New sophisticated publishing scam targets struggling authors on Amazon
Taking a break in the publishing journey of my anthology of short stories and poems, Finding Meaning, Making Sense to bring you this important information.
I recently received an email stating that “Effective 2026, titles with fewer than 10 customer reviews and inactive rating activity may face reduced visibility or listing restrictions” and that “Early action is recommended to maintain uninterrupted marketplace access.”
Since my entire bibliography, 14 novels, 2 plays and 2 collections of short stories, fits into that category, it caught my attention.
I get hundreds of spam messages a week from “book marketing experts” or book club facilitators saying they can improve the discoverability of my books. With the introduction of AI, some even go so far as to summarize my titles to authenticate their pitch. Recently, out on curiosity, I responded to two and let them play out. Neither were legitimate. At the very best they couldn’t deliver what they claimed and both wanted money up front before any services were provided.
This one got my attention because, first of all, it didn’t arrive in the spam folder, it claimed to be from Amazon, and, like I said, “titles with fewer than 10 customer reviews” identified my entire bibliography.
I responded to the email and received a message confirming that
“Based on current performance indicators, improved alignment between the book’s genre and its core reader audience can significantly increase interaction signals such as page views, follows, and voluntary reviews. To execute this correctly, connection with a Certified Visibility Specialist is recommended.”
There was no cost on Amazon’s side I was told, however, “Any fees, timelines, or working arrangements are discussed and agreed upon directly with the specialist based on your specific needs.”
I asked to be connected with the specialist.
From that point on, I’ve dealt with a person (who identified as a woman) who provided me with a very sophisticated overview of different options for work that could be done to preserve and enhance my titles on Amazon, and how much it would cost. The first step would be to initiate a “Diagnostic review of all listed titles to identify genre misalignment, category dilution, and discoverability blockers.”
Though suspicious, I played along and agreed. I promptly received instructions to send the money via a bank transfer, which was odd. Why not a credit card or even an e-transfer. The details of the transfer indicated to send the money to an account registered to a different name other than the one on the email. In fact, an internet search of the name identifies “a seasoned digital marketer and website designer with extensive experience in optimizing online course platforms”. Great, except that it’s not a she, but a he and he’s not located in Californian, but Nigeria.
Now, I’m in full protective scam mode, but rather than end it my investigative journalist instincts take over and I continue with the charade. I say I can’t accommodate a bank transfer and is there any other way to pay? Of course, there is. Send it via crypto currency – an instant and non-traceable way to transfer funds.
As of this writing, I have informed the scammer(s) that funds have been transferred from my bank to my crypto account and they will be released in a few days. While we wait, I’ve initiated investigations by various agencies including Amazon, The U.S. Federal Trade Commission https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/assistant , The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/protect-protegez-eng.htm
I doubt these agencies will get any result or even carry out an investigation, however, they may keep a record of this account and flag details – i.e. names and bank account numbers. It is up to us, as authors to protect ourselves and the best way we can do that is trust no one, always be suspicious, and don’t let your dream cloud your common senses.
In the meantime, I’ve a few other actions I plan to undertake to thwart or at least inconvenience the scammer.
Amazon has detailed information on how to identify a scam associate with their site at https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G4YFYCCNUSENA23
ABOUT THIS PHOTO
“Sledding” is being featured on Orangepeel’s Instagram page to promote the release of the "winter's night” edition.
More images of Winter Almost and Entirely can be viewed at
https://rodraglin.smugmug.com/