WARNING: Scammers impersonating SFFBC asking for money > Likes and Comments

Dear club members and authors,

It has been brought to our attention that a despicable scammer is impersonating the SFFBC mod team. They are contacting authors, using the SFFBC name and logo, offering to place their books in group challenges etc. for a steep payment.

The moderators of SciFi and Fantasy Book Club will never ask for any personal data, nor will we offer any paid services or ask for money in any way.

This is a club for readers by readers. We are all here for the love of reading. As moderators, we do not take or expect payment for the work we do, nor will we sell promotional opportunities.

The only official ways to contact the moderators of SFFBC are listed in this topic:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Any other Google Forms are not provided by us and should be considered malicious scams.

We have reported the scam and are taking legal action against the person behind it.

If you are an author and you have been contacted, we suggest you take screenshots of the conversation and save the direct link to the profile that contacted you. We ask you to report the account via the Goodreads report feature, telling them this account is in no way affiliated with us. If you have the time, we would appreciate it if you contacted us; we will get back to you and provide you with a way to send us your screenshots, so we can add them to the measures we are taking.

Thank you for your support.

Your (actual) moderators of SFFBC

07/05/26 update: Promotions are now being posted by accounts that are made to look exactly like the mods', so we would like to reinforce that our stance on promotions has not changed. We will not promote any author's work here. If you see something like that, it is not from us.

Why are people so despicable?

Thanks to our mods for always being upstanding, kind and generous.

Thank you for making the community aware, scammers are a real problem across all social media at the moment.

^ Just a reminder, SFFBC mods will never ask for any personal data, nor will we offer any paid services or ask for money in any way.

Please reach out to us using the contact above if you are being approached in this way, so we can (to the best of our ability) block scammers like these from our spaces.

Just received this today. From: bellamydemers41@gmail.com

Hello DJ O'Brien,

I’m Bellamy, one of the moderators with the Sci Fi and Fantasy Book Club on Goodreads. I recently came across Wyvern and thought it would fit perfectly with one of our upcoming fantasy reading discussions.

The mix of ancient evil, forgotten prophecies, fractured kingdoms, magical crystals, and unlikely heroes gives the story the kind of epic fantasy atmosphere our readers genuinely enjoy exploring together. Brinn Thronso’s connection to a destiny he never asked for, alongside the growing threat surrounding the Prince of Shade, creates the kind of tension and worldbuilding that usually sparks strong discussion within our group.

We’re currently selecting a small number of fantasy titles for an upcoming community reading cycle, and Wyvern strongly stood out as a book our members would immediately connect with.

Reply with “Interested” and I’ll reserve a place for Wyvern in the discussion lineup and send over the next details for the feature setup.

Bellamy
Moderator
Sci Fi and Fantasy Book Club
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Ugh. Yes that is the type of scam that is being presented in our name. Do not reply.

We have tried contacting goodreads about this, but so far have only received AI-generated answers that did not reference the actual problem.

Since the contact is happening outside of this group, there is unfortunately nothing we can do to stop this.

I just got one. It had gone into my spam folder and, funny enough, I'd visited this group the other day--not sure if that was some trigger. Because it came from "Melanie" and had the name of the group right, but the email was misspelled (fantassy), it almost looked legit, except for the lengthy, repetitive, AI-like synopsis of my book. Sigh

Should I ever actually get discovered, I guess I'll be the last to believe it.

I'll look into reporting it.

Dear club members,

promotions are now being posted by accounts that are made to look exactly like the mods', so we would like to reinforce that our stance on promotions has not changed. We will not promote any author's work here. If you see something like that, it is not from us.

I received an email on July 28, 2026 from "SARAH, Executive Organizer & Moderator SciFi & Fantasy Book Club." Sarah offered me a "feature" for my book. After a further seven emails (all very flattering), she explained that the feature could be "complimentary" or "enhanced." I asked what the enhanced feature would cost and got this email in response:

From: sarahms9009@gmail.com
To: erica verrillo

Tue, Aug 11 at 4:02 AM

Dear Erica,

Absolutely. The enhanced feature is optional and ranges from $75–$300, depending on the level of visibility and reader engagement selected.

The complimentary feature is still available, but the enhanced option is designed for authors who want the discussion around their book to have a little more reach and lasting value. Depending on the level, it can include extended community visibility, additional reader engagement, and a dedicated reader resource built around the book, its themes, your insights, and the discussion itself.

For Elissa's Quest, I think the latter could be particularly meaningful because you've already given us such wonderful material about Elissa's journey toward independence, the origins of the stories, and your experiences creating the character. Those insights can make the reader experience much richer.

Our community is hosted on Goodreads, where the SFFBC reading cycles and discussions take place. I can also send you the community page if you'd like to look through it.

There is absolutely no pressure to choose the enhanced option. I want you to have a clear picture of both approaches and decide which feels most appropriate for Elissa's Quest.

If you'd like, I'll send you the short breakdown of the enhanced options so you can see what each level provides before making a decision.

Warmly


SARAH
Executive Organizer & Moderator
SciFi & Fantasy Book Club
🏆 Community Excellence Award Recipient
📖 Author Engagement • Reader Community Leadership

I'm sorry they are wasting your valuable time...

It is very frustrating and more than a little upsetting that they are using our identities. It is spam. Do not give them money.