It has come to my attention that I have been impersonated on Discord by scammers trying to sell them on some kind of marketing or coaching scheme. If you are approached by someone claiming to be me on that platform – or any other platform, for that matter – it is a scam.
I am not on Discord, and likely never will be, and the only thing I want to sell you is my books.
These scammers purposely target mid-tier indie authors. They look for names with just enough established legitimacy to fool a casual observer, hoping to fly under the radar. A massive celebrity name raises instant red flags. Someone like me, whose brand is established but still growing? That’s the sweet spot for an impersonator because many people won’t think to question it.
Advice for newly self-published authors: The second you hit that ‘publish’ button, you become open to an entire ecosystem filled with scams promising you the world. Always approach with caution, ask a thousand questions, and never hand out money without being 100% positive it’s legit.
Most Publishers, Marketers, Editors, and “Book Club” website runners simply do not reach out cold very often. Google their credentials, check for reviews regarding their services, and contact them via official channels before agreeing to anything through the email/social media they contacted you from. Very quick tell: If they are using a gmail account, but claim to be a Publisher, that alone is the biggest red flag you can find.
Beware of anyone on Social Media offering to plug your work to their ‘thousands of followers’. In 99% of these cases, those ‘followers’ are all bots to make them look more legitimate. Twitter and Instagram is rife with these scumballs. Easiest way to sus them out: check their ratios. 5 thousand followers, but a post 2 weeks old only has 57 likes? Scammer. Lots of comments? Have a look at them. If 99% of them are sycophantic praise filled with emojis, they’re all bots. Run.
Also, your Facebook and Instagram post did not violate rules, and if it did, you would not get a direct message from someone threatening to ban your account if you don’t remove it. Meta would *just remove it.*
As always, stay safe out there. Scam literacy is a very crucial skill to build.
Best regards,
Matt Armstrong