Knowing how criminals operate does not make anyone immune to being targeted.
Caryn Dolley is a journalist who has spent years investigating organised crime in South Africa. Her latest book examines drug lords, dirty cops and some of the country’s darkest criminal networks.
Yet shortly after the book was published, she found herself being targeted by scammers.
The irony is hard to miss.
But it is also an important lesson for everyone.
Scams are no longer necessarily obvious. They can be carefully researched, professionally written and personalised to the person being targeted. Artificial intelligence is making that process faster and more convincing.
In Dolley’s case, the scammers presented themselves as literary agents and publishing professionals interested in her work. The messages contained praise about her books and offers that initially appeared flattering and potentially valuable. Some appeared to come from legitimate publishing organisations, with email addresses that differed from the real addresses by only a single letter.
This is exactly the kind of deception that Scamtuition exists to expose.
The Scam Starts With a Compliment
One of the oldest tricks in the scammer’s book is flattery.
You have been noticed.
Your work is impressive.
Someone important wants to help you.
There is an opportunity waiting for you.
The reason this works is simple. Compliments make us feel good, and feeling good can make us less suspicious.
In Dolley’s case, the scammers appeared interested in her books and offered opportunities for promotion and collaboration. Some of the messages were so polished that they initially seemed plausible.
That is where artificial intelligence changes the equation.
A scammer no longer needs to be a particularly good writer. AI can produce fluent, persuasive correspondence in seconds. It can create a professional tone, personalise a message and produce enough detail to make an unsolicited approach appear credible. Daily Maverick reported that the Authors Guild had seen an increase in reports of scams targeting authors, with generative AI making it easier to produce convincing approaches on a much larger scale.
Look Closely at the Email Address
One of the most useful lessons from this case is also one of the simplest.
Look at the sender’s email address.
Not the name displayed in your inbox.
The actual address.
Scammers can make an email appear to come from a legitimate organisation while using an address that is subtly different from the genuine one.
It may contain an extra word.
A different domain.
A missing letter.
A slightly altered spelling.
These differences are easy to miss, particularly when the message itself looks professional.
But that tiny difference can be the most important detail in the entire email.
AI Has Made Polished Scams Easier
There was a time when badly written emails were one of the clearest signs of fraud.
That is becoming much less reliable.
AI can produce grammatically correct messages that sound professional and convincing. It can also help criminals create fake websites and supporting material that make an operation appear legitimate.
That means spelling and grammar can no longer be treated as the primary test of whether something is genuine.
Instead, look at the entire situation.
Did you expect this person to contact you?
Can you verify that they work for the organisation they claim to represent?
Does the organisation’s official website list them?
Does the email address match the genuine organisation?
Are they asking for money, personal information, documents or access to something?
Are they creating pressure to act quickly?
The more questions that arise, the more important independent verification becomes.
Why Unsolicited Opportunities Need Extra Care
An unexpected opportunity can be exciting.
That is precisely why it can be dangerous.
Whether the message is offering a publishing deal, investment opportunity, job, prize or business partnership, the emotional response is similar.
You feel lucky.
You feel chosen.
You want the opportunity to be genuine.
Scammers exploit that feeling.
They may spend time building credibility before making their real request. Sometimes the first interaction does not even involve money.
That does not mean the approach is legitimate.
It may simply mean the scam is still developing.
Verify the Person, Not Just the Organisation
Finding a real company online is not enough.
A scammer can impersonate a real company.
They can copy its logo.
They can create a convincing website.
They can use the name of a genuine employee.
Verification needs to go one step further.
Contact the organisation through a phone number or email address found independently on its official website.
Ask whether the person contacting you actually works there.
Do not use the contact details provided by the suspicious message.
That allows the scammer to remain in control of the conversation.
The Bigger Lesson
Perhaps the most important lesson from Dolley’s experience is that knowledge does not make anyone invulnerable.
A scammer does not necessarily need to fool someone who is careless.
They need to catch someone at the right moment.
Someone who is excited.
Busy.
Curious.
Hopeful.
Distracted.
Scams are designed around human behaviour.
That means even people who know a great deal about crime can be targeted.
The objective of Scamtuition is not to suggest that anyone can become completely scam-proof.
It is to make the pause automatic.
A Final Thought
The most dangerous scams are often not the ones that look suspicious.
They are the ones that look plausible.
A flattering email from a literary agent.
A message from a bank.
An investment opportunity recommended by a familiar face.
A job offer from a company that appears legitimate.
The details change.
The strategy remains the same.
Scammers do not need to break into your life. They wait for a trusted person, platform or institution to open the door for them.
Sometimes they manufacture the trusted person.
Sometimes they borrow the identity of a real organisation.
And sometimes they simply make the opportunity look so attractive that we open the door ourselves.
Pause.
Check.
Verify independently.
That is not paranoia.
It is good digital hygiene.
And it is a habit worth developing before the next convincing message arrives.