Scams and scammers are as old as the Bible (and fairy tales). Check out Genesis 27, where Moses records Jacob’s scheme to scam his brother Esau out of his inheritance with the help of his mother. Nowadays, dream stealers use the internet to ply their trade. If you’re a writer, you’ve probably received at least one letter telling you how wonderful your book is and how the sender can get you more sales or a movie contract. Some are quite well-written, and at first glance, sound like a wonderful opportunity. I copied this one from an email I received:
Dear Patricia, (Times New Roman font while the rest of the message is in Verdana)
I hope this email finds you well. My name is Jonathan Fuhrman, and I am a Senior Production Executive at Castle Rock Entertainment reaching out to you on behalf of my team. We are currently on the lookout for captivating books that have the potential to be adapted into compelling content for Castle Rock Entertainment, either as a series or a full-length feature film.
We have an exciting opportunity for a potential collaboration. We believe that your book has the potential to translate beautifully onto the screen, and we’re keen to explore the idea of adapting it into a feature film.
I would love to invite you to sit down with me and some of our investors to discuss this opportunity further. It’s a chance for us to brainstorm ideas, share our vision for the project, and explore how we can work together to bring your story to life on the big screen.
Additionally, we are prepared to offer a contract that outlines the terms of our collaboration, ensuring that both parties are clear on expectations and benefits.
I understand that this is a big decision, and there may be questions or concerns you’d like to address before moving forward. Please know that I’m here to answer any queries you may have and to provide any additional information you require.
Please let me know a convenient time for you to meet, and I’ll make sure to coordinate with our team to arrange everything accordingly.
Looking forward to the possibility of working together and bringing your vision to audiences worldwide.
Warm regards,
Jonathan Fuhrman
EVP and Head of Business Affairs
E:Jonathan@castlerockentertainment.com
A: 335 N Maple Dr, Beverly Hills, California
Can you imagine how I felt? Jonathan Fuhrman! The Jonathan Fuhrman and Castle Rock Entertainment! If you’re like most writers, including me, you have dreams of seeing your book on TV or the big screen. But you know the old saying…if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
My first niggle of doubt started with the greeting. It was a different font than the rest. My second niggle—if Castle Rock Entertainment found me and my book on the ‘net, why didn’t they discover I had an agent? That’s who they should have contacted. So I googled Jonathan Fuhrman and Castle Rock Entertainment scams, and there it was along with the story of a woman who’d responded to the email and lost a bunch of money. The money wasn’t why she was so angry, though. She was angry because the scammer had preyed on her dreams and had gotten her hopes up, only for them to come crashing down. She was left feeling like a fool for not recognizing the email for the scam it was.
Always check, double-check, and even triple-check someone’s credentials before giving them your money.
Another email popped into my inbox with the following subject line and greeting: Re: Fatal Witness (Pearl River Book #2) — A K-9 Cold Case, Buried Identities, and a Relentless Search for Truth
Dear Bradley Caffee,
I hope you have been well. I wanted to gently reconnect regarding my previous message about a potential feature conversation centered on Sides. (Note: I don’t have a book by that title, and my name isn’t Bradley Caffee.) What continues to stand out to us is not only the high concept premise of Zero Hour and avatar transformation, but the psychological and ethical undercurrent running beneath it. The idea of players physically becoming their digital selves feels less like spectacle and more like a sharp metaphor for the identities we curate, inhabit, and sometimes lose control of in an increasingly immersive world. The national countdown atmosphere, the cultural frenzy, and the ripple effect of a single design decision all contribute to a narrative that feels both gripping and unsettlingly plausible…
Evidently, the AI program got its books mixed up.
The problem is, despite their mess-ups, AI is getting better and better at sounding authentic. One excellent site for checking for scammers is on Writer Beware. Here’s the link: https://writerbeware.blog/2024/03/15/the-impersonation-list/
Now it’s your turn, TKZ. Any tips or comments on avoiding scammers?
Thanks, Patricia, for emphasizing this problem. The number of scams created by AI is increasing exponentially. When people, especially writers, feed the AI industry with their monthly payments, they empower the beast to steal copyrighted material, kill individual creativity, and destroy professional reputations. I’ve designated March as ‘AI Danger Awareness’ month. I’ve broken down in lay terms the actual and potential harm of AI’s use. If anyone is interested in protecting children and adults from the AI beast, I invite you to visit the ‘Don’t Confuse AI with a Benign Tool’ link on my homepage.
For good or bad, AI is here to stay. What worries me, Grant, is that the desire to be published will sometimes override common sense and people won’t vet the companies sending these emails.
Just like there’s good and bad cholesterol, there are many forms of AI. The AI experts predict artificial super intelligence (ASI) will result from artificial general intelligence (AGI) recursive learning. Progression: AI to AGI to ASI. The timelines remain unclear, but many verifiable AI experts believe ASI will usher in the equivalent of nuclear winter. Game over. In the interim, we have children and adults to protect, and AI scams are making headway by deceiving with fake videos, texts, and emails.
If people put in as much effort toward doing good as they do in perveying deception, what a different world it would be!
I know that unfortunately the AI and other schemes will only continue to grow and be more deceptive. I hope we can all stay vigilant & detect them early. Thankfully for writers we have TKZ to keep us aware of this and many other writing topics. THANK YOU, TKZ!
I’ve said variations of your first sentence over and over again, Brenda. Can you what they could accomplish?
My email program has learned to flag these as junk. Another scam is a famous author wanting to discuss writing–which then turns into a marketing ploy. Tempting as it may be, don’t engage; it only proves your email address is a good one.
Absolutely, Terry! I need to start marking mine as spam.
I get those emails all the time. I’ve also gotten some that had the title of a book that wasn’t mine. I got one where the sender introduced himself with one name and signed the email with another. 🙂 They always come from a gmail account—a sure sign that it’s a fake.
It’s surprising that perfectly reasonable people will fall for these things. We should get Sue to write a TKZ post exploring how the desire for success can cloud the brain.
Kay, I don’t understand how people can fall for it, either. I am suspicious of everything nowadays! And I hope Sue will do exactly that!
I get dozens of these everyday.
Me, too Lis!
ChatGPT loves “I hope this email finds you well.” I see it every day.
Beware, AI can make voice calls now too.
Yep, Alan. I don’t get the calls because my phone regulates any call from a number not in my contacts to voice mail, which is very inconvenient when a doctor’s office calls.
Thanks, Pat, for keeping us mindful.
Telltale tipoffs:
1. Comes from a gmail or aol address.
2. No website or verifiable marketing presence.
3. Often the sender has two first names, e.g. Lauren Michael.
4. Vague reference to “your” book. May not mention the title or may refer to a book that’s not yet published.
5. Famous author contact out of the blue.
6. Sender claims to be a senior executive/editor at an actual publisher but email address is unrelated (gmail, aol).
7. Same as #6 but comes from a well-known literary agent.
If in doubt, check with Writer Beware: https://writerbeware.blog/
Great tips, Debbie! I’ve used Writer Beware numerous times.
Many years ago when spammers were humans and not even Google or Amazon existed, there was start-up Lionhearted Publishing which specialized in romance. I found out about it from some writer newsletter. I sent a manuscript. They expressed interest and sent me the email of one of their authors, a real author, not some shill, who had an author group of possible LH authors to share the news. I discovered my tribe in this list. We not only shared news about what the heck LH was up to, but we talked writing and life. This list lasted decades longer than the publisher.
The news about LH wasn’t good. They wanted to sell books like a Tupperware party, then they changed to a more traditional selling scheme, and they talked movies. Sheer arrogance and incompetence. A few books were published. Good books and good production, but no real way to get the books in the hands of readers. Remember, no Amazon.
By this time, most of us were extremely relieved we’d not signed a contract, and we watched LH for the train wreck it was. LH decided to publish a few more books. The authors in the group said heck no except for one. We begged her not to. We knew and she knew these people were incompetent idiots. Her reply was one I’ll always remember. “I want to be published. That’s my dream. I don’t care if it’s a trap. I want to be published.” Her dream turned into a nightmare, and she walked away from publishing entirely.
And, that, my friends, explains why so many authors walk into scams with their eyes wide open.