How to watch out for scam emails targeting authors

There have always been people out there looking to prey on the hopes and dreams of authors but in the age of AI, we’re seeing a new breed of scams emerge.

Generative AI models make it very easy for scammers to create legitimate sounding emails with a very small amount of time investment. These models can glean information about you online, giving messages a completely false sense of personal attention and detail.

What might scam emails look like?

The latest generation of books scams:

• Often appear in the form of an email or direct message on a social media account
• Include a lot of information about your particular book/s or background, which may seem convincing at first
• These messages will typically offer everything from access to book groups to personalised marketing plans
• They generally will not mention a fee at first – but there will almost certainly be a fee involved
• May use quite flowery language and excessive praise

How will I know if it’s a scam?

The big rule of thumb is that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. If you think something might be legitimate, research the name and details of anyone approaching you. A quick Google search may be enough to prove that they aren’t who they say they are.

You can also run their details by the Society of Authors, who are happy to help verify genuine communications. It's also worth reading their advice on recent scams(this link will open in a new window).

The Writer Beware blog(this link will open in a new window) is also a valuable resource, where writers often share negative experiences and examples of scams that they are currently seeing in action.

How are these scammers getting so many details right?

Today’s scammers have access to a lot of information as well as new tools that can make it easy for them to build convincing emails or messages. These tools can scrape websites and lift useful information, from your email address to the plots of your books to where you went to school (depending on the information you have online!). They then use this to seem like a person who has carefully researched you.

Sadly, this is a risk associated with having a presence online – and having a presence online is often necessary if you want to be able to reach readers and customers.

How can I stop myself from being scammed?

While it’s very difficult to stop yourself from being targeted, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

• Be very wary. As we mentioned above, research or get help researching the individual or company who has approached you
• Do not send any money to anyone who has “cold called” by emailing you in this way without some solid proof that they are real and get real results
• You can also potentially reduce the amount of scam emails you receive by improving your spam filter. You can do this by using the 'report' function within your email client, normally by marking a dodgy message as junk or as phishing. You can also mark things that come into your spam as 'not junk' to help train it to recognise legitimate emails if you're worried about those being missed. Your email may also have setting you can change, here’s the guide to Microsoft’s junk settings(this link will open in a new window)

The most important thing is to be aware that scams are always evolving and that a healthy dose of caution is needed when people get in touch with you with offers of finding new readers or markets. While these messages may occasionally be authentic, it is far more likely that a successful marketer will be waiting for your call, rather than