scams – Jean's Writing

One last time, one more warning to avoid getting caught

Published on January 9, 2019January 8, 2019 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

And hopefully, we can avoid all the weird crooks in cyberspace.

I’m adding one more, and fingers crossed the last warning about fraudsters. Of course, someone, somewhere will find a new angle to try and part us from our hard earned money. And often the target is a writer. Sigh.

It’s a nasty business that requires us to stay vigilant against people who wish to make a buck by crushing our dreams. Don’t let them succeed.

Writers everywhere, this one included, are setting New Year’s resolutions to publish a book in 2019. However, there are people out there who wish to impede your success. Yes, you heard right. Scammers are rehashing, reworking and launching new attacks with old tricks. Stay alert. There are fraudsters who prey on your desire to publish.

Don’t become another statistic.

A grateful shout out goes to Anne R. Allen for an important article filled with information about scams.

Remember…

Amazon does not allow paid reviews. Anyone offering this service is a fraud.
Offers to publish for a fee – don’t! It’s a scam.
Guarantees to make your book a bestseller, for a fee of course. Alert, run away!
Regarding unsolicited email, DMs, and cold-calls from strangers, watch for tale-tale signs such as bad grammar, thick accent, and weird names. Delete or hang up!
Advertising is expensive, no way around that, so don’t be fooled when offered massive ads to rocket your book to outer space for a small fee.
Watch out for bogus literary agents. They are a dime a dozen.

These are just a few bits of info I gleaned from Anne. Click on the link below to her post and read a lot more about these nefarious crooks. Writer beware!

New Writing Scams to Look Out for in 2019 By Anne R. Allen

Safety covered, now time to get on with writing

But, keep your ears to the ground— let us know when you hear hoofbeats.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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Be vigilant, scammers are on the prowl

Published on January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 by Jean M. Cogdell27 Comments

And with this new year comes more vermin searching for an opening, no matter how small.

I’m referring to scammers, hackers and trolls.

The more gadgets we have, the more avenues and opportunities for a criminal to find you. Don’t fall for these frauds. From our email, smartphones, yes iPhones too, computers, tablets, blogs, websites, Amazon Echo, Google Home, or even smart TVs, we are all susceptible to these damn crooks. AND, of course, we are vulnerable on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and any of the many social media sites. Scammers are trolling for any insecurity or vulnerability in your life, online and real.

Once upon a time, long long ago, Apple products were immune. Or so we thought. But that is not the case, not now. So don’t let your guard down just because you have an Apple product. Scammers are everywhere phishing for your information.

No need to live in fear. Just be aware! Be smart!

Some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

Install good security and virus software.
Keep all software updated.
Do not click on an email that requests you verify account details.
Be careful about downloading free mobile apps. Know who and where it comes from.
Never click on an unsolicited email or alert that comes from a bank, institution or company. Go directly to their website instead.
On smartphones and tablets, watch out for text messages requesting you click on them.
Don’t recognize the phone number? Hang up or better yet don’t answer. If it’s important they can leave a message.
Be aware of phone number scamming. Fraudsters are now spoofing legit company phone numbers. Be careful, the person on the other line may not be a real Apple, ATT, Netflix, agent.
Remember if it sounds too good… well you know the rest.

Last but not least…

Think before you click. Just like crossing a street, take your time and look both ways. Let’s start the new year aware and in control.

Thanks to Terry Ambrose, Grace Sweeney and Kevin McAllister for these tips and their timely articles on the latest scams and fraudsters.

Below are links from these savvy writers to help you avoid falling prey to a scammer. Keep reading…

Scam Tip – Apple users beware of Apple phishing scam By Terry Ambrose

New year, new scams: what to watch out for in 2019 By GRACE SWEENEY

Outsmart the Scammers: How You Can Avoid Fraud By Kevin McAllister

Apple iPhone scam returns as new model nears By Terry Ambrose

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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Authors beware, watch out for this scam

Published on December 15, 2017January 10, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell48 Comments

Tis the season for scamming everyone with a pulse.

More scammers appear every day, like ants at an all they can eat picnic. These varmints call, text, email and show up on Facebook and Twitter.

Y’all need to watch out for this scam. A company preying on writers want to sell books and reach readers. Apparently, this particular scam has been around for a few years but I heard about them until…

Today they tried to hook me.

Now let me tell you, getting through on my home phone is no easy feat. A few months ago we bought a landline phone with Smart Call Blocker. This phone screens out all robo calls unless I’ve added a number (like a docs office) to the directory.

So, anywho—when the phone rings I expect someone I know and have approved to be on the line.

But today I picked up the phone and a caller identified herself as a Book Scout for the publishing company Readers Magnet. They wanted to republish Tryouts for Ben, for a fee of course. I won’t bore you with her attempt at flattery. Might’ve worked if the connection and her English hadn’t been so horrible. LOL

At first, I tried to be polite and say “no thank you.” But she would not stop talking.

Finally, I said, “NO, I do not want to do business with you.” And hung up the phone before she could continue her spiel.

Let’s get real Y’all. Publishers and agents do not need Literary Book Scouts or Talent Scouts. A legit company has more writers banging on their door than they can count. So, don’t fall for a “Scout” who calls or writes you. They are scammers.

And the scamming doesn’t stop there. If you Google scams, you’ll get websites that want to sell you a service or program to avoid scams. REALLY!

Good grief. Enough already.

Know more about this company before your phone rings. Read the links below.

Questions of the day…

Have you been called by a Readers Magnet, Literary Book Scout?

Do you know of another publishing scam we need to avoid?

I HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Don’t get scammed by companies like Reader’s Magnet By author Christopher Schmitz

Complaint Review: READERS MAGNET

How to avoid a scam? Pay attention and read

Published on October 9, 2017October 10, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell22 Comments

Don’t skim emails, read carefully and you can avoid big mistakes.

Thanks to Terry Ambrose I realized October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Why is this important?

Because those little ghosts and goblins ringing your bell this month aren’t the only spooky gremlins out to trick you. Nope.

There are hackers are lurking in our inboxes, on web browsers and social media just waiting to pounce.

So pay attention people.

Keep your computer security updated. Remember what happened when Equifax put off updating theirs when alerted? Yikes!

I know it is so overwhelming. Write blogs, read blogs, read and sort emails, pay bills, and in-between all of that finish the damn novel. I’m tired just writing this to-do list. Well a few days ago up popped on my computer screen these dreaded words, WARNING YOUR SECURITY HAS BEEN BREACHED SHUT DOWN AND UPDATE.

I have no idea what I clicked on! But I spent the rest of that day updating and cleaning up files, not writing.