​My competitor is unknowingly sending his clients to me

I’ve been getting emails from clients who think I’m working with my competitor, and that he’s been sending them to me for branding.

I’m a freelance logo and brand identity designer, working mostly in my local area, and I usually deal with small business owners. Most of my work comes from happy clients spreading the word. But lately, I’ve noticed more referred clients, and a lot of them are coming from my main competitor.

When I looked into it, I found out that someone in my competitor’s office told these clients that I do their branding projects, so they should contact me. The funny thing is, I don’t have any contract with them – this guy is actually my main rival!

They’re a big company, and the only reason I can still compete with them is because my work speaks for itself.

So far, I haven’t told any of these clients that I’m not working with my competitor. I’ve already closed three deals from these referrals, but I know this might be a little wrong, and I’m kinda worried I could get into trouble. Should I just tell them the truth and stop this?

Right now, I’m having a blast, and my clients are loving my work. My competitor, though, isn’t a nice guy. He’s used shady tactics to try and take me down in the past, but I’ve managed to stay in the game.

What do you think I should do? Maybe it’s just a mistake, or it could be some kind of new trick. I really don’t know. Maybe someone in their office doesn’t like their boss anymore and is trying to mess with him? No clue.