📖 "Publish a Book, and the Scammers Will Find You." Anatomy of a $37 Extortion Attempt

Publishing a book is an emotional rollercoaster 🎢. After months (or years) of writing, editing, and wrestling with formatting, you finally hit "publish." You’re proud, excited, and—most importantly—hungry for validation that your work matters. It’s at this exact moment, when your guard is down and your hunger for success is at its peak, that they appear: The "Author Hunters" 🕵️♂️.

Recently, I became a target of such an attack. I want to describe this story step-by-step because while the scammer failed this time, the manipulation tactics were almost pitch-perfect.

Scenario 1: A Big Opportunity Knocks 🚪✨

It all started with a message. And not just from anyone—I was contacted by (or so they claimed) Regan from PeruseProject. If you don’t follow international BookTube: she’s a giant. Over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, massive reach on Instagram, and a tastemaker for thousands of readers 📚.

The proposal? "Can I do a review of your book on my channel?"

My first reaction? Pure excitement! 🤩 Every author dreams of a break like this. I replied that I would be honored. In my head, I could already see the sales charts skyrocketing 📈. However, the first red flag popped up very quickly: a request to move the conversation to WhatsApp. 🚩

Scenario 2: WhatsApp and the Kenyan Trail 🌍🔍

Why WhatsApp? Because it’s easier to build a "personal" connection there and harder for social media platform algorithms to verify the account. When I added the number to my contacts, I saw the prefix: +254.

Kenya. 🇰🇪

Regan from PeruseProject lives in the USA 🇺🇸. Her life, home, and work have been documented online for years. Why would an American influencer use a Kenyan phone number to contact a Polish author? That was the moment my "happy author" mode switched to "detective" mode 🕵️.

Scenario 3: Analyzing the Manipulation 🧠💬

I decided to see how far they would go. Our conversation was a textbook example of social engineering:

Scammer: "Hey dear, Regan Here. Hoping you have all the purchase links ready. How many reviews do you need?"

Notice the question: "How many reviews do you need?". This is a classic "upsell." A real reviewer asks about the book, not about the number of reviews they can "deliver" 📦. My response was firm:

ME: "Hi Regan, thanks for reaching out. To clarify—I am only interested in organic reviews (...). I do not purchase reviews because it goes against Amazon/Goodreads policies. If you want to do a genuine video review—let me know. Otherwise, I’ll pass." ✋

And then came the masterpiece of manipulation. The scammer didn't back down. Instead, they adapted to my narrative:

Scammer: "I create honest, organic reviews (...). I do not charge for reviews. However, I kindly request a small 'author gift' of $37 to help cover video production expenses." 💸

Why exactly $37? 🤔💵

This is the most fascinating part of the scam. Why not $500? Why not $1,000? A shoutout from an influencer of that caliber is worth a fortune.

Low Barrier to Entry: $37 is an amount many authors are willing to risk "just in case." "What if it's true? What do I have to lose for such a small fee?" 🤷♂️.

The Psychology of a "Gift": Calling it an "author gift" is designed to soothe your conscience 😇. The scammer suggests: "We aren't breaking rules, you're just helping me pay my editor."

Scalability: If a scammer sends 1,000 of these messages a day and catches 20 naive authors, they make $740 a day just for copy-pasting scripts. 💰

The Finale and Verification 🛑🚫

When I asked for proof of identity, the communication started to break down. I checked the Facebook profile they linked—the page no longer existed, likely banned due to reports from others. I contacted the real Regan to warn her about the person impersonating her brand 📢.

The scammer was so bold that at one point in the chat, they even quoted my own concerns about Amazon policies, only to immediately reassure me that "together we can achieve more" ✨.

A Lesson for You, Author 🎓⚠️

If you've just released a book, remember these rules:

Big players don't use WhatsApp. Influencers of this scale have official business emails. Anything that bypasses official channels is a massive red flag 🚩.

Check the phone number. If someone claims to be from the USA but has a number from Kenya or Nigeria—run 🏃♂️💨.

The Rule of Business Logic. No one with half a million loyal fans is going to produce a video for $37. The math simply doesn't add up 📉.

Beware of "Author Gifts." It’s just another name for a bribe, and it could get your author account banned 🚫.

The success of your book depends on hard work and honest opinions. Scammers prey on your dreams—don't let them earn even a "symbolic" $37 🙅♂️.