By Anne R. Allen
Recently an article in The Cut by finance writer Charlotte Cowles shocked her readers with the story of how she was robbed by a gang of con artists. She admitted she ended up giving these crooks $50,000 in cash in a shoe box.
Like many other readers, I wondered how a savvy newspaper columnist could fall for such nonsense.
But her article was convincing. And hair-raising. This scam was so elaborate, almost anybody might be bamboozled by it. And unlike most, this scam does not depend on the greed of the “mark.” They manipulate their prey with intimidation and fear. With a series of carefully scripted phone calls, they instill pure terror in their victims’ brains.
And don’t think you’re too smart to be victimized.
But I’m hoping this post will help writers armor themselves against this particularly nasty scam.
The Fake Law Enforcement “Long Con”
Cowles’ story takes us step by step through the series of lies that terrified her into giving the crooks her savings.
It’s a classic “long con” — a scam where the scammer (or team of scammers) takes a long time (weeks, or even months) and uses elaborate deception to gain the victim’s trust before going in for the “kill.”
I recognized the long con from watching the old (and excellent) Timothy Hutton TV drama Leverage — about con artists who use their talents for good.
But these real-life con artists were doing pure evil as they posed as law enforcement officers and convinced Ms. Cowles that her identity had been stolen by organized crime. They told her she was wanted by the CIA because the gangsters used her identity to commit terrible crimes.
Also, they convinced her that the crime organization would kill her family if she didn’t help the fake law enforcement guys catch the bad guys. This involved giving the “good guys” an enormous amount of money. I know — that part doesn’t make much sense, but they spin a complicated yarn and they are convincing actors. They had so many cohorts on the phone impersonating different branches of law enforcement that Cowles started to believe them and panicked.
Everything was rush-rush-rush and she was ordered to do it immediately and tell no one, because they told her anybody she spoke to would become a target.
The Fake Law Enforcement Scams Strike Again
Any doubts I might have had about her credibility evaporated a few days later, when I heard from a close friend who had been targeted by the same fake law enforcement scam.
My friend is a writer too, and a well-educated professional. The fake law enforcement scammers had called about her “stolen identity,” and said they needed her help to trap the identity thieves and keep herself out of prison. The con artists also threatened her family and bullied her with the same rush-rush-rush, do-it-now-urgency as Charlotte Cowles.
It seems obvious this is the same team of con artists that Ms. Cowles wrote about.
My friend’s scammers behaved in the same way: calm and businesslike at first, as they told the elaborately detailed story about the identity theft, and all the crimes perpetrated in her name. But they slowly morphed into sadistic bullies, threatening and yelling, and constantly complaining that there wasn’t enough money and it wasn’t coming through fast enough.
My friend was gutted. Her life savings are gone and there are huge fines to pay for taking the money out of an IRA too soon. The hell these jerks put her through left her emotionally battered, terrified and ashamed.
And Again
Then this week I heard about another writer who had a similar horror story and they’ve heard of more. This may be the replacement for the Bitcoin scams of a few years ago. Or these people may be the new Bernie Madoffs.
But as I said, the fake law enforcement scam is even more sadistic than those greed-driven scams and Ponzi schemes. They defraud with fear. They terrorize. The victim’s life is threatened. Their children’s lives are threatened. Victims end up with PTSD. It’s a horror show.
Writers Seem to be Targeted
Charlotte Cowles suggested she might have been targeted when the con artists found her personal information sold on the Dark Web.
But why her?
I couldn’t help noticing that all the targets were writers. And I knew that at least two of them had previously fallen into the clutches of a notoriously scammy vanity publisher.
I have often warned readers to avoid vanity publishers. They not only overcharge for services, but they harass clients with incessant pitches to pay for “junk marketing” and other bogus services.
But now I think it’s possible they may sell your information on the Dark Web. And I suspect they may even be affiliated with these fake law enforcement scammers.
The Intimidation is Similar to Tactics of Publishing Scammers
This is pure speculation on my part, but I recognized the way my friend was bullied and intimidated as the same tactics used by the vanity publisher’s junk marketers.
I have another writer friend who recently fell into the clutches of the notorious vanity publisher. While she was planning for the launch of her book, she was harassed and dunned for money so belligerently that she fell apart. I hardly recognized her on the day of the launch. This vibrant professional woman had been turned into a helpless wreck who looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment. She kept saying she wished she’d never done it and didn’t even want to be a published author anymore. All she wanted was a way out of the nightmare.
She sounded just like my other friend who had been conned by the fake law enforcement scammers.
Both of these friends have published through the same notorious vanity publisher.
So if you have been a victim of a vanity press, be especially vigilant. You may be next to be targeted by the fake law enforcement scam.
If you want to find out if your information is on the Dark Web, some credit cards will offer identity theft protection and tell you every month if your information is being sold. Discover offers this free, but if you don’t use them, there are other paid services that might be worthwhile to look into.
Their Tactics Affect Your Brain Chemistry
I’ve learned from a psychologist that the extreme fear these fraudsters inflict on their victims causes changes in their brain chemistry. The prefrontal cortex is essentially disabled. That’s the part of the brain that organizes and integrates information. It also regulates emotion. This is why both friends seemed zombified, traumatized, and unlike themselves.
With therapy and strong support, both friends’ brains will recover. But their savings are gone.
Remember:
1) Government agencies contact you in person or via snail mail, not the phone or email.
2) Government agencies will never ask you to pay in cash, bitcoin, or gift cards.
3) If things sound strange, always ask for a badge number, full name, and the street address of their office. Then contact the real office. Never use a phone number or email address the initial contact gives you.
I have to admit this topic is emotional for me. I’ve seen two strong, competent friends conned, bullied, and robbed. I’m hoping that by getting this information out there I can save a few other writers (or anybody) from falling into the clutches of these sociopaths.
For more on scams targeting writers, see my post on the latest publishing scams with links to all my posts on scams.
And remember, always check Writer Beware before you sign with any publisher. Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware had a great post last week on Coping with Scams. We all need to be proactive about scam avoidance.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) March 3, 2024
What about you, scriveners? Have you done business with a vanity press and then felt hard-sell pressure to pay more money for marketing? Or had your information sold to other scammers? Have you been contacted by these fake law enforcement scams? Did they appear to have a legit phone number or email address? Did you fall for the con? Do you know anybody else who has been a victim of this diabolical scam?
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I’ve never heard of this law enforcement scam, Anne. Thanks for sharing. I’ve had a few fishy approaches over the years which smelled like fish. If the message is unsolicited and appears too attractive to be true, it most certainly is. Happy Sunday to you and Ruth!
Garry–This scam is particularly awful because it’s not “attractive.” Victims’ lives are threatened, as well as the lives of their families. People who are savvy enough to know not to fall for ordinary scams fall for this one because it’s not like any scams they’ve heard of. That’s why I want to get the word out.
The idea law enforcement would need a civilian’s help and real cash to catch identity thieves should be the tip-off. Anytime someone asks for money, hang up. I’m so sorry your friends lost so much to these evil people.
DD–The problem is the con artists have already terrified the “mark” by the time they ask for money. They do this with many phone calls from a number of different people posing as law enforcement officers. The victims’ brains are not functioning properly because the prefrontal cortex has been disabled with constant threats and terror. Anybody would know better if they got this request right off the bat, but it comes at the end of a “long con” where the victim’s sense of reason has been disabled.
This is some elaborate scamming and I’m so sorry for those who are affected by it. In the first instance, it’s important to know (as the scammers assume their victims don’t) that the CIA does not have 1) law enforcement authority. The CIA cannot arrest anyone. 2) The FBI, NOT the CIA, has the authority to deal with US citizens regarding US criminal actions.
What’s worrying here is your theory that vanity publishers may sell writers’ information to bad actors. Information brokers are able to piece together information from various sources to target potential victims.
Thanks for alerting us, because anyone can be a target.
Carmen–Thanks for giving us the perspective of an actual CIA agent. From what I hear, the scammers have changed from posing as CIA agents to FBI agents since Ms. Cowles was scammed. I suspect these scammers are overseas and don’t know all the ins and outs of US law enforcement, but they’re learning. Fast. And, as you say, anybody can be targeted.
I worry too that vanity presses are selling the information of their victims on the Dark Web. I haven’t got much evidence, except that two of these victims published with the same vanity press, which does sell information to other scammy outfits.
Why is it that the good people never have enough tine to do good & the evil folks appear to have all the time in the world? Oy.
CS–Scamming is obviously a full time job for these people. But they really are putting in a lot of work. I guess a real job wouldn’t pay so well.
Horrifying! Thank you for the valuable information!
Ruth–I do find it horrifying. Scammers get bolder all the time.
Anne, thank you for talking about this to warn authors specifically. The story attracted international attention because it’s so outrageous. It’s horrible how scams like these are getting more and more widespread.
Truth be told, it’s one of the reasons I’m wary to publish anything and put my name out there. (Laws differ here regarding privacy, in both good and bad ways.)
Tina–It is outrageous. The boldness of the con and the huge amount of money stolen are unprecedented. But I don’t think being a writer makes you an automatic target. These people had done business with a scammy publisher. It is scary putting your name out there, but it’s possible to use a pen name if you don’t want people to know who you really are. Not that I recommend that. It’s hard to sell books if you’re hiding. I think anybody who isn’t living in a Unabomber cabin in the woods, entirely off the grid is a target for scammers. They are everywhere.
A good warning, Anne. Thanks for putting it out there. It is easy to think ‘Oh, I’m too smart to fall for a scam.’ but that is proof that smart people can be tricked by elaborate cons.
JR–You’re exactly right. Smart, savvy people have been conned by these people. The only way to combat this is by getting the information out there.
Yikes! Thanks for the warning. I’ve had a few brushes with attempted cons, but most seemed so outrageous and similar to things I’d read, I challenged them. This, by no means, makes me immune, so knowing about other scams helps to avoid them.
Jeanne–I think if the victims I know had heard about other people being scammed this way, they wouldn’t have fallen for it. This is a whole new approach to scamming. So the more we share their stories, the safer people will be. Until the next one comes along…
Anne, thanks for spreading the word in the writing community. I first learned about this scam a few weeks ago through the Authors Guild.
Since your friends had both been published by the same scammy company, it does sound awfully suspicious. I wonder if Charlotte Cowles ever had dealings with them.
We gotta watch out for each other.
Debbie–I’ve wondered that too. Great to know the Authors Guild is on the ball warning writers about this awful scam.
This is horrific, Anne. I’ve not heard of it in the UK, but I suppose it’s only a matter of time.
Thanks for the warning about vanity presses. I’ve always thought they are a bit dodgy, but I suppose there are some honest ones.
I’m going to pass this warning on as soon as I get back to my pc. Can’t remember my password to log on to Facebook here on my tablet.
VM–I hope these lowlifes don’t branch out into the UK, but you never know. I believe they’re in Asia, so I guess they could reach anybody anywhere. They’re very tech savvy. Yes, there are honest vanity and hybrid publishers, and they can be great for some writers. But unless you know a lot about the business, I think it’s best to stay away.
I totally relate to the password problem. 🙂
Anne, you said something a while ago that has stuck in my mind. I’m paraphrasing, but, ‘there is no tele-marketing anymore. It is ALL scams.’ Since before the pandemic, I have never answered my phone without knowing who it is. As well, partly because of your excellent posts on writer scams, I only publish with well-known and respected publishers, both for novels and short stories. It may have taken me longer to get published, but I have found it’s worth holding out for that.
Melodie–I forgot I said that on the blog, but it certainly is true. Nobody who cold-calls is going to try to sell you aluminum siding or get you to change your phone company anymore. They are ALL crooks. Whether they’re conning you out of donation to a fake charity or stealing your life savings, cold-callers are out to hurt you. I don’t know for a fact that vanity presses sell your info on the Dark Web, but it’s a distinct possibility.
Wow, that is so crazy it sounds like a plot for a novel or movie of the week. I realize you were probably trying to protect the identity of your friends, but I did wonder what they would say that would convince someone they should give any law enforcement agency money. That is what stuck out for me.
Maybe it’s just the Irish in me, but I would be very hard to be convinced with my money even if it was a law enforcement agency. Though it’s easy to say what you might do when the situation for you is hypothetical.
I hope your friends mend from the emotional terror visited upon them. Nobody should have to go through that.
I wonder, is there an agency (a real law enforcement agency) that you could report something like this too. Or maybe the FBI? Somebody needs to catch these mo-fo’s.
Anita–It does sound like a thriller plot, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why they target writers. Victims do need to report this kind of theft, both to local law enforcement and the FBI. There’s so much scamming going on right now that there are online forms to report scams to your local district attorney and the FBI. I think it’s good to talk to local law enforcement by phone as well. The problem with catching these guys is they are often overseas and US law enforcement can’t reach them. But eventually some of this stuff is enforced by Interpol. I remember seeing a whole office full of scammers arrested in India a few years ago. It does happen.
I think the reason these people were so convincing is because they knew a lot about the victims– street addresses, family names, names of family pets, and of course bank accounts and social security numbers. That’s why I suspect this vanity press might have something to do with it. They have access to this stuff with author bios and forms they filled out to get their royalties, etc.
Don’t forget to add in all of those solicitations that one can get in the mail and respond to. That’s another way for scammers to get your info.
GB–Good old snail mail can still be a vehicle for some scams. But most of these big scams come from out of the US, and overseas stamps are recognizable and expensive.
Thank you so much for alerting us to this latest scam! Much appreciated!!
Jean–I hope this will help writers be aware of these scammers!
Thank you for this important warning!!!
Liz–Do spread the word. The more people who are educated about these scams, the fewer victims.
Thanks for letting us know about this, Anne. There is no cell dark enough, damp enough, or vermin-infested enough for such scammers.
I don’t answer my phone unless I know who’s calling.
Kay–I agree. Unfortunately, most of them don’t get caught, and go on to do more and more evil scams. When they’re out of reach of US law enforcement, it’s hard to prosecute.
The sad part in all of this, is that these scammers have gotten very good at spoofing numbers when they call. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten calls on our landline from legitimate business (ranging from ESPN to various agencies from my former state employer) numbers that were being spoofed.
For what it’s worth, there’s at least one legitimate business out there whose reputation is being destroyed by those phone scammers: American Solar Power. Real business that scammers are masquerading as in order to make you part ways with your hard earned dollars (I know of this because I man our landline and being retired gives me lots of time of my hands).
GB–Spoofing phone numbers has given these people a lot more power. They’re usually very tech savvy and know what they’re doing. What a shame they’ve libeled that solar company. Lots of scams involving solar energy. If anything is new and shiny, scammers are on it.
SUCH an important subject to broach, thank you Anne. It comes as a gut-punch for me, as I fell prey to an employment/Bitcoin type scam two years ago. Really needed work, looking for gigs on these platforms, and somebody snuck past the safeguards to offer the job that seemed too good to be true. Which of course it was– I wound up losing $2,000 and came about as low as I’ve ever felt about my future prospects.
One other thing these scammers take advantage of is your serious need. Authors (in my case it was narration work) and others NEED to work, and that’s another way they get you. You figure you’re going to get paid for your labor, an exchange of value that seems right. But when they start to send you “money” to buy new equipment… yeah, run.
Will–I’m sorry to hear you got hit by scammers. I read recently that fake job offers are the #1 email scam in the US. The problem is, good people judge others by themselves, so they assume most people have good intentions. But it’s not true when it comes to advertising and spam. I got taken by a Facebook ad for a handmade looking shirt. Reasonable price–not so low that it made me suspicious. I never got the shirt and I had a whole lot of mysterious charges on my credit card. I never buy anything through Facebook anymore.
I just shared the post on all my social media.
Liz–Thanks a bunch!
Geez, just when you think you’ve heard it all. Thanks for keeping us poor writers in the loop.
Yvonne–I figured I should spread the word. This is scamming taken to the next level. Nobody expects this kind of thing.
Good Heavens, this is awful, what a scam, and turning your friends into terrified zombies! Thanks for sharing this important information. But we are living in a really dangerous world as the Internet is basically an UNREGULATED JUNGLE!
What you are talking about here is a super elaborate scam, but there are simpler ones that happen daily! Google has put up some barriers to protect our email boxes, but I just go one 10 minutes ago telling me my Netflix subscription had to be renewed etc etc – not true at all of course! I looked at the email address of the sender and it was private, not Netflix itself. A well-written message, convincing though, and if I hadn’t looked at who sent me the email, I might have fallen for it.
So you’re quite right, we really need to beware!
Claude–You’re right that we have to be on the lookout for scams everywhere. I got one like your Netflix this morning pretending to be from Spotify. The one that irritates me most is the 100s of spam messages I get that pretend to be receipts for anti-virus software. They say they’ve received X amount of money to pay for my subscription. If you click anywhere on the email, it lets loose malware on your computer. These people are such sociopaths. It makes one despair about the human race.
Thank you for posting this, Anne! Scammers are ruthless and out of control. It makes me sick. You should watch YouTuber Perogi. He scams the scammers. It’s satisfying to watch.
TJ–I have seen some of Perogi’s You Tube “scammer payback” videos. Unfortunately these guys aren’t as obvious as the normal scammer. They are very convincing and most people would listen when somebody in law enforcement tells them their identity has been stolen. It’s not until many phone calls later that the scam emerges.
Absolutely horrifying Anne! Thank you for keeping us aware and in the loop. This is very intimidating crap for us writers. 🙁
Debby–It is intimidating indeed. Unfortunately scammers love to target writers because we’re generally more optimistic and trusting than the average person. Also we’re more likely to “suspend disbelief.” So we have to be ultra vigilant.
Thanks for this, Anne. This scam is not only horrifying, but infuriating. My gut reaction is they need to be punished with something that fractures a kneecap. That’ll stay with ’em for a long time.
Fortunately, I don’t have enough money to make the effort of the scam worthwhile, and I don’t deal with any vanity press.
I got the impression that all three of the victims were women. Do the scammers target women more than men, perhaps believing that women are more easily frightened? (Not saying they are, but the scammers might think so.)
Fred–It’s true that all the victims I’ve heard about are women. Middle aged women. It may be they’ve discovered women are more intimidated by males impersonating law enforcement officers. I agree that these people deserve the harshest punishment possible. Death penalty with public executions might be nice. Hey, they could be pay-per-view!
So very sorry about your friend’s horrific experience. The sad thing is, once a scam is exposed, the villains create a new one and they attack from all fronts.
I got a call yesterday from a roofing company wanting to do a “free” inspection of my roof. This happens all the time after a storm.
I also got an SMS message from the USPS with a link attached, that a package couldn’t be delivered. The USPS doesn’t text people, they leave a note in the mailbox.
I’ve received the calls about my Windows OS being shut down, my SS number being compromised and threats of arrest, calls wanting to verify an Amazon charge of over 600 bucks, a fake call from my internet provider offering discounts, and I still get timeshare calls once in a while.
Scammers are like roaches. They scamper when the light is shined, then crawl back out of the woodwork with new diseases to spread.
I won’t put financial apps on my cellphone. Don’t trust them. In fact I seldom use the darn thing. My landline (yes, I still have one) I keep on Do Not Disturb until after 7pm.
The old “trust, but verify” has never been more applicable that it is right now. We like to trust in people’s good intentions, but it’s best to verify before committing to anything.
Brenda–You’re right that once the general public is onto a scam, they invent another one even worse. They learn from their mistakes. That’s what makes this one different. Most phone scams come via robot these days. I’ve had the ones you mention too. The Windows getting shut down is an old warhorse. The robot sometimes gets looped wrong and you only hear part of the message on your voicemail or answering machine. I had a whole lot of messages saying “…he will expire” that were part of the Microsoft scam. Perfect prompt for a mystery writer. 🙂
But this one uses real people who are very scary. What they say sounds so plausible, and it’s something we all fear, so it works like a charm to get people to “suspend disbelief.” That’s why I’m spreading the word. These days, I think it’s safe to assume anybody who cold-calls your landline is a crook.
It’s absolutely horrible. I’ll be sharing in my March edition Writers Tips. <3
Debby–Thanks so much for sharing!
Me too. I am both a published and self-published author, and was scammed out of many thousands a year ago last October. The scam: My son-in-law had been in an accident & being held in jail. The apparent authoritativeness of the scammer (I had even done some checking) and perfectly duplicated voice of my “son-in-law” had me convinced. Since then, there has been ample evidence that AI is used to duplicate voices, but who knew at the time? Being a crime writer, a fictionalized version of the event is currently the subject of my WIP. My case appears to add to your hypothesis that writers are somehow being identified as such.
Lanny–AI has given crooks so many more tools to scam us. What an awful thing you went through! I’m glad at least that you were able to turn it into a novel plot. I think the fact the book is based on a true story will give you a great hook for selling it. Thanks for weighing in as one more writer who was targeted.