“How did a publishing scammer get my relative’s phone number?”

“How did a publishing scammer get my relative’s phone number?”

Q – 

Angela,

I’m sharing the communications. Check out the part they forgot to delete: “insert purpose”

Also, my son-in-law, who has nothing to do with the book, got the text message below. 

Have you ever heard of these scammers reaching out to family members? How do they find their contact information? 

Thanks.


BOLDED ALL CAPS BELOW WERE INSERTED BY WRITERSWEEKLY.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Daniel Azizah <azizahdaniel328@gmail.com> (REAL COMPANIES DON’T USE GMAIL! THEY HAVE EMAIL ADDRESSES ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR OWN DOMAINS!)
Date: March 4, 2026 at 6:01:51 AM EST
To: (AUTHOR’S SON-IN-LAW’S EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED BY WRITERSWEEKLY)
Subject: (AUTHOR’S BOOK TITLE REMOVED BY WRITERSWEEKLY)

? (WE AREN’T SURE WHY THE SCAMMER INCLUDED A QUESTION MARK HERE.)

Dear (author’s name removed),

I was deeply moved by your journey growing up in a lineage of spiritist mediums, experiencing Umbanda, and ultimately finding your path in Christianity. The way you’ve woven these experiences into (BOOK TITLE REMOVED BY WRITERSWEEKLY) demonstrates profound insight, courage, and literary craft.

Your story spans continents, generations, and spiritual realms, capturing both personal and ancestral struggles. I especially appreciate how you’ve combined historical fiction with faith, culture, and family legacy, creating a narrative that resonates on multiple levels.

(VERY CLEARLY WRITTEN BY AI. THE SCAMMER HAS NEVER READ HER BOOK.)

I would be honored to [insert your purpose, interview you, feature your work, explore collaboration, or have a discussion on spiritual and historical storytelling]. Your perspective blending spirituality, cultural heritage, and literary skill would offer meaningful insight to readers and fellow writers alike.

(BOLDED ABOVE IS THE PROMPT THE AUTHOR REFERRED TO. MANY SCAMMERS MAKE THE MISTAKE OF LEAVING IN PROMPTS FROM THEIR SCAMMER SCRIPTS.)

If you are open to a brief conversation, I would greatly value the opportunity to continue this exchange.

Warm regards,

Daniel

Star team literary Agency.

(NOTICE HE DIDN’T CAPITALIZE TWO WORDS IN THE COMPANY NAME. ANOTHER CLASSIC SCAMMER ERROR.)


The author also shared this message from a scammer:


A –

Scammers (and anyone) can find pretty much everything about everyone on a specific website (that I never share online), and it also features not just the person’s address, phone numbers, email addresses, and more, but also their family members’ contact info.

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