Avoid Publishing Scams

Here at Penguin Random House, we understand the value of a good story. Unfortunately, bad actors do too. We have learnt that professional scammers are impersonating PRH employees, literary agents and providers of other literary services and are targeting self-published authors and other writers. These scammers are willing to play the long game to garner trust and often seek payment from writers in exchange for facilitating a publishing agreement with PRH or for various ‘required’ fees, third-party services, or certifications. These tactics are fraudulent. PRH will never seek a fee from an author or require outside services to consider a manuscript. Reputable literary agents will not seek an up-front payment to represent a client.

We have become aware of instances in which scammers have used the Penguin Random House logo and/or names of PRH publishers, editors and even the global CEO of our company to create fraudulent agreements and other documents such as so-called ‘letters of interest’ to perpetuate this type of scam. These are not real documents and the use of our logo and names is not authorised. Please do not trust these types of documents, especially if they are shared in the form of screenshots.

Do not trust individuals claiming to be from PRH’s fraud team/department but not using our official email domain. Please see the tips below for our official domain and the email address to our only fraud inbox in Australia.

Please be aware that Penguin Random House does not work with, endorse or have any relationship with the following entities:

If you believe your entity is listed here in error, please let us know at AUfraud@penguinrandomhouse.com.au

We recommend that prospective authors work with a professional literary agent to submit their manuscripts to us.  

If you would like to submit to us directly, you can learn more about getting published here.

Tips

• Be wary if you receive an unsolicited email about your work from an agent or someone purporting to work for/with PRH.
• If you are contacted by someone claiming to be PRH on social media or over the phone, ask them to send you an email from their PRH email address. Be sceptical if the person gives an excuse for not doing so.
• Pay close attention to the email domain, as scammers often spoof a legitimate email address. PRH’s official company email domain in Australia is: @penguinrandomhouse.com.au.
• Keep in mind that fraudulent emails and agreements may include PRH’s name, logo, and/or the purported names/signatures of actual employees to seem legitimate.
• If you are unsure of the identity of the sender of a communication, do not click on any links.
• PRH does not partner with agencies or companies that provide editorial or marketing services to unpublished or self-published authors.
• PRH will not ask prospective authors for any form of payment or bank account information as part of the manuscript submission process.
• PRH will not ask for or need a book trailer or promotional video as part of a manuscript submission.
• Consult with an lawyer before signing any contracts with a literary service.
• If you’ve been a victim of a scam, we encourage you to contact the police right away.
• Trust your instincts. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of an agreement or an email purporting to be from a PRH employee or claiming a connection to PRH, contact us at AUfraud@penguinrandomhouse.com.au before sharing personal information or making any payments.

Phishing Scam Alert

Phishing is a social engineering attack using email and sometimes SMS messaging to trick individuals into divulging sensitive information or clicking malicious links that could result in ransomware attacks where a bad actor blocks or releases content on your machine. Phishing attackers want you to do something that benefits them, not you. They often offer large sums of money, publishing deals or threaten you with a locked account or late fees. A phishing scam can result in a loss of a significant amount of money or a stolen identity.  Be alert to phishing emails claiming to be from Penguin Random House Australia.

PRH’s official company email domain in Australia is: @penguinrandomhouse.com.au 

Tips

• Pay close attention to the sender of the email. Email addresses should not contain a random series of characters and Penguin Random House will not email you from a Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or other email address.
• If you receive an email asking you to route a payment to PRH somewhere new or unexpected, please contact your PRH Account Manager by telephone.
• If you are unsure of the identity of the sender of an email, do not click any links in the email.
• Even if you believe you know the sender, before clicking any links in emails hover your cursor over the link to see the full link and ensure it leads to a legitimate website.
• Look out for a sense of urgency, threatening words, spelling errors, incorrect punctuation, or strange spacing. These are clues that an email is a phishing email and not from Penguin Random House.
• If you receive an unsolicited email from Penguin Random House, verify its authenticity by contacting us at AUfraud@penguinrandomhouse.com.au
• Penguin Random House will NEVER contact you via text message without your prior written consent.

Author Impersonation

There have been instances in which social media accounts have been created, impersonating Penguin Random House authors.

For readers

If you’re ever contacted by an author, either on social media or via email, we urge you to check whether the message is coming from an official account.

If you suspect author impersonation, it is best not to respond to the message. If you are sure the account is impersonating an author, you can block the account and report it.

For authors

We urge authors to report impersonation accounts as quickly as possible.

How to report

• How to report an account on Facebook
• How to report an account on Instagram or Threads

Writers’ Festival Scams

Be aware that scammers may falsely claim to represent writers' festivals, literary events, media outlets or review publications. These individuals may offer speaking opportunities, event participation, interviews, media coverage or promotional opportunities before requesting payment, personal information or fees. Always check that emails come from an official organisation email address. If you are unsure, contact the organisation directly using the details listed on its official website.

Resources

• Australian government portal for reporting cybercrime: https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/report
• AFP cybercrime reporting portal: https://www.afp.gov.au/crimes/cybercrime
• SCAMwatch – to stay up to date on current scams
• Office of the eSafety Commissioner – for online safety education resources and information for Australians
• Australian Cyber Security Centre – is the hub for private and public sector collaboration and information sharing to combat cyber security threats
• Australian Institute of Criminology – for access to cybercrime research.

Contact us

AUfraud@penguinrandomhouse.com.au

Outside Australia?

If you are in the United States, please contact us at fraud@penguinrandomhouse.com

If you are in Canada, please contact us at canadaweb@penguinrandomhouse.com

If you are in Spain, please contact us at informacion@penguinrandomhouse.com

If you are in New Zealand, please contact Netsafe and/or local law enforcement:

• https://report.netsafe.org.nz/hc/en-au/requests/new
• https://www.police.govt.nz/105support