Beta Reader Scammers?

[Samantha]

I hope this is in the right folder. I posted recently in the "Authors Searching for Free Beta Readers" section. I had a few people reach out to me via private message. However, when I went to their profile, there are no profile pictures, no books, no posts, no reviews. The profiles are all less than two weeks old. I'm wondering if these profiles might be scammers. Can anyone confirm this? I want to be careful who I send my book to so it doesn't get pirated or have some other terrible thing happen to it.

[Dana]

Juanita Knott booksghydg@gmail.com

That was the name I received it from and this was the message!

Hi,

I want to review your book in exchange of a review copy. You can email me a copy at booksghydg@gmail.com. Please note that I am unable to download gift copies so kindly don’t email me those. Also, I don’t check messages here often so, if you have any questions please email me directly. I am also a beta reader. Thanks

I never sent anything because it had no photo, no friends, no books, NOTHING.
Very strange that there would be BETA trolls on goodreads.

Be VERY careful who you send your MS to. Ask questions... Check reviews of their work...

Also protect your work!!!
Dana

[Tomas]

Always be wary of emails that contain a weird sequence of letters. No reputable business of freelanced would do that. Directing you off-screen right away is also a red flag. It's likely to be a scam.

[Sue]

Hi, All. Full Disclosure: I'm a paid beta/proofreader, but I used to beta for free. I have spoken with a number of authors who have had similar problems as you all. If you are looking for a free beta reader, I will echo all of what has been said: Check their references every way you can. Some have websites. You can also DM and check the Goodreads pages of any authors who have left reviews. Also, if you are looking through the ads of betas offering free reads, be careful there, too. I look at these to review my competition on a regular basis, and even in the paid services I find ads that seem really shifty. Good luck to you all, it's a problem that is growing at a surprising rate.
Sue McKerns
Otterville Overhaul, LLC
https://sites.google.com/view/ottervi...

[Susan]

I have been getting spam emails through a fake Goodreads link. All of them are comments to a book review, but I've actually never read the book. They chose books from my "Want to read" list, so it's actually easy to spot the SPAM. Either way, I'm sorry you aren't getting a response from Goodreads, and thanks for posting. I'll send an email to Goodreads as well.

If you are still looking for a beta reader, I'm legit. I would just need to know if you are still interested and what genre you are in. I'm really not well-read in the fantasy or sci-fi genres. You can see my real website at www.rivetservice.com, or email me at susan@rivetservice.com.

Good Luck!

[A.C.]

Yeah only get beta reads if they have a Goodreads account with plenty of reviews. Also, doing swaps is a solid alternative, where you exchange manuscripts with another author.

[laura8759]

I had an author ask me to review his book a few years ago, he even had a website and everything but when I clicked his goodreads profile he deleted it
a few minutes later turns out he was spaming people.