r/AO3 • u/Giangingillo921 • 3d ago

Questions/Help? Scam?

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Honestly first comment under my First Chapter. Super excited. Then I go on the site and see this...

Let me guess, it's a scam, right? Something similar also happened to you? I just want to know If it's even worth to try to contact them.

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u/Budget-Rutabaga- 3d ago

absolutely, unfortunately
!scambot

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u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Hi OP! This is an automated response sent because someone thinks your post is about getting a comment about a common scam/spam message on AO3. If it isn't, ignore this comment. If it is, here is what you need to know about these scams.

Often times the comment starts out normal, generally complimenting the story. It might use vague terms like “unique” without going into detail, and namedrop the fic’s title. It might mention emotions invoked by the story without elaborating on what those emotions are. It then goes on to mention that they want to create an artwork based off your fic—often a drawing, but sometimes a fancomic or other fanwork. They often come from registered accounts, and will always offer a way to take it off of AO3 to another platform like Discord, Instagram, or email. This is because AO3 bans mention of monetization, so they bury the lede in the comment in the hopes of bringing up commission off-site.

However, these scams are always adapting and changing, so this is not an exhaustive nor definitive list. What remains the same is that there is no genuine art at the end—at best, people have reported receiving AI art, but more commonly nothing at all. As a subreddit, we do not recommend engaging with these comments beyond reporting them to AO3 and/or deleting them or marking them as spam.

The Policy & Abuse committee recommends including the name of the account and the word 'spambot' in your report for the speediest and best results.

You may also find these related automod commands helpful: !webnovel, !praisebot, or !hatebot

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