My First Encounter

The day I got on goodreads, I was sent a friend request. Since the person was an author, and I wanted to get in contact with other authors, I accepted. The day after, he messaged me, saying he had just finished reading my book. He praised it, and asked how I got my inspiration. I must say I was flattered.

For a few seconds. Then I thought that it was rather odd that he had just finished reading my book the day after I got on goodreads. At first this did not seem so unlikely, for someone had bought my book through amazon about a month before. How could I know? It might have been him, and just a nice coincidence.

But something odd stood out about the message. I have had several compliments on my book since I published it, and all have been detailed. The praise this person gave was extremely vague, and could apply to anyone’s story. So then the question was, was this real, or a scam?

How To Respond?

I sent a reply and gave my own vague response, saying that I had had the idea all my life, and it was wonderful to finally get it published. Which is true, by the way. And then, as the first test, I asked him to leave a review on Amazon. His response pretty much repeated what he had said in the last message, and he agreed to leave a review. So, I decided to ask him three questions: What was his favorite scene, who was his favorite character, and what scene affected him the most? If he answered with details, I would know that he had actually read my book. If he gave a vague description, then I would know for certain that he was a liar.

Conclusion? Scam

He was a liar. His next message was filled with errors. First, his description was the vague answer I had anticipated, saying that he could not decide on a favorite character or scene, and he referred to the ‘quiet, reflective scenes’ being the most affecting to him. Anyone who has read my book knows there are no such scenes. Second, he made a very big error by accidentally leaving part of his response template in the message, which said, in brackets, something along the lines of [You might add a scene or character detail to make it more personal.] Third, he asked if I could send him the Amazon link so he could leave the review. My book is only available to buy on Amazon, meaning that he could not have read my book and not know where it could be found on Amazon. And his fourth and final mistake, he asked if we could continue our conversation through email.

All of these are signs that it was a scam. Upon further inspection, it became obvious that whoever had the account had copied the identity of a real author in order to trick people. I blocked the account and reported it.

My Second Encounter

I didn’t have any more encounters until today, when I received a friend request from an account claiming to be a book promoter. But having had experience with scams once before, I was cautious, and the first thing I did was look at her profile.

The first suspicious note was there were no details about her. The second, that she had joined in October of this year, though she claimed to have years of experience in promoting books. The third, she had left several reviews on several books, but they had all been 5-star reviews, had no comments, and had all been within the past day or so. And the fourth, that when I looked her up, there was nothing about her, and no sign that she even existed. So I did not accept her request. Now, is it possible that she is who she said she is? I suppose so. But the signs are enough that I won’t trust that account.

Warning!

And so I warn you authors, especially those who are new to publishing and really want to get your book out there. Be careful! Look for suspicious signs before you accept friend requests or respond to messages. Don’t take things at face value. And if you have any suspicion, DO NOT give any personal information or information about yourself, even about yourself as a writer. It is better to be safe than sorry. I had these encounters on goodreads, but they could happen anywhere, so be aware and ready.

The Signs

Suspicious signs would include:

1. No details in the person’s account.
2. Details/responses that are vague and could apply to anything/anyone.
3. If they claim to have years of experience but you cannot find them online.
4. If they ask for your email address/phone number/any personal information.
5. If they claim to be writers/publishers of a genre that is not like your own. (The first scam account had copied a solely non-fiction author.)
6. Any convenient coincidences.

These are not all definite signs of a scam, but they are signs to watch out for.

Conclusion

Every writer wants people to talk to them, praising their book and saying how they loved it, and it can be tempting to share more about yourself if the person seems interested. But think of each encounter as a mystery story. Before you make a conclusion, do some investigation, look for clues, ask for advice from people you can rely on and who have had experience with this kind of thing.

Stay safe! And as always, keep writing, keep learning, and keep growing.