mike
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