Warning on the SFWA website about a scam that preys on writers.
Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :
Hm. How do I know when something like this is a scam? So far, the only suspicious thing I see is the time rush. You can't get advertising for nothing, legal or not.
Posted by extrinsic (Member # 8019) on :
Several features signal this is a scam. They ask for an inordinate amount of money, comparable to the Nigerian lottery scam, where covering certain costs must be done in order to claim the prize, their "testimonials" are from noncredible unknowns, and the immediate action required. One feature common to scams of this nature is the friend-of-a-friend or lawyer or banker or other credible-worthy stranger who made it big from participating. Those features are also common to pyramid and Ponzi scams.
The only money a writer should ever pay for publication is a reasonable reading fee, $10 or $20, to nonprofit organizations that award winners' prizes, typically paid to reputable writing programs sponsored by universities and colleges that are otherwise funded by taxpayer funds and would otherwise be restricted to students and such as benefactors of the funding. If they're open to public submissions, they must be self-supporting publications.