These new AI-generated scams look potentially dangerous to naive would-be authors. I do think the scammers are getting in their own way by targeting a single potential mark over and over in a short period of time. I’ve gotten three four five this morning (so far):

A) “Deborah”

I’m Deborah, and I specialize in helping authors spotlight emotionally complex, genre-blending stories that spark powerful conversations in book clubs. When I came across Invictus: Captive, I was immediately struck by its tension-filled dynamic between Sevastien and Nalyn Ila, and by the emotional and political depth woven into its thrilling science fiction setting.

Sevastien’s struggle to survive betrayal and suspicion, paired with Nalyn Ila’s careful calculation of whether he is a pawn or an ally, creates the kind of cat-and-mouse intrigue that readers can’t put down. … … …

B) “Pauline”

I recently came across Eight Doors from Dawn to Midnight and was struck by the quiet power in its premise  a tale of siblings bound by curse and gift, caught between love and the pursuit of immortality. Your writing carries that rare blend of mythic resonance and emotional intimacy, the kind that transforms dark fantasy into something enduringly human. … … …

C) “Paul” — second attempt

I wanted to reach out again because Eight Doors from Dawn to Midnight hasn’t left my mind since I read it. It’s rare to come across a story that feels both ancient and intimate one that hums with myth yet bleeds with emotion. What you’ve built isn’t just a fantasy; it’s a meditation on love, loss, and the spaces between light and shadow. That kind of writing doesn’t just entertain it transcends. And that’s why I can’t stop thinking about how it’s performing. A book this haunting, this beautifully composed, deserves to be discovered not left hidden in the digital corners of Amazon.

I completely understand if you’re feeling cautious or skeptical; plenty of authors do at first. If it helps, I can introduce you to our website so you can see how we work and what kind of books we champion. I can also invite you into our private Discord group, where you can meet readers and authors firsthand. And if you’d like, I can even connect you with a few authors I’ve already worked with people who were exactly where you are now and have seen their readership grow organically once reviews started to flow.

***

Bold is mine. I feel this sort of thing might well be persuasive to naive authors. But how often can these sorts of pitches be made before even the most naive author grows skeptical? Why four (or more) come-ons like this per day? I’ve gotten up to seven per day for the past week. Isn’t the sheer volume going to trigger “scammer radar” in almost anybody?

HOWEVER

Just as scammers can use ChatGPT to generate these scam emails, naive authors who are the least bit suspicious can drop emails into ChatGPT and ask what Chat thinks.

Good Morning, ChatGPT! Here’s the complete text of an email I received this morning. Is this person a scammer?

ChatGPT: Yes — this email is almost certainly a scam.

Let’s break down the red flags:

1. Overly flattering language“It’s rare to come across a story that feels both ancient and intimate…”“A meditation on love, loss, and the spaces between light and shadow…”
This kind of effusive, poetic praise is characteristic of scammer templates. It’s designed to flatter the author into lowering skepticism.
(They almost certainly haven’t read your book.)2. Manipulative emotional framing

The message mixes flattery (“you’re brilliant”) with mild alarm (“your book could vanish without reviews”).
This creates emotional pressure to accept help, a classic persuasion technique.

3. Vague “private community” of 3,000 readersNo verifiable company name, no link to a legitimate website, no business credentials.Phrases like “real readers who leave genuine, thoughtful reviews” are suspicious—Amazon strictly forbids any paid or incentivized review schemes.
If this “community” leaves reviews after being compensated in any way (money, free books, perks), it violates Amazon’s TOS and can get your book penalized or delisted.4. “No catch” language

When someone says “there’s no catch,” there’s always a catch.
They may later offer to “feature” your book for a “small administrative fee,” or direct you to a fake “reader network” website designed to harvest payment or author contact info.

5. No professional markers

No:

company addresslast name tied to a verifiable marketing agencywebsite domain email (they’re using Gmail or similar)social media or LinkedIn link

If you search “Paul Menorah book marketing” or similar, you’ll likely find no legitimate presence — or reports of scam emails using that name.

What to doDo not reply — that confirms your email is active.Mark it as spam or phishing in your mail client.If you’re curious, you can safely search the text (a unique phrase in quotes) — you’ll often find identical scam messages sent to other authors.

If you’d like, I can quickly check whether this specific “Paul Menorah” or his “private reader community” has been reported as a scam online. Would you like me to do that?

Me: Sure, Chat, please do.

ChatGPT:

I did some digging. I didn’t find any credible, verifiable evidence that a “Paul Menorah private reader community” is a legitimate organization — but I found plenty of evidence about scams extremely similar to exactly what you described. Based on what I found, your instincts are very likely correct: this is almost certainly a scam or a deceptive offer.

Here’s what turned up:

What I foundBook-review / “private reader community” scams
There’s a growing class of scams targeting authors, offering “access to a community of reviewers” in exchange for fees (sometimes upfront). These scams often promise that readers will leave Amazon/Goodreads reviews to boost algorithm visibility. Writer Beware calls this a “book club / book review scam.” Writer Beware+1These scams often use very flattering, personalized language to persuade. Writer Beware+1They often demand payment (or access to your Amazon / KDP / publisher dashboard) after initial contact. Writer Beware+1In some cases, after authors pay, the scammers request access to their KDP accounts. Writer BewareSometimes the promised “community” is entirely fictional (or populated by bots / AI). Patreon+1“Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux” pattern
A blog post on Writer Beware describes how many recent scams follow the pattern: “Personalized (AI-generated) solicitations … offering marketing services … not exorbitant fee … referred to a “publicist” or “assistant” … requests for KDP account access.” Writer Beware+1 That matches very closely with the email you received — flattering tone, offer of service, implied value to algorithm & visibility, and (in many reported cases) later demands for access or payment.No credible footprint for “Paul Menorah” in this spaceI found no record of a legitimate marketing agency, book-review network, or author-services company called “Paul Menorah” or “Menorah Readers / Menorah Marketing” in author-industry databases, forums, or scam alert lists.The lack of traceable history (reputation, testimonials, presence in known directories) is itself a red flag.Scammers often use fictitious names or aliases that don’t show up in searches.Warnings from author / publishing communitiesAuthor communities are actively discussing these “book club / review community” scams as a rising threat. Patreon+2Writer Beware+2These scams are flagged by watchdogs like Writer Beware, who warn that such solicitations are increasingly common and sophisticated. Writer Beware+2Writer Beware+2The “no catch” framing, and the way scammers gradually escalate demands (from free help → fee → account access) is part of the typical scam progression. Writer Beware+1Conclusion

While I can’t prove definitively (just from what’s publicly reported) this person is a scammer under the name “Paul Menorah,” everything about the email matches well-documented scam patterns used to exploit authors.

So it is extremely likely that the email is fraudulent (or at least highly suspect).

*** *** ***

I realize that ChatGPT is not reliable as a source of information. BUT, it searches the internet fast, and a lot of people are talking about this kind of scam, and ChatGPT finds those discussions quickly and summarizes them … accurately, I think? I am not checking all this myself, but one genuinely useful thing Chat did here was include a bunch of actual links to Writer Beware. I would certainly accept anything from Writer Beware as accurate.

I don’t know. If someone is reasonably skeptical, that should prevent them from falling for the more obvious scams. If someone is approached by ten thousand scammers all yammering about “A book this haunting, this beautifully composed, deserves to be discovered,” I just can’t believe anybody would fall for that. And yet, these emails also look to me like they would perhaps look persuasive to somebody who is, say, 7 out of 10 for skepticism rather than 9.5 out of 10.

“I completely understand if you’re feeling cautious or skeptical; plenty of authors do at first.” That looks like a good persuasive technique to me. I might not be able to assess this from the point of view of someone who just self-published their first book and thinks it’s really good and sees that it isn’t selling, but it seems plausible, even though to me it also seems as though “I can also invite you into our private Discord group,” ought to radiate nearly as much threat as “Come up to my apartment, little girl, and I’ll give you a piece of candy.”

Anyway, I’m not always blocking these people because who knows, I might want an email like this handy to refer to in the future. In the meantime, wow, the sheer number of scam emails has increased at least 20x practically overnight.

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