Writer Beware of Phishers and Scammers
If you see an unsolicited email sitting in your inbox using the name of a famous or well-known person, it’s probably the ultimate confirmation: a 100% scam.
A misspelled first name coming from a generic Gmail address is one of the biggest red flags in digital security.
Why Scammers Use Generic Gmail & Misspell Names
Mass Scraping Errors: Scammers use automated software to scrape thousands of author names and email addresses off the internet (from Amazon, Goodreads, or book blogs). If the name was typed wrong anywhere on a website, their software scraped the typo, and their automated system blasted it out without checking. This happened recently with one of our clients. The misspelled name of Dean Koontz was applied to the email received, before it ever hit our client’s inbox.
Read the information below. Now you know how to address if it happens to you.
The “Filter” Tactic: Believe it or not, scammers often leave typos or awkward formatting in their emails on purpose. It acts as a filter. If a person notices the typo and calls them out, the scammer knows that person is too sharp to fall for the rest of the scam. If a person ignores the typo because they are too excited about “Dean Koontz” emailing them, the scammer knows they have found a vulnerable target.
No Corporate Infrastructure: A legendary author worth millions of dollars does not use a free @gmail.com address to conduct official talent scouting. They use corporate domains managed by high-end security and legal teams.
What You Should Do Right Now
Do Not Reply: Do not call them out, do not ask if it’s really him, and do not say “you spelled my name wrong.” Replying alerts the scammers that your email account is active and monitored by a real human. This will cause them to flood your inbox with even more spam and scams.
Do Not Click Links or Open Attachments: If there is a PDF attached (often disguised as a “contract proposal” or “review guidelines”), do not open it. It can contain malware designed to log your keystrokes or access your computer.
Report and Block: In Gmail, click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the email and select “Report spam” or “Report phishing.” This trains Google’s filters to catch this specific scammer before they can target other authors.
You are incredibly smart to trust your gut and double-check this before engaging!
~ editor