An alarming increase in fraudulent activity targeting authors has led the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) to join together to issue urgent new guidance outlining measures writers can take to protect themselves.
How to protect against scammers: a guide for authors – which is published today – follows reports from both organisations of a large uptick in their members contacting them for advice on scams. Much of this activity is being driven by the rise of AI, which means that scams are taking more sophisticated and convincing forms, including impersonation of agents and publishers. The scammers aim to manipulate writers to part with money or sign away their rights in return for the promise of representation, publication, promotion or important connections.
The guide includes a checklist for authors to help them assess whether offers they receive are genuine or fraudulent. Advice includes being wary of convincing-seeming email addresses which scammers use to impersonate publishers, agents, big-name authors, publicists, marketing providers and others to ‘cold-email’ authors and make unsolicited offers, including attempts to try to acquire rights in books that have not been submitted to them (a practice legitimate agents or publishers would not engage with).
Manipulative practices include using AI to scrape online reviews, book summaries and directory listings of an author’s work, which then allow scammers to give the impression that the sender of the emails has read and admires the author’s work. Fake company websites are another tool, with some scammers using AI-generated content to create professional-looking websites, including staff profiles and testimonials. While authors might not be asked for money upfront, the guidelines warn that this can be another tactic used by scammers, who build trust over time. Pressuring sales tactics, “urgent” deadlines and upselling (suggesting an author pay more for just one extra “benefit”) are other red flags.
So sophisticated have fraudsters become that they can change the telephone number that appears when a phone call is made and make the caller ID match, for example, an author’s bank name or number.
The new guide includes a number of actions that authors can take to protect themselves, including contacting the WGGB or SoA expert teams for advice and providing a ‘contact me’ form on their website, social media channels and professional directories, rather than revealing their email address. If a scammer claims to be or cites a genuine agent or publisher, authors are advised to report the matter to the real agent or publisher. If authors receive a flattering email from a famous author or an agent, they should check with the author or the agent whether the communication is genuine. Established authors who might be impersonated by fraudsters can include a clear notice on their website and request that their agent and publisher do the same, stating that they never engage in cold-calling.
The guidelines also include useful resources where authors can find out more information, gain expert support and advice, and report scams and bad practice.
Commenting on the publication of the new guidelines, WGGB General Secretary Ellie Peers said:
“Scammers are getting ever more ingenious in targeting our author members, aided by AI and engaging in increasingly manipulative practices including impersonation, flattery and upselling. Their aim is simple – to use these sophisticated tactics to get writers to part with their money or their rights, on the promise of an agent’s contract, publication, publicity, acclaim, future earnings or connections that might help them in their career.
“Even the most vigilant of writers are understandably falling prey to these scams, and the WGGB casework team has seen an explosion in the number of members seeking advice in recent months. We therefore hope that our new joint guidance with the Society of Authors will help authors assess whether opportunities are genuine or fraudulent, provide practical actions they can take to protect themselves, and signpost sources of further support and expert advice.”
Anna Ganley, CEO of the Society of Authors, said:
“We are seeing an alarming increase in instances of scam emails directed at authors – our Advisory team receives at least a dozen reports of scams each week – there is a clear correlation between the emergence of mainstream AI technology and this spike in scam emails.
“The scams take various forms and can be very sophisticated and convincing. We are doing everything we can to advise authors and to ensure that they do not become the victim of a scam.
“We have worked closely with our colleagues at the WGGB to pool our expertise and develop this guidance, which we hope will provide authors with the tools and information they need to protect themselves from scammers.”
