In this week's episode, Brian and Angela welcome friendly and feisty Bob Wahl to the podcast!

Bob is 91 years young, and is the author of five books. He contacted a company called Authors Hike / AuthorsHike.com to help promote his books.

After paying them $4,000, he was shown a web page that had a graphic of more than 1400 (fake!) "orders" for his book. Author's Hike then tried to scam Mr. Wahl into paying to have those books printed. 

He reached out to WritersWeekly, which, of course, exposed Author's Hike's scam to the world. 

When Author's Hike realized they'd been exposed, that's when the threats and attempted extortion began...

You don't want to miss this one!!!

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Could this publisher be a scammer???

We keep receiving emails asking this exact question DOZENS of times every week.

 Now, in this Episode, using the examples of Ashbery.com, NYBookPublishers.com, and McGilliganpublishing.com, we SHOW you, step by step:

• WHERE to look for the evidence that an online publisher is potentially a scam.
• WHAT to look for to determine if an online publisher is potentially a scam.
• HOW to sort out the evidence you find and determine the likelihood that an online publisher may be a scam.

Follow along on your computer, as we walk through this process, and you will walk away with the skills and confidence to determine for yourself if a potential publishing partner will rip you off!

You have our promise that, with a little practice, you will be able to identify a potential scammer in less than 10 minutes.

Do you have an extra $5000, $10,000, or $20,000 to throw away and donate to a scammer in Pakistan, India, Nigeria, or the Philippines? If your answer is "NO," then listen to this episode, learn the easy process weeding out these crooks, and save yourself from financial ruin.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Michaele Aldophe had a heart-wrenching but also hopeful and faith-filled story to tell the world.

As a 14-year-old migrant from Haiti, Michaele (Mickka) was raised by her abusive father. She grew up, graduated from college, got married, and gave birth to a premature child who wasn't expected to live. Through prayer and the grace of God, he did! A divorce then left her raising her child alone. Then, both of her brothers were killed.

Yet, one thing has kept Mickka strong through all of that - her faith in God.

Mickka wanted to share her story and her faith with the world, so she wrote her book: It Wasn't for Nothing: A True Story of Faith - https://www.amazon.com/Wasnt-Nothing-Powerful-Story-Faith/dp/B0FBKT93RB/ref=sr_1_1

She searched online for someone to publish her book, and found Ashbery Publishing / ashberry-publishing.com / ashberypublishing.com. They seemed so helpful, so professional, and so caring. Mickka didn't know it at the time but the female "rep" was grooming her, calling all the time, and pretending to really care about Mickka (straight from the scammers' playbook!).

They were going to edit her book, and create a cover for only $499 (a ridiculous and unbelievably low price, designed to draw her in, and upsell her later...for thousands).

Then they started talking about marketing. That was going to cost a little over $17,000. Mickka paid.

Then, they wanted $12K more!! Mickka balked and that's when the nightmare began. They took control of HER website and HER social media accounts and she was not able to get them back. Yes, the scammer was (and still is) holding HER website and social media accounts hostage.

Brian and Angela team up once again with attorney James M. Walsh to listen to Mickka's story, and hear firsthand about her experience with this online scam "publishing company" (and other websites we connected them to!).

Mickka is highly educated, extremely intelligent, and a successful entrepreneur. If these highly-trained scammers could fool her, they can fool anyone...

SCAMMERS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Ashbery Publishing / ashberry-publishing.com / ashberypublishing.com 

Click here for the warning we already published about this scammer:

https://writersweekly.com/this-weeks-article/i-was-scammed-by-ashbery-publishing-ashberypublishing-com

McGilligan Publishing / mcgilliganpublishing.com (Exact same website as Ashbery Publishing, and even the same book covers!)

Ghostwriting Hub / ghostwritinghub.com

See 1-star reviews on TrustPilot:

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/ghostwritinghub.com?stars=1

New York Publishers / NY Publishers / nypublishers.co

See 1-star reviews on TrustPilot:

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/nypublishers.co?stars=1

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

It was all coming together. His five-book series were going to become a movie!

A "literary agent" had reached out to him via email just last month.  

Then, in emails shared with the author, that agent was negotiating between a “Fox Entertainment” executive, and a famous screenwriter (a member of the Writers Guild of America) who is currently in California, working on the next season of "NCIS." 

The names checked out. The Fox executive and screenwriter were real people. The author had even seen a business card in the emails. And, he also had a Zoom video conference with the Fox executive. He'd been copied on every conversation between the three people who were going to launch his books into Hollywood fame. 

The pieces were quickly coming together but there was just one sticking point: 

They wanted $50,000 dollars from the author to get the project started. That was just for the film treatment by the “screenwriter.” 

The author’s attorney thought it looked legit. So did the author’s friend, who was a banker for more than two decades. It looked so legit that the author’s investor friend offered to pay the fee. 

There was only one problem. All three people, the agent, the executive, and the screenwriter, were one person - a scammer! And, Angela and Brian were able to connect them to a known publishing scammer that was previously featured on WritersWeekly.com! They were STRONGLY pressuring the author to pay RIGHT AWAY or the project would get cancelled! Their offer, on official letterhead, promised him millions of dollars in the future! What would YOU do if you were in this author’s shoes? 

Lucky for him, he reached out to his publisher, Angela Hoy at BookLocker.com. Angela only had to ask the author one question. And, his one-line answer proved it was an elaborate and sophisticated scam. You’ll hear how he responded, and what cracked the case! The pieces came tumbling down and it was AWESOME! 

In this episode, we will explain how Angela uncovered the clues that the author, a lawyer, AND a banker with over 20 years’ experience didn't see.  

She reached out to the REAL Fox Entertainment and the REAL screenwriter, who is a celebrity himself. He responded to Angela. You’ll hear what he said in this episode. 

Angela and the BookLocker.com team saved this author from a $50,000 trap!

You don't want to miss this disturbing episode!!

UPDATE: After the episode was recorded, Angela Hoy was contacted by the REAL screenwriter’s law firm and agent. They’re going after the scammer. They asked for all of the emails and contact information for the three fake individuals and, of course, we provided it.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

We've heard it a thousand times: "I KNOW my mother (father, sister, brother, Uncle Cletus, Aunt Ethel, etc.) bought my book! Where are my royalties?!"

And, a thousand times over, we've had to break it to an author: "We're sorry but your relative actually did not buy your book. They lied to you to keep the peace." And, we provide proof to the author that the sale never occurred. In every single instance, the author's relatives refused to send the author copies of their receipts proving they actually bought the book (because the receipts didn't exist). 

This is an awkward situation that we run into over and over again, especially around the holidays. We get it. You wrote a book. More than anyone else in the world, you want your family and closest friends to read your book, and be proud of what you've accomplished. That's human nature!

But, are your expectations realistic?

The reality we've seen is that most people who are closest to an author actually do not purchase or read the author's book for a variety of reasons. We'll tell you why in this episode.

And, to be perfectly honest, it doesn't matter that much. If you want to impressive book sales, it's a matter of marketing. Market to the masses, not your friends and family. We discuss that in this episode as well with our special guest, book editor and marketer, Clayton Jones, who is also an English Professor at the University of Tennessee.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Please excuse the audio quality on this episode. You can hear and understand the conversation perfectly, but we had a technical glitch with the microphones. As a result, our audio went through the computer microphone rather than our professional grade exterior mics. This is still a wonderful and VERY intriguing story and we know you will enjoy it.

******

The year was 1971. A young, twenty-something couple fresh out of college with their teaching degrees accepted a job at an international school in Nairobi, Kenya.

The new job, foreign land, and unique culture was challenging. However, they embraced the adventure, exploring their new surroundings, meeting new people, and taking in all that Kenya had to offer. 

A year later, the father of one of their students befriended them. Unbeknownst to them, he was the CIA station chief for the region…and he’d been watching them! In the 70s, there was a lot happening in Africa and the CIA was trying to stay ahead of it all. The agency needed "normal" people who could get in close to other foreigners, and find out what America's rivals were up to Africa.

Their new friend approached the young couple with an offer to serve their country, and make the extra money they needed to supplement their teaching income. 

They accepted, and the ride began!

With expert story-telling talent, Linda Shields Allison shares the stories that define the precarious balancing act that she and her husband lived through as they monitored listening devices, and attended cozy neighborhood parties...with potential enemies. 
While teaching young children by day, they were also hosting shadowy agents in their home, who trained them in the arts of secrecy and subversion. They glided casually through their social circles while their family home doubled as a safe-house for mysterious men, with no names, who would appear one night, and vanish the next. They lived two lives - one of which they couldn't even tell their own families about.

Lower the blinds. Pour yourself a martini - shaken, not stirred. Then listen to this tale of espionage and international intrigue told by a woman you could easily mistake for just the gal next door ... because she IS the gal next door.

Join us as Linda Shields Allison gives us the backstory behind her spy memoir: {Code Names} Betsy and Babe.

Find Linda's book HERE: https://booklocker.com/books/13738.html

Also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

THIS IS PART 2. DON'T MISS PART 1!

Please share the links to these episodes with your friends and family members. MORE IMPORTANTLY, listen to these episodes and then sit down with your children to educate them! We know it will be uncomfortable but The Yahoo Boys and other scammers are responsible for not only financial devastation, but also for deaths all over the globe. WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN! And, the way to do that is through education. 

In this episode, Part 2 of our YAHOO BOYS segment, we review the training, capabilities, and reach of these Nigeria-based scammers (they've also expanded around the globe). They're not just contacting victims through social media. They've even infiltrated videogames. Also, we will share the stories of some of the victims.

Several of these victims' stories end in suicide. And, some of those were children.

Lies, deception, extortion, and even SEXtortion - there is no limit to what these monsters will use to take their victims' money, and some even encourage their victims to commit suicide! These monsters don't care what kind of devastation they leave behind.

Nobody online is safe from these criminals. This is why you need to hear this episode, and tell your friends, family, and especially your children! Understand the risks. You may help save not only someone's life savings, but even their life.

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Facebook owner, Meta, projected $16B in revenues from SCAM ads – and it was POLICY.

Reuters conducted an investigation covering 5 years’ worth of confidential documentation by Meta Platforms, Inc. (the parent company for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) that described the company’s attempts to figure out how much the company would PROFIT from advertising purchased by the scammers.

According to Reuters' investigation, this year, an internal report by Meta’s safety staff indicated that ONE THIRD of all successful scams in the United States involved Meta’s platforms. Meta’s safety staff also pointed to communications between scammers that indicated, “It is easier to advertise scams on Meta platforms than Google.” So, Meta knew how bad the problem was.

Even more documents by Reuters demonstrated that Meta WEIGHED THE FINANCIAL COST OF GOVERNMENT REGULATORY FINES AGAINST THE PROFIT THEY WOULD MAKE BY CONTINUING TO RUN SCAMMERS’ ADS.

Other evidence shows that Meta restricted their advertisement vetting team’s ability to kick scam advertisers off the platforms to PROTECT THEIR PROFITS!

We are in an age where scammers run rampant over the Internet. Scam victims can lose everything they own. Some even commit suicide. Online scammers have also been linked to human trafficking, child sexploitation, and more.

In the midst of all this evil, Meta (the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp) has decided to PROFIT from paid advertising from the scammers rather than protecting the users on their platforms.

You MUST hear this episode. No one is going to protect you and your loved ones from online scammers except YOURSELF. We work tirelessly, at no charge whatsoever, to educate you about their tactics and methods so that you can protect yourself. All we ask is that you share this episode with your friends and loved one. 

Only through education can we protect ourselves because, obviously, Meta is putting profits above the safety of their platform users.

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

They started the original "Nigerian Prince" email scam, but have expanded into so much more!

Join Angela and Brian as we slog through the grimy slums of Nigeria and Ghana - home of one of the oldest, most sophisticated, and most successful scamming organizations: The Yahoo Boys.

In this episode, we discuss the broad diversity of scams these techno-theives are involved in, their extravagant and lavish lifestyles, scammer universities, and so much more.

We also explore what may be the most disturbing aspect of these criminals: their involvement in bloodthirsty cult rituals and murders.

If you are on the internet, have an email account, are on social media or an online dating site, or even have TEXT ON YOUR PHONE, chances are you have been contacted at least once by one of the Yahoo Boys.

Don't open another email from an unknown sender or answer a flirty message from a sexy little tart saying "hello" on Facebook until you've listened to this two-part special episode of the WritersWeekly Podcast.

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Sorry about Brian's voice on this episode. He was in the preliminary phase of COVID, and now he's totally laid up and miserable. 

In this episode, we discuss a new scamming technique that combines the old with the new. Scammers are now using AI to create convincing-sounding "reviews" of authors' books, while using spamming software to send out these email scams by the thousands.

We've been shocked at how many authors are fooled by these "cold call" emails - most of which are coming from GMAIL accounts. Seriously, how many well established companies use GMAIL for their email needs?

If you've ever received an email from from a Gmail, Yahoo, or other public-use email service, singing praises for your book and offering to market your book for you, it's very likely you're being scammed.

Don't miss this episode. Find out what to look for to protect yourself.

Text us directly and tell us what you think of this episode!

Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com