AI Scammers Are Making Publishing Scams Scarily Convincing

AI scammers are getting good. I mean scary good. The only thing that saved my bacon was a heavy dose of pessimism and KNOWING the BUSINESS of the PUBLISHING BUSINESS.

When I say these scams are terrifyingly good? I do not say this lightly. Yes, I’ve been a writer for years, just also a writer who’s spent decades fascinated with emerging technology.

Yes, I own and have read Hacking with Kali Linux: Penetration Testing Hacking Bible multiple times…for fun. There are good reasons I was single until I was 35.

My passion for technology—and how it impacts writers—has always driven everything I do. It’s exactly why I took off over a year from regularly posting on this blog to complete a post graduate in AI and Machine Learning at the University of Austin. I knew AI was in our future. I dug in to learn what exactly went into the sausage LLM.

And I did NOT like what I saw.

It’s taken a lot for me to figure out how to pivot back into writing full time, after so long away. That and I am still trying to find an angle of AI that doesn’t make every single writer collectively walk into the ocean. Good thing is, I didn’t need my prompt.

The AI scammers came to me.

*cracks knuckles*

I get it, this is not new. Thankfully, writers have incredible resources to keep them apprised of anything nefarious. The Author’s Guild did a piece on AI scammers back in April. Writer Beware did another post on just how scary good these AI scammers are becoming and just how quickly they’re mutating.

After so many years writing, working and researching along the leading edge of technical trends, I like to believe I am pretty hard to fool.

But let’s not get cocky.

The AI Scammers Changed Tack

Most of the time, these scams practically have Dear Miss I Want To Steal From You in the subject header. They’re so bad as to be laughable. That said, never underestimate the enemy. Most of the time, what I don’t filter out I just delete without even opening.

Something about this particular email, however, made me pause.

What the hell? *shrugs and opens*

For the record, I never did actually BUY that this was the real deal. Is it because of my tech background or that, as an author, I have a level of pessimism that would make Severus Snape accuse me of being Debbie Downer?

Trust nothing.

Verify everything.

If I didn’t learn that as an author, I definitely learned it in IT.

That’s what made this little specimen so fascinating.

The Author’s Guild article has screenshots of a similar exchange, so I won’t bore anyone with MY screenshots.

Suffice to say, the website was cloned, the email address looked legit, the editor was an actual editor from an actual publishing house that was just the right size to inquire about my work. The message emulated what the publisher was actually in the market for. The name of the editor was correct, the signature at the footer. Really impressive work.

*put a pin in that if you’re laughing*

This was no longer the absurd boilerplate scam messages with all the tells that the sender isn’t even a native English speaker, let alone an editor (or literary agent).

The AI Scammers Had RECEIPTS

Whoever was behind this had done enough scrubbing of the internet for the juicy deets. The email was warm, personal, had just the right details most writers would look for (even seasoned ones). In fact, the odd thing is that—sans AI/ML & CyberSec background—for me it was nothing unusual.

I don’t say this as any sort of a brag, but I have been blogging twenty years and have a lot of books and articles floating about. I could literally have posted blogs of nothing but commas for 20 years and someone would know me.

I’ve also been friends with many writers, agents, editors and publishers for a couple decades. Thus, it would not be completely crazy that some editor from a boutique publisher in NY would reach out.

Had he talked to Troy Lambert? Was Troy at a conference? He DID mention he loved my short stories in WTH Did I Just Read?

So not completely crazy…just mostly crazy.

Hey, hope springs eternal.

That and we writers DO help one another out. We name-drop, recommend, tell agents or editors about people we like (or at least I do). I spent over a year writing feature articles for a major magazine because a fellow writer hooked me up.

Yo…Troy. *taps fist on chest*

So, when this editor “wrote me” a very personalized message, mentioning my previous work and professional details in a personal way? Not that odd. Then made sure to add in, “we will never ask you for money because that is not how publishing works”…y’all KNOW I HAD TO PUSH THE RED REPLY BUTTON.

Because I am me. And also, if they didn’t want any money, what exactly did they want? Maybe it could be legit.

And maybe I was a Chinese jet pilot, but….

Okay, I’ll Bot Bite

Because I am sitting and thinking, why not? See where this goes and what do I have to lose?

***A LOT!!! DO NOT FALL FOR ANY OF THIS!!! These AI scammers are seriously dangerous!!!

Let the “professionals” play with the matches.

I go ahead and write back and ask exactly which particular piece of writing this editor saw that piqued his interest. I figured that would be the end of it, and I’d never hear back. NOPE. Came back with a lovely email that any writer would love to frame (if it were real). Again, just the right details.

Loads of restraint.

I think the restraint is what made me hesitate for that beat. Every exchange was, “I only need this.” “Don’t send that yet.” “Let’s do everything by the book.” “Professional this and that.” Blah blah blah.

Bots are just known to let the greed get to them too quickly. This was a new kind of Phish, indeed. Though I knew strongly suspected I was playing with fire, I had to see where this was heading.

I dug out an old NaNoWriMo novel and, since I am a dweeb, I do synopses for every book I write. Might not STICK TO IT (another post entirely) but I had one handy.

*tosses out phishing fly and dances feathery synopsis across the water* *Here phishy, phishy*

Knowing Our Business is Part of OUR BUSINESS

I have posted plenty on how traditional publishing works. They might have updated some things over the years, but I can tell you pretty confidently what has never changed.

There IS no publishing sugar daddy.

Sucks. I know. Trust me, I have never gotten over the hurt, either.

We ALL want to just write the books. We dream of an agent or editor discovering us so they can navigate the morass that is our business. Every writer dreams of just having time to be creative. It isn’t a sign of weakness, rather a sign you’re human, and a creative one.

Anyway, back to the battle of the bots. I send in a gorgeous synopsis of my book *gets cramp patting self on back*. And, because I can’t resist trolling, I added that my mother loves all of my work. Again, I don’t expect to hear back, but the next morning…WHAT DO I SEE?

See, that restraint thing. That is what messed those greedy bastards up.

Anyone who’s studied publishing for a fraction of a second knows nothing and no one in publishing is fast.

I open the email anyway, because DUH! A NYC PUBLISHER LOVED MY WORK *hair flips*. Obviously, I’d be an exception.

Amazingly, he just loved my sample. He even loved the joke about my mother loving my work.

*brakes screech*

Okay a NYC editor writing me about my work unsolicited was already a white buffalo. A NYC agent getting back to me in the same calendar YEAR? A unicorn. But a NYC editor writing me about my work unsolicited, replying quickly, who ALSO had a sense of humor? Unicorn with wings! And pooping glitter!

But he didn’t want me to send anything else. Did I have an agent?

I don’t technically have one but plenty I can email or call my last one. But, I typed, “Not at the moment.“

*here phishy phishy*

And there it was….

Phase Two of the AI Scammers’ Plan

I knew there had to be a payday in there somewhere and my AI scammer pal didn’t let me down. He told me that was fine, just not to send ANY MORE OF MY WORK until I had an agent. He highly recommended even using my own (NICE).

My work was so good I could probably pitch an agent telling them Mr. BigShot at NYC Boutique Agency was interested (probably could)…buuuut if I wanted to get right to work, he recommended an agent (I KID YOU NOT it was ANOTHER CLONED and TOTALLY LEGIT AGENT) “and here is her email.”

Of course, this agent’s email is embedded/hyperlinked in the body of the email making it tougher to read and someone eager, tired, or less scam savvy would happily click. And there is a lot of drama about crosschecking meta data I am not getting into here. Ironically, AI can help you sniff it out.

*slow claps*

As much as I hate these people with the power of a thousand suns and pray they be smited…smitten…smote (???) with Voodoo crotch fleas, I had to admit I was impressed.

This is where I let the unlit matches lie. I had what I had come for. The compliments were a gas, but that was my stop.

If you’re new to writing/publishing, have slept since you last looked at publishing news, or if you have—I dunno, A LIFE—and don’t have the energy to keep up with every possible way some jackass from across the globe can mind-screw you using your dreams and AI to empty your bank accounts…you are in good company.

The movies lie. Publishing hasn’t paid big advances since shoulder pads were still all the rage. They haven’t paid ANY advances pretty much since Snooki: A Shore Thing.

Yes, Jersey Shores finally broke it for the rest of us.

Now, I don’t know if AI Scammer 1 (Editor) was going to have AI Scammer 2 (Agent) make me a sweet deal on advances? Plausible. But one doesn’t have to be super savvy about publishing to know that advanceds of any kind are definitely suspicious.

Where this gets truly, bone-chillingly terrifying is the handover.

Granted, I have slept since I’ve done my last publishing contract, BUT there are a lot of sensitive details one reasonably expects to share…with one’s agent. Like bank info, tax forms, identity information, contracts, addresses, and possibly copies of IDs, depending on the transaction.

OH MY FRIGGING GOD!

I am a million percent not here to make anyone feel dumb. Do you not believe that, at least for a sliver of a second, I WASN’T hoping this was a real referral? That another fellow writer angel hadn’t helped me out and that SOMEONE LOVED MY WRITING?

I am human.

Mostly.

Pats Down Pockets to Check for Wallet

Though I am sure someone out there has blogged on this exact sort of scam—I linked to a couple above—we are all increasingly overwhelmed. Half the BS on LinkedIn is trying to either SELL AI or train people ways to prompt AI to fool readers that it isn’t AI.

*Kristen shouts expletives at sky*

BLEEEEEP! BLEEEEEP Why do we need to figure out another MOTHE-BLEEEEP BLEEP BLEEP?!?!?!?

So for those of you who wander over to my blog for the writing advice, the jokes, the clever memes—I LOVE YOU—and you lucked out today just in case you’ve missed this latest wave of trickery.

It’s sophisticated, restrained (for a scammer), and the messages are all written in the conversational style that is educated enough to be a native speaker who works in publishing, though not so high-faluting as to wave more red flags than a CCP parade.

Until now.

How to Fight the AI Scammers

Here’s a list of things to do. Many you probably already know, but it never hurts to get a refresher.

• Verify the person outside the email. Go to the publisher’s, agency’s, or company’s official website yourself. Don’t rely on links in the message. Even then, though, as this post I hope has made painfully clear, that is no longer enough.
• Check the domain, not just the name. A real editor’s or agent’s name means nothing if the email comes from Gmail or a lookalike domain.
• Slow down when someone flatters you. The better the compliment feels, the more reason to verify before clicking or replying. We should ALL know this, but we are human. Even I was seriously sad the compliments/opportunities weren’t real.
• Know how your industry actually works. Process knowledge is a security tool. If the workflow feels off, investigate. Read blogs. I have plenty. Follow people who talk about the industry (in all your tremendous amount of free time, I know).
• Never send money because an “agent” or “publisher” says it’s required to move forward. Again, THIS scam was uniquely interesting for the reason it DID NOT immediately start asking for money. They may NEVER have asked for money. Why would they need to when a vulnerable writer could unwittingly hand them the keys to the bank accounts?
• Be especially cautious during handoffs. The fake editor may only exist to introduce you to the fake agent, service, accountant, lawyer, or payment portal. Again, the multi-phase structure of this new scam is what I found uniquely disturbing.
• Treat hyperlinks as suspect. Hover, inspect, or manually type the official site instead.
• Use AI against AI. You can have an AI help inspect suspicious wording, headers, domains, or inconsistencies—but verify whatever it tells you independently.
• Trust the weird feeling. You don’t need courtroom-level proof before deciding not to click

We do not have to be paranoid. We do have to be deliberate–ly paranoid.

Be safe out there. I’d talk about this more, but the Senior Acquisitions Editor from HarperCollins is DYING to hear from me!

What Are Your Thoughts?

I don’t know about you guys, but I am almost to the point of dusting off a type writer. This nonsense makes me want to scream, but it’s a good thing we have each other. Relationships are crucial more now than probably ever before. Actual HUMAN relationships with HUMAN(ish) writers (pro tip: wait until they’ve had coffee/ pro-pro tip: bring them a coffee).

Have you been contacted by an “agent,” “editor,” or publisher recently who seemed just a little too good to be true? What was the tell that finally made you suspicious?

Have you noticed AI making scams harder to spot? What parts of publishing do you think writers most need to understand so they’re harder to manipulate? Have you ever had a legitimate industry contact that looked suspicious at first?

What’s the best scam-spotting resource you’ve found for writers? Are all the new and improved AI scammers exhausting you, too?