by Rae Stonehouse | Sep 23, 2026 | Case Studies
Summary An unsolicited email impersonating a Chinese domain registration auditing department claimed a third-party company was attempting to register an artist’s brand name as Asian top-level domains. The message used urgency and official-sounding language to pressure...
by Rae Stonehouse | Sep 23, 2026 | Blogs
Why “prestige” you have to pay for is no prestige at all The rise of self‑publishing has empowered millions of writers—but it has also created a booming market for scammers who prey on authors’ desire for recognition. One of the most persistent schemes is the vanity...
by Rae Stonehouse | Sep 20, 2026 | Case Studies
Summary In early September 2026, an author received an unsolicited email from an individual named Joel claiming to represent the Brain Worms Book Club. The sender offered to spotlight the author’s book Shadows and Debts: Tales From the Nexus in their reading...
by Rae Stonehouse | Sep 20, 2026 | Case Studies
Summary An author received unsolicited direct messages on Twitter/X from an account impersonating renowned literary author Don DeLillo. The impersonator used AI-generated responses over several weeks to build rapport through mirroring, emotional engagement, and...
by Rae Stonehouse | Sep 20, 2026 | Case Studies
Summary Gift card scams targeting authors typically combine impersonation of literary industry professionals with requests for untraceable gift card payments. These scams exploit authors’ professional aspirations, emotional investment in their work, and existing...
