“Honey, these scammers are getting very creative,” I mused over a cup of coffee, watching my phone light up with a text from an unknown number.
“are u coming over my house??”
I read it aloud to my wife.
She shook her head. “How bold are these people getting? What happened to fake IRS calls or sketchy bank login links?”
Good question.
I miss the good ol’ days of Nigerian princes with their lost Timbuktu gold. Or the totally-not-suspicious emails from a foreign diplomat needing just one lucky American to help move $10 million.
These modern scams? They’re getting smarter.
Even my wife has been targeted—just last year, she kept getting Facebook messages from a “friend” asking about her job. Worse, they even tried bringing her mom into it.
Creepy.
Now, I was tempted to mess with this latest scammer. Maybe text back, “Yeah bb R u alone??” just to see what would happen.
But my wife shot that down real fast.
“Why even waste a second on them? What if they hack your phone or steal your identity?”
Fair enough.
And honestly, I don’t know how advanced these scammers have gotten. Maybe one reply could unlock my bank account, remote hijack my car, and send my daughter’s car seat to a chop shop halfway across the world.
But here’s the part that actually got me thinking…
That text didn’t scream ‘scam.’
It didn’t have a misspelled Urgent!!! Click here to verify your account link.
It wasn’t trying to make me panic.
It was simple. Direct. And oddly… effective.
It read like a good cold email opener.
The Best Cold Emails Don’t Feel Like Cold Emails
Most cold emails suck.
They’re obvious. They’re long. They’re immediately trying to sell you something.
Good cold emails?
They do the opposite.
They lower your guard.
They look normal.
They don’t feel like spam—they feel like a real person reaching out with a real question.
That’s why a scammer’s text like “Are you coming over my house?” actually works.
It feels familiar.
It makes you think, Wait… do I know this person?
That tiny moment of doubt is enough to get you to engage.
The best cold emails do the same thing. They:
- Look personal, not corporate.
- Feel conversational, not salesy.
- Make you curious enough to respond.
Which is the entire point of a cold email.
Same goes for ads.
Why The Best Ads Look Nothing Like Ads
Some of the best-performing ads on Facebook right now?
They don’t look like ads at all.
They either:
- Entertain first, sell second – Think viral-style content that happens to pitch something.
- Call out the fact that they’re an ad – Breaking the fourth wall in a way that makes you chuckle.
Like this one I saw from a dentist:
“We’re tired of making content. Just book already.”
That’s hilarious.
And effective.
Because instead of pretending it’s not an ad, it just leans into it.
Makes me wonder if scam texts will evolve the same way…
“We’re tired of mass-texting people. Just send us your social security number already 🙄”
(I swear, if some basement-dwelling hacker steals this idea, I want a cut.)
The Takeaway (And How You Can Actually Use This)
What does all this mean for you—a business owner, freelancer, or marketer?
Simple:
If your cold emails, ads, or marketing messages feel too much like a cold email, ad, or marketing message…
They’re probably being ignored.
Instead, ask yourself:
- Does this sound like a real person? (Or a desperate marketer?)
- Does it trigger curiosity? (Or just make them want to delete it?)
- Does it lower their guard? (Or raise it instantly?)
If you’re not sure, you might need to tweak your approach.
Of course, most people won’t.
Which is fine.
Because that’s what people like me get paid to do.
So if you’d rather hire someone to fix your marketing instead of fixing it yourself…
Click your way onto my email list.
All I need is your email.
(And your social security number—optional, of course.)
