Scammers like…no, scammers love people like me – a new author just trying to get publicity for her book. So, they swoop in with a very flattering AI written email. This is my third email from scammers, so it’s comforting to know at least someone’s reading my bio.
Last week I received an email from a scammer who was posing as Candice Fox, a successful Australian author, who I was not familiar with, but am now. This scammer can’t be terribly bright…I mean duh…why would a successful author be writing to an unknown American author to learn more about her and her process? So she can learn the true meaning of struggle? Hmmmmm. Trust me, the real Candice has better things to do with her time, LIKE SELL HER OWN DAMNED BOOKS! But I thought I’d share what Fake Candice wrote because man, she was smooth and rather entertaining:
Hi Fran,
I hope you’re doing well.
My name is Candice Fox, and I write crime fiction and psychological thrillers, often exploring morally complex characters, emotional tension, and the darker sides of human nature.
I came across your profile recently, and I genuinely wanted to connect with you as a fellow author. I always enjoy meeting writers who are passionate about storytelling and hearing more about the creative journeys behind their work.
I’d love to hear more about what you’re currently writing and what inspires your storytelling style. And if you’d ever like to take a look at my work, here’s my Amazon author page: (I deleted the link just in case it’s malicious.)
Looking forward to connecting with you.
Warm regards,
Candice Fox
Awww, the scammer genuinely wanted to connect! So, I wrote back:
Hi Candice,
You may very well be a totally legit Australian writer just trying to connect with a completely unknown American author, but I can’t imagine why. I am very wary of emails out of nowhere with links. Your books look great! If you are real, congratulations. If not, this is probably the end of our correspondence.
Then fake Candice writes back sensing a little tug on the fishing line. Clearly, any response is better than none:
Hi Fran,
Thank you for getting back to me, and honestly, I completely understand your caution. The internet can be a strange place, and writers especially have to be careful, so I truly don’t take your response the wrong way.
I’m very real, just an author reaching out because I genuinely enjoy connecting with other writers and learning about the journeys behind the stories people create. Writing can feel isolating at times, and I’ve always appreciated sincere conversations with fellow authors, whether they’re widely known or quietly building their work with passion.
And thank you for the kind words about my books. That truly means a lot.
I’d genuinely love to know more about you and your work. When did you first start writing? How many books have you written so far? And what has your experience as an author been like emotionally and creatively?
I always find it fascinating how every writer carries a different story behind the pages, the struggles, the persistence, the moments of inspiration, and even the doubts along the way.
And if you don’t mind sharing your book link with me, I’d truly love to learn more about your work and explore the stories you’ve created.
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey.
Warm regards,
Man, AI is so good isn’t it? She just wants to hear about my journey and genuinely connect! So flattering and gracious! Accepting my compliments on her books as if they were really hers. So, I responded:
Hi again Candice,
You’re a successful author and you know that all you have to do is go to Amazon and type in my name and you’ll get my book link. If you want to learn about me, type my name into your search bar and many things will come up. I’ve had a blog for 14 years. You will learn more than you want there. I’m not going to respond again. My spidey senses have been activated.
So fake Candice, not to be outdone says:
Hi Fran,
I completely understand, and I appreciate you taking the time to reply again.
I recently looked up your book, Come on Down, on Amazon, and I honestly wanted to say that the cover is absolutely stunning and charming. It immediately caught my attention. There’s something very warm and intriguing about it.
Did you design it yourself, or did you work with a designer?
I also noticed that while the cover is very eye-catching, the book’s visibility seems fairly quiet at the moment, which surprised me because it genuinely has a professional and appealing presentation. I was curious what steps you’re currently taking to help expand its reach and connect with more readers.
Warm regards,
Candice Fox
Truly, fake Candice is so full of shit. And is she dissing my cover, asking me if I designed it? I’ll have her know I had a professional graphic artist design it, so take that fake Candice! I happen to love it, especially with my name featured prominently in the penne noodle! It shows I have a great sense of humor, something you, Fake Candice, know nothing about. And then she has to rub salt into the wound by saying, “The book’s visibility seems fairly quiet at the moment, followed by another line of BS flattery.
But the line that cements it all is the last one, because she is leading up to an attempt to sell me fake PR for which she will simply need to charge me 1500, 2500, or 5,000 dollars for amazing reach to millions of readers, and access to all kinds of podcasts, etc. (That’s what the scammer, two scammers ago, wanted to do.) This bitch is good, she’s trying to ease me into the kill, but doing it with flattery and love. An endearing touch.
So I replied:
And next you’re going to tell me that if I pay you x amount of dollars you can help me market my fabulous book so it gets all the attention in the world. Please stop contacting me.
However, my sweet new close, personal friend is not giving up. She is truly offended:
Hi Fran,
I think there’s been a misunderstanding, and I’m genuinely sorry if my message came across the wrong way.
I’m not here to pitch anything to you, ask you for money, or sell any kind of service. I reached out simply as a fellow author because I enjoy connecting with writers and learning more about their work and creative journeys.
When I mentioned your book visibility, I was speaking from genuine curiosity as someone who understands how difficult it can be for authors to get their work noticed, no matter how good the writing is. That was all.
Wishing you continued success with your writing and future books.
Warm regards,
Candice Fox
Dear Fake Candice,
I am not responding. (Which was not true because she was back at it again days later and I couldn’t resist!) But thanks Fake Candice for giving me a fun blog post to write. By the way, I have contacted the real Candice and her PR person and told them that someone is using her good name. They were both very unhappy.
But I have to hand it to you Fake Candice. You are so very flattering. I’d love to learn more about you and your work. I always find it fascinating how every writer carries a different story behind the pages, the struggles, the persistence, the moments of inspiration, and even the doubts along the way (sound familiar?) especially you poor scammers.
I hope you warmly rot in hell.
Sincerely,
Fran
And yes, Fake Candice tried yet again with this:
I just wanted to say I truly admire the dedication it takes to keep writing and sharing your work over the years. Building stories and putting pieces of yourself out into the world isn’t always easy, and I genuinely respect that about authors like you.
I hope Come on Down finds the readers who connect deeply with it, because every book carries the heart of the person who wrote it.
Warm regards,
To which I replied:
Hello Fake Candice,
I already told you, I reported you to the real Candice Fox and her PR person. You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to scam people who are just trying to make a living and get publicity for a book they’ve spent many years putting together, which is a labor of love.
I hope one day someone does this to you and you fall for it to the tune of thousands.
Not fondly,
Fran
So, there you go. At least Fake Candice made my emails more interesting. I can’t remember the last time I so looked forward to an email response.
If you’ve ever been scammed or had someone try to scam you, I am sorry for both of us! Please write and tell me about your experience! Authors are not the only targets, that much I know.
And hey, I’m sending a huge thank you to each of you for buying my book and even more thanks to the 21 of you who took the time to leave a review on Amazon! They’re all five stars! Woo Hoo! If you read it and liked it, please consider leaving a review. If you know anyone famous like Oprah, Jenna Bush Hager, or Reese Witherspoon, who’d like to write a nice blurb for my book, feel free to let me know.
In the meantime, for you locals, I’ll be in New Brighton this coming Tuesday, May 26th at the New Brighton Historical Society Meeting. It starts at 7 pm. I’ll be supplying some baked goods and reading a few chapters from my book! The meeting is in the back room of the Westminster United Presbyterian Church at 115 North Mercer Ave, New Brighton, PA 15066. I hope you can make it! Maybe we can trade scammer stories!
As always (and definitely not mandatory) if you enjoy this blog and would like to be a supporter so I can dig myself out of the horrendous debt I’ve put myself in while self-publishing, just click on buymeacoffee.com/FranTunno And thanks so much to all of you for supporting my blog.