Beware impersonation scamsters!

TODAY, I RECEIVED my second email from an impersonation scamster this week. This one was from a Charley Burlock, who says she is an editor at Oprah's Book Club and she's raving about my new mystery novel, Riversong. She wants to include it in a special book club feature, and is offering me a "roadmap" of the book club's plans.

I discovered there is a real editor named Charley Burlock at Oprah Daily, but I'm sure she didn't send me this email, which came to me from a gmail address. If I'd wanted to see Charley's "roadmap," I would no doubt be asked to forward money.

The email I received three days ago was from a Michelle Nathan, claiming to be a marketing manager at Penguin Random House. I discovered that Nathan is also a real person, working at Penguin in London. Her alias also reached out from a gmail address. She gave Riversong another rave, with wording very similar to Burlock's "blending emotional depth with page-turning suspense."

Nathan offered to give me an Amazon Visibility Audit. Now why would a Penguin marketing manager want to make my book a success on Amazon?

I've heard that scamsters also impersonate well-known authors, offering to get us published or promote our books. But I haven't yet received an email from Stephen King or J.K. Rowling offering get behind me.

Share this warning with your writing communities. Because when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!