Scammers Are Using AI to Pose as Book Clubs and Fleece Authors
The Lucrative World of Literary Scams
Snigdha Poonam, a journalist who has spent a decade reporting on transnational fraud, was invited to discuss her book at a Seattle life-drawing group's Zoom meetup — then asked for a "contribution fee." The fake attendees, all with cameras off, spoke in West African accents. She traces a booming industry of literary scams: fake book clubs, agents, and Netflix deals, with AI-written flattery, elderly authors as prime targets, and one operation that took 800 writers for $48 million.
Not every author is a narcissist, but they all want to be recognized. … That's exactly what these scammers are targeting. They have identified a very, very lucrative niche.