Home » How Today’s Savvy Schemers Are Scamming New Authors

How Today’s Savvy Schemers Are Scamming New Authors

November 2, 2025 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

ARE THE STARS OUT TONIGHT…OR JUST IN WRITERS’ EYES?

By Christina Hamlett

Less than 72 hours after my latest UK cozy mystery went on the market, an effusive greeting popped up in my email:

“A LITTLE REVENGE IN ROBIN HOOD’S BAY is the best of the best in literary gems with its irresistible mix of wit, mischief, and mystery, a story that sparkles with sharp humor even as it peers into the darker corners of human nature. The juxtaposition of seaside charm and simmering secrets has captured the English coast not as a postcard but as a living, breathing character full of hidden motives.”

Golly but who wouldn’t be chuffed by such effusive praise and the offer to help it reach a broader platform!

Except for the teensy fact that, by week’s end, eight more emails crossed the transom with near identical language and reminiscent of those hackneyed pleas from Nigeria that “My husband/father/brother was killed/murdered in a car/plane/boat accident. I am dying and have 3/6/10 billion dollars I need to get out of the country asap.”

Yes, friends, Scammer Season is in full bore and authors are their latest targets.

DEAR SIR OR MADAM

When a sender doesn’t specifically address you by name, much less provide the title of the book they’re so keenly interested in, it’s the height of scammer laziness. Some will attempt to counter this omission by referring to themselves as “We” and suggesting an affiliation with Amazon, Goodreads, KDP or Barnes and Noble—none of which troll for prospective clients.

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

“Hi, Christina!” sounds friendly enough, especially when followed by drippingly sincere praise about how brill one’s latest work is. That they use your first name and get your book title right might portend the start of a genuine friendship. Except it’s not. When gently challenged as to whether they’ve actually read the book, the response is to (1) parrot your own blurbage off the back cover and (2) express respect for your hesitation to engage. “There are lots of scammers out there,” one such person wrote, “but I can honestly assure you I am being transparent and am absolutely not one of them.” Really. Truly. Seriously.

IF IT LOOKS TOO REAL, IT PROBABLY ISN’T

When I was young, I remember a friend of my mother’s getting bilked $200 for some home goods. Not only was she insistent the salesman had been so nice but that he also had a business card and very professional-looking letterhead. Must have been real, right? In the 21st century, scammers have progressed from print media to tech-savvy, interactive websites extolling their awesomeness. Suffice it to say, the only thing this proves is that they have a good web designer. Are all those glowing testimonials from real people or just written in-house and assigned fake monikers? Squillions of awards accrued…and yet unnamed? Years of experience in the industry? Yet why has their website only been in existence less than six months? Nor is the inclusion of an address any assurance of a brick-and-mortar entity; even workaday people can go through their local post office to set up a virtual mailing address which does not exist on any street map.

TEAM MEMBERS

Many of the scammers’ faux websites proudly display professional headshots of their key players. All of them Very Nice Looking and in charge of Very Important Duties. A couple of red flags here. If you Google the names of any of these lovelies, they only exist in the context of the company website and nowhere else. Their bios make no reference to academic degrees or prior employment, only that they are committed to really, really, really helping clients to be their best selves. An even deeper dive may reveal that these picture-perfect team players aren’t even actual humans but were created by AI. No doubt they have drawn inspiration from all those headshots of dashingly handsome military commanders, brain surgeons and captains of industry whose posts on Facebook yearn for connection with their soulmate.

PAYPAL FRIENDS AND FAMILY

The cost of the “visibility snapshot” which they promise will resonate with readers who crave smart, character-driven stories with wit and emotional depth is something which sounds reasonable on the surface. (The most recent nine who contacted me were in the $150-$300 range.) Payment can either be made by credit card via email (an unsecure platform) or through PayPal. That many of us use PayPal on a regular basis would seem to make it a safe choice. But here’s the catch. Instead of initiating an invoice for services to be rendered, the scammers instruct their marks to send the fee to a personal email which, coincidentally, is not the email of the sender. Further, they instruct the transfer be designated as “Friends and Family.” When questioned, the rationale is that this is intended to save transaction fees. The reality is that a “Friends and Family” transfer ensures that PayPal cannot intervene in a dispute or, more importantly, collect any refunds.

THE AFTERMATH

Nothing causes these scammers to shake more in their boots than if you politely request them to give you the name of the company, the address and phone number, the corporate website and how long they’ve been in business. Once they comply (and they will always “forget” to include the mailing address), the follow-up response—totally gracious, of course—is to tell them you’ll have this information reviewed by your attorney for due diligence and will act on his/her advisement.

In the meantime, Writers Weekly has compiled one of the most thorough lists I’ve seen regarding bad apples and I’m more than happy to share it: https://writersweekly.com/angela-desk/a-list-of-publishers-that-all-authors-should-avoid-at-all-costs.

Stay safe out there! As sweet a dream as it sounds, no fawning stranger is going to make you rich and famous, especially if they reached out to you and not vice versa.

*****

Former actress and theatre director Christina Hamlett is the author of 53 books, 279 stage plays and squillions of articles and blogs. Along with being a gourmet chef and photographer, she teaches distance learning classes in screenwriting, playwriting and cozy mysteries through WOW! Women on Writing. Learn more at www.authorhamlett.com.