We all know someone who is sick and tired of their 9-to-5 job and would love to start a business or get into investing and earn a large income.
“Sadly, so often they become a moth to flame, falling for online business or coaching programs that promise guaranteed income,” says Ian Lamont of Auburndale, Mass., who is well acquainted with both victims and online hucksters. He is an award-winning independent publisher and the founder of i30 Media Corp. Through his insightful blog and video channels, Lamont has been shining a spotlight on internet scams for years.
“Instead of making money, they lose tens of thousands of dollars,” Lamont points out. “And this is a great time to be an online scammer, as the major internet platforms are doing virtually nothing to prevent these incredibly convincing ads from running.”
Wannabe authors are a target
One of the most dangerous online scams I’ve seen runs very convincing online ads stating that — even if you have no writing experience — using their AI, you can produce a book in one sitting to sell on Amazon that will earn you thousands of dollars a month.
To get started, you just have to fork over about $2,000. To prove their point, “average people” who use their services show checks displaying large dollar amounts. Fake, fake, fake!
“In reality, desperate people get sucked into these publishing schemes,” Lamont says, “and what usually happens is they don’t make any money. They waste huge amounts of time and money with these hucksters and are upsold to master classes or services that have little, if any, practical value.”
How online publishing scams suck you in
Lamont outlined the way these book scammers reel you in:
- After watching the scammer’s video on YouTube or TikTok, the victim thinks, “It seems great. Wow! I can make thousands of dollars per month writing and publishing books on Amazon. Sign me up!”
- They invite you to subscribe to their email newsletter and might offer a free video “to get started.”
- They make inflated promises about how easy it is to make thousands of dollars publishing. And they’ll sell you “an easy formula” that will let you do it, too.
- Their emails become more and more insistent that you agree to pay for training.
- They refuse to accept credit cards, as they can be charged back, instead insisting on direct bank transfers, making it difficult to get out once you realize it is a scam.
- They often appeal to your desire to write a family history, failing to tell the truth that no one outside of your family will ever buy the book.
Online platforms don’t seem to care
Lamont is frustrated by what he sees as inaction by the internet platforms. “While these scams are a huge danger to the public, you would think that online platforms would block their ads. But anything goes even though these scams have been reported over and over again, because they want as many businesses as possible submitting content and paying for advertising, and they just look the other way when it comes to scams. Also, these platforms are fully aware of what’s going on and could go all the way to the top — like the DEA does with drug dealers — but thus far have shown little interest in doing so.”
Read Better Business complaints
My guess is that just about everyone who turns on their computer late at night has seen various self-publishing or assisted-publishing ads. If you are in any way tempted to work with them, do your research and begin by looking at Reddit and Better Business Bureau reviews and complaints. Here are actual comments and complaints from BBB online postings by people who say they have fallen for the scams:
- “The product is worthless.”
- The company failed to issue a refund, claiming to have technical issues with processing the refund.
- Promotional material was supposed to lead to a comprehensive book publishing assistance course, but the reality was a series of internet links for additional services.
- “There has been a system issue for the last 30 days that doesn’t allow the AI tool to be used at all. I have been in constant communication with the company to address this issue with no resolution. This has been the most misleading product I have ever purchased in my life. If you are considering purchasing this program, the best advice I can give you is to RUN! The tool has absolutely zero utility! SCAM product!”
I have emailed several of the major internet platforms, asking, “Why do you allow these scammers to advertise on your platform?” The only one I heard from before publication was Google (also the owner of YouTube), which said, “We have strict ads policies that expressly prohibit advertisers from misrepresenting their services to scam people. When we identify an ad that violates our policies, we move quickly to remove it and suspend the advertiser account when applicable.” For the others, it has been weeks, and I am still waiting for their responses.
How to protect yourself
For anyone tempted to get involved with publishing-related companies offering to make them rich with little effort on their part, Lamont makes some suggestions:
- “The first thing to keep in mind is the old proverb you know: ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Understand that these advertisements and videos are usually not regulated in any way, or the regulations don’t have any teeth, so neither the government nor YouTube seldom does an enforcement action against the people promoting them.”
- And “if you find out the name of the firm — and oftentimes, if you sign up for their email newsletter, you’ll have to go to a website to do that — you can Google the name of the company and the word ‘scam’ and check out the results that turn up.”
- Finally, try to find authentic accounts of real people who’ve used the company or service. Lamont acknowledges, “That can be hard to do because (a lot of) people hide behind anonymous internet handles, or you’re not really sure where they’re coming from or if they have some sort of agenda. But try to get a variety of opinions” on whether the company you want to work with is legit or a scam.
Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield, Calif., and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@gmail.com. And be sure to visit dennisbeaver.com.
