Two weeks ago we warned you about “Emilia Mc Vicente” – the fake Williams Lea project manager offering editing work on a manuscript that turned out to be a 2007 journal article. The scam featured a personal Gmail address, a real company name borrowed without permission and a “new” manuscript that wasn’t new at all.
It turns out it’s not an isolated trick. An IPEd member mentioned a Sydney Morning Herald article from 13 August about scammers following the same pattern, this time aimed at authors. Writers are getting glowing, highly personalised emails from supposed editors and agents at real publishing houses, praising their book in convincing detail, then angling for a manuscript, a fee or both. It seems to be the same playbook as Williams Lea.
Why now? AI. These emails used to be easy to spot with bad grammar, generic flattery and an impersonal opening gambit like “Dear Sir/Madam”. But now scammers can scrape your bio, your book blurb, even your themes, and get AI to write something that reads like the author has actually read your work. Writers’ organisations here and overseas have put out similar warnings this year.
The good news is that the tells are still there once you know to look for them:
- The sender’s email doesn’t match the company they claim to work for (e.g. a Gmail or Outlook address instead of a formal company domain).
- They push you to quote, pay a fee or send your full manuscript before any real verification happens.
- The flattering detail that sounds specific can be pulled from public sources – it doesn’t prove they’ve read your work.
- A quick search of the apparent project title, book title or any quoted text can turn up a much older, unrelated source (that’s exactly how one of our members caught the Williams Lea email).
If something like this lands in your inbox, please don’t reply and don’t click on any links or attachments. Try to verify the content independently through the company’s official website. If you’re unsure, just forward it to us at members@iped-editors.org. We’d rather check 10 false alarms than miss a real one doing the rounds.
Thanks to the IPEd member for the heads-up and the article.