Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read When Twilio Tried to Scam Me (Except I Don’t Even Know What Twilio Is).
The other day, I opened my inbox and was greeted with an email titled:
⚠ Action Required: Update Your Payment Information
Oh no! My services were apparently about to be cut off. Services I didn’t even know I had. From a company I’d never even heard of.
The email claimed to be from something called Twilio. (I had to Google it – apparently they do cloud communications or some other techy thing that I definitely don’t pay for.)
Here’s what the scammers wrote:
Dear Customer,
We noticed an issue with your recent payment attempt. To ensure uninterrupted access to your Twilio services, please update your billing information at your earliest convenience.
Update Payment Method [sketchy link]
If your payment information is not updated, your account may be temporarily suspended.
Now, I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me my “recent payment attempt failed” and I know full well I’ve never given them a dime, I start laughing. That’s like me telling Starbucks they owe me a free latte because my loyalty points didn’t go through. Nice try.
The red flags waving like crazy
- I don’t have a Twilio account. That was my first clue. Hard to have “billing issues” when you don’t even exist in their system.
- The link was shady. Instead of Twilio.com, it pointed to some random site in the Czech Republic. Unless Twilio has relocated and is moonlighting as a sausage factory, I’m not buying it.
- The urgency. “Update immediately or lose your account!” Uh-huh. That’s scammer code for: don’t think, just click.
- Dear Customer. Sorry, but if you’re about to suspend my account, you should at least know my name.
What they really want
If I had clicked, it would have taken me to a fake website asking for my credit card number, personal info, or maybe even my firstborn child. (Okay, maybe not the child, but you get the idea.)
This is what’s known as a phishing scam. They throw out bait, hope you panic, and reel you in if you bite.
What to do instead
Here’s what I do in reality:
- I don’t reply.
- I forward the email to spam@fightspam.gc.ca (Canada’s anti-spam reporting address).
- I block the sender and move on.
Simple, effective, no drama.
But… if I did reply
In my imagination, if I were to sass back at this scammer, it would go something like this:
Dear Fake Twilio,
Thank you so much for alerting me to this “urgent” payment issue. It must be very stressful managing all those fake accounts from your basement office.
Unfortunately, I will not be updating my payment method at this time, as I don’t have one with you. Or ever. Or in any universe where common sense exists.
Best of luck with your career in fraud. I hear jail stripes are making a comeback this season.
Love and unsubscribe,
A Very Nonexistent Customer
When Twilio Tried to Scam Me
Scammers love pretending to be legit companies. Sometimes they’ll even pick ones you’ve actually heard of – Netflix, PayPal, Amazon. And sometimes, like me, you’ll get a scam from a company that makes you say, “Who the heck is Twilio?”
Either way, the rule is the same: if it smells fishy, it’s phishing.
So the next time a mystery company comes knocking on your inbox door asking for money, remember: just because they say you owe them, doesn’t mean you do.
Hit delete, pour yourself a coffee, and move on with your day.
Have you gotten a fake email from Twilio? Do you even know who Twilio is? Leave a comment below and lay it on us!
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on April 16, 2026.
