“The most sophisticated attack is a well-written email.”
― Kevin Mandia, CEO, Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud)

Foreign scammers have upped their game–increasing efforts and greatly improving their skills to cheat authors out of money.

Here’s how they do it:

1. These scammers mask their attack by providing a glowing review of a book important to the targeted author, indicating, unlike the Asian phone spammers who harass authors, they have done some research before sending their email. They are aware that authors desire, need, and use reviews to promote their books. Of course, these days, it is easy to use AI to create a glowing review, and there is never any verifiable record or proof that these spammers actually purchased the author’s book. Why bother to purchase and read a book when AI can read it for you AND create a fake review?
2. These new scammers represent themselves as a book/social club or a readers’ community who discovered your book and want to feature and promote it (perhaps as a Christmas special, etc.). One in his/her letter said to me: “I coordinate curated author features for a reading community that is passionate about suspense, horror, and immersive storytelling, books that keep readers on edge while exploring fear, tension, and the darker corners of imagination.” They will offer to feature and highlight your book, provide an online Q&A, and offer a chance for the author to share reflections on the inspiration and their writing process with readers. For a fee, of course.
3. If a writer expresses interest in the proposed date for the ZOOM event they suggest, they will ask for a contribution to help with setting up the event (I suppose for refreshments, etc. LOL). The amounts suggested to me in two different emails were $115 and $215. They will also suggest a book trailer creator who will likely contact you rather quickly and pitch a trailer idea, even if you didn’t request their inquiry.
4. The scammers will attempt to cover their tracks to some degree by having a Facebook page or website. This makes them look bona fide. The subject line will include an invitation saying their club would like to feature your book.
5. If an author receives similar requests to feature a book for a book club, etc., it indicates a trend or scammer conspiracy. For example, I received one email sent by Sally (with a cute photo), and another sent by a man, William (also with his own photo); however, the email sent by William had the same email with the name of Sally in the email’s first sentence. An obvious mistake in an unedited scam letter.

Here are some other mistakes that give such spammers away:

1. They use Gmail as an email address. No legitimate company offering publishing/marketing services uses Gmail. A reputable publisher or marketing service would use its own domain for its email. For example: angela@booklocker.com. (BookLocker has been in business for 27 years, and IS located in the United States.)
2. Scammers will have a free website: That means they don’t even own their own domain. For example: https://BookMarketing.FreeWebsiteServiceThatSucks.com. Free websites typically are unsecured and often carry hidden dangers of malware and viruses, and may be used for phishing for an author’s personal information, in addition to offering redirects, and tracking your activities online.

Don’t underestimate the creativity, persistence, deception, motives, and greed of today’s scammers. AI has changed much in the author’s world, and unfortunately, I believe it has given spammers/scammers a tool that can be used to fool writers. Perhaps it is time for writers to protect themselves by lessening and reducing usage of social media and the internet, increasing suspicion of emails and websites, and deleting and unsubscribing from anything online that is unnecessary.

Indeed, after reading the biographies of authors I admire, I’ve concluded that there is a beauty in hand-written or type-written letters and paper-bound books that only writers can appreciate. Perhaps the lurking spam/scam monster of the internet will force writers to return to that simplicity.

If YOU need help navigating this new world of publishing, CONTACT RICKEY to ask about his Author Coach/Book Publishing Consultant Services!

Rickey E. Pittman, the Bard of the South, is a storyteller, author, songwriter, and folksinger. He was the Grand Prize Winner of the 1998 Ernest Hemingway Short Story Competition. He has also won several prizes in WritersWeekly’s Quarterly 24-Hour Short Story Contest. Pittman presents his stories, music and programs at schools, libraries, organizations, museums, historical reenactments, restaurants, banquets, and Celtic festivals throughout the South. Rickey has published 12 books through BookLocker.com, and 18 books total, including traditionally published titles. 

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