Yes, these have happened before, but if you increase the scams by 10x or 100x, then it's a different, much crueller, beast.
I'm not sure what's so different between the legit publicists and the scammers.
> "Not every author is a narcissist, but they all want to be recognized… That's exactly what these scammers are targeting. They have identified a very, very lucrative niche."...
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> Writers are waiting "for somebody to read their writing," Hoy added. She argued that is why many writers believe the praise scammers heap on them. AI makes many of the compliments sound nuanced and personalized. Elderly authors are particularly vulnerable. As Hoy explained, a significant number of people who have a book in them leave off the writing until they have retired. Something else also kicks into the picture at this life stage: a sizable retirement fund...
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> ...the voices seemed human...
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> It is happening all over the world...
Similar scams target would-be actors, musicians, models, etc. Scams targeting models often lead into sex trafficking but sometimes they're just payola scams like this.
There's even some targeting startup entrepreneurs, usually in the form of dodgy "virtual incubators" or people who claim to be able to get you in front of investors or get you publicity.
I had a spear phishing attempt by someone pretending to be representing the Saudi royal family. Was initially tipped off by the fact that a Saudi wealth fund looking at our company would be like a lion stalking a gnat.