Is this email a scam? Post it here
Sticky
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R. S. Breed Founder
If you've had an email, DM or phone call about your book and something feels off, post it in this thread. Chances are someone here has seen the same script.
Before you paste anything, redact your own details. Your name (and pen name, if you'd rather), email address, phone number, postal address, book titles if they'd identify you, and any account, order or invoice numbers. Swap them for something like [ME] or [MY BOOK].
Do leave the sender's details in: the full email address, the name they signed with, any website they link to. That's usually where the giveaway is.
What comes up again and again:
- A Gmail or Outlook address claiming to be a company, or a web address that's one letter off a real business
- Praise that's gushing and oddly specific about your plot, from someone you've never heard of
- Nothing asked for up front, then fees a few emails later for things legitimate outfits do for free
- Payment by wire transfer, Zelle or CashApp, or an invoice with no business details on it
- A phone call that seems to be fishing for you to say "yes"
Don't click links in the message, and don't reply "just to check". A reply tells them the address is live and you're interested.
If it is a scam, report it. Writer Beware keeps the best running record of publishing scams and takes reports: https://writerbeware.blog
In the US you can also report to https://www.ic3.gov, and in Australia to Scamwatch.
Nobody here will laugh at you for asking. These people are good at it because it's their full-time job.