Kickstarter Scammers Impersonating Me

I’ve heard from a number of crowdfunding creators – specifically in the comics section of Kickstarter – who tell me that someone pretending to be me has reached out to them.

The typo-ridden notes use my name (not always spelled consistently or correctly), my biography (copied-and-pasted from Kickstarter), and even link to my sites. The scam conversations invariably lead to the scammer recommending the services of a supposedly different person selling a social media promotion package for ~$500.

Oof and yeesh.

Let’s cut their scam off at the knees: No social media promotion is worth $500.

What we know…

• The scammers seem to be targeting creators of just-launched and “launching soon” Kickstarter campaigns.
• The scammers use gmail addresses with variations of my name. I don’t use gmail and never have. If you receive an email from me using a gmail address, it ain’t me.
• Here are the bogus email addresses I’m aware of: steve.conley.comix@gmail and steveandcomix@gmail
• Again, IMO, there is no social media promotion worth $500. (I made a video with my top 10 webcomic promotional tips and I specifically say don’t spend money on paid social media promotion.)

I’m hardly the highest profile comic creator on Kickstarter so it’s very likely that they’re impersonating multiple creators like myself who have a number of successful crowdfunding campaigns.

My suggestion: I’d recommend being wary of any emails from established creators using free email services like gmail, yahoo, protonmail, etc. Most established creators have their own domain names.

Steps taken

I reached out to Kickstarter but the scammers are not using Kickstarter’s in-system messaging so it’s outside of their ecosystem (if the scammers had used Kickstarter’s in-system messaging, the deception would fall apart pretty quickly since their signature wouldn’t link to my real KS account). I also reached out to Google about the impersonating email addresses but never heard back.

If you’re contacted by one of these scammers who are using a gmail address, the best thing you can do is report their scam gmail account directly to Google here. This can get their scam address shut down.

The main thing I can do is post this note, tell my mailing list, share it on my socials, and tell other creators I know.

How you know when it’s really me

If I reach out to anyone regarding Kickstarter, it’s usually to cross-promote an ongoing campaign to analogous audiences. For instance, someone else with a fantasy/comedy graphic novel or someone else producing a D&D subclass book. No money changes hands. I share their campaign with my audience and if they’re so inclined, they return the favor. I also use Kickstarter’s messaging because it’s more secure and easily verified.

And again: Don’t spend money on social media.

You can always email me at steve@steveconley.com to reach out.

My thanks to the creators with finely-tuned BS detectors who reached out to me and kindly sent along screen caps and forwarded messages.

It sucks that this is happening. The technique is new but the scam is old: bastards preying on hopeful creators.

That said, I am happy to have met the creators who reached out. More than ever, we have to have each others’ backs and stick together. And keep our shields up.

— Steve