SCAM ALERT: How HostGator Attempted To Extort >$200 Out of Me for SiteLock

This will be a longer article explaining a common SCAM that was reported numerous times for multiple hosting providers. Even if you are not hosted with HostGator you still might want to read about it, for the future safety of your wallet. The short version of the story is at the bottom of the page. I have been a loyal customer of HostGator since at least 2005. Even after they were bought out by EIG back in 2014, even after their support and customer service started going downhill rapidly, I still decided to stick with them. At the time of writing this I have 3 separate accounts with them (2 shared + 1 VPS) and I pay around $875 / year for their services. The HostGator + SiteLock SCAM It all happened yesterday, 23/02/2016. At 17:37 I get an email from HostGator informing me that my account has been suspended because it was distributing malware. I should immediately take measures into resolving this issue. Our Abuse department has received a report regarding malware being hosted on an account under your control. We have disabled site access for your account to prevent further complaints, and have provided a list of the reported content. Note that the below content is not a comprehensive #wordpress #smallbusiness #entrepreneur