Yes, the URL gives it away, but I’ve been seeing more professional scammers lately too. There’s quite a spectrum! And authors are especially at risk!

George, I’m glad this was helpful in confirming the scam! 🙂

I still have a ton of Nigerian traffic to my site. I know some of them are reading this post, and at least one of them blasted one of my novels with a 1-star.

What a bunch of turkeys!

Tod.

I got such a perfect letter from Lassard today, looked her up, found your warning. This is about the eighth such letter sent to me. I went down the road with the first two until they asked for money. My bank alerted me to potential fraud on one, and my own sense got me out of there when my payment was supposed to be sent to a very Nigerian name. Each of those first two offered to tout me and mine as a featured author at a supposedly large book group. One of those book groups said it had never heard of the promoter; the other book group actually said yes, but it was probably fiction too. The grammar of the first two broke down badly when responding to my no-thanks email.

Yes, since I wrote this article months ago, the numbers have just increased. I see Nigeria as a top source of clicks on my website. Maybe they’re reading the article?

I asked for three authors they have worked with then contacted those authors directly. All tweaked emails to look legit (gmail)… I just got another one and requested a video conference because of scams:

Ok Elizabeth,

Let’s set up a video chat. I only do business with people I can physically see. There are too many useless losers using AI to trick innocent people out of their money. Given the opportunity, I would send them to hell where they belong. They are the most useless predators around; praying on people’s emotions and dreams of making their art available to a side audience. May Allah, forgive them,

Utterly pathetic and useless wastes of oxygen… But I digress, it’s probably just a lack of self-esteem that makes them do it. Or misguided desperation. Who knows? But stealing, scamming and fraud have their rewards in the next life.

I am sure you agree.

Richard

Thanks for reading and I’m glad it was useful for you!

Thanks Merle. Very glad that it was helpful. Interestingly, she and her ilk in Nigeria have been on my site even more since I posted this piece… Not sure if they are reading about themselves? :). All the best to you!