AI Book Scams – Fake Authors Target Dementia Caregivers

We’re peeling back the onion right now on some serious issues with scammers, including AI book scams — people purposely preying on those with dementia to make money (and even worse, to often just flat out steal).

Since forming HOPE FOR CHANGE, Gabi Chadwick has not only introduced us to a very serious incident where a scammer took tens of thousands of dollars from one woman (which we’ll be covering in-depth very soon), she’s also started flagging AI book scams as well.

Yes, AI scams already. Unfortunately it’s true, and we’ll readily file this under “this is why we can’t have nice things.”

Although the AI book scams, at least on the surface, pale in comparison to the outright thievery we’ll be covering next, they still should be viewed with serious caution. Anytime you’re sharing information online, you really need to verify where that information is going, because if it winds up in untrustworthy hands, you can’t be certain what Pandora’s Box may open next.

Step one of staying safe, however, is learning to flag the potential issues — so let’s take a look at how AI is ushering in, at least for now, an age of fake books…

Taking Advantage of Those Most in Need

Being a dementia caregiver is not an easy life – there’s a reason why we chose “climb a mountain” as our nonprofit challenge concept. Each day is its own journey, filled with its own obstacles. Whether it’s a good one or a bad one, there’s never a shortage of stress, and caregivers will happily accept whatever quality support they can get, including reading resources.

The accent here, however, is on the word quality, because what we’ve started to see when it comes to reading resources of late is a sudden influx of fake authors, poorly-written AI books, and fake marketing scams tied directly into all of it. Looking into Facebook groups, a definitive pattern quickly emerged here.

First, many of these promoters will comment as “anonymous users” (although, to be fair, this can also be a legitimate thing that valued members of groups sometimes use), and they will simply leave one comment, then never respond further.

In other words, they’re pretending to care, but really don’t, and they really don’t even want you to know who they are either.

They’ll join a group and immediately respond to someone who is venting about their loved one with dementia. The comments often use a familiar, canned pattern, with only certain parts changed and the rest essentially the same, even across different book promotions. Let’s take a look at a few of the books in question…

Likely Fake Author #1: Nila Rubin

Our first example is the book Please Don’t Forget: The Complete Alzheimer’s and Dementia Handbook for Preserving Identity and Connection. Written by one apparently non-existent Nila Rubin, the book promises that it’s “written with empathy and backed by expert insight”, yet you’ll find no experts mentioned anywhere on the book cover, in the summaries, or even in the Facebook comments we’re investigating.

We certainly can’t rely on the author as an expert, since a search on Nila Rubin will give you nothing but the handful of places her book is for sale, sprinkled with a couple of the Facebook comments we’re about to share with you. Nila has no other presence online — not exactly the person you’d trust to share important advice on dementia caregiving.

Instead of expert guidance and true empathy, you’ll find Facebook group-infiltrating comments like these…

NILA RUBIN EXAMPLE #1

Note the two paragraph-opening. She’s trying to connect emotionally with the person who first posted a concern, and then follows with a quick, phony lead-in to a book promotion. After the book promotion, it’s then back to trying to connect, often offering further help at the end. In this case, it’s “If you want, I’m here to help you think through care optons or just listen whenever you need it.”

What typically follows, however, is one of two options. First, the person affected falls for this, sharing more and leaving the door open for further communication with the scammer. Those words fall on deaf ears, however, because there is rarely ever a response. Instead, the one-time poster has already left the conversation, never intending to actually engage with the person in need.

Alternatively, the second option is that the scammer gets booted from the Facebook group, depending on how well the group is actually maintained. Regardless, the ending is almost always the same – the person needing help is left hanging.

NILA RUBIN EXAMPLE #2
Here’s another example, with a more elaborate post (click each image for a closer view):

In this case, we get one page of a connection attempt, then the shameless book promotion, then what looks like actual excerpts from the book itself, offering what’s most likely AI-generated advice.

Once again, it ends with another couple of attempts at connection, with an offer to help further, and the same result as above.

NILA RUBIN EXAMPLE #3
This example is nearly identical to #2 above, but this time the user actually uses a fake name instead of “anonymous user”. The text matches up nearly identically after the opening, but this time the user actually gets into the book pitch almost immediately.

NILA RUBIN EXAMPLE #4
This final instance hits it home the best of the four. Here we see a much more succinct pitch, with only one sentence attempting fake connection before diving into the book pitch.

The ending, however, is the most disgusting part:

“If you want, I’m here to listen, share ideas, or help you find resources and support tailored to your situation. How is your husband doing lately?”

I say this is the most disgusting part because the original poster actually responds this time. She does not, however, ever receive a reply. The scammer has left the building, because the only point of the comment in the first place was to sell a book, not actually connect with the person suffering.

Likely Fake Author #2: Elvis Hartmann

Our next example is the book Tender Watch. Written by another likely non-existent author, Elvis Hartmann, this book follows the exact same playbook as Nila Rubin’s.

This book does have two actual reviews instead of just one rating (books can be rated without reviewing, which tends to happen much more, particularly when people are attempting to artificially prop up the book). Both reviews are two stars, however, and neither are complimentary. Here’s the first, most telling of the two:

The fact that this book made a little more headway than the previous example is a bit shocking too, because the cover offers no insight to the book content whatsoever. The summary offers little as well, as you can see in the screenshot below:

Once again, search on the author, who is supposedly a doctor this time, and you’ll only find the handful of places his book is for sale, plus the same trail of Facebook comments we noted before. Yes, a sad, familiar pattern emerges.

And again, no value GIVEN, only an attempt to TAKE… to take money from a caregiver looking for help.

Likely Fake Author #3: Harry Liam

Finally, this last dementia-specific example comes from the fakest of our fake authors, the un-findable Harry Liam. I hate to say it, but I saved the worst for last (although we do have a dishonorable mention for a non-dementia book at the end here that may give Harry a run for his money).

Harry’s book is called Together Through Memory Loss: Navigating Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and if you’re wondering what it’s about, this is all you get for a summary:

“This essential guide offers practical advice and compassionate support for individuals newly diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Explore treatment options, natural remedies, and strategies to manage symptoms effectively.

Learn how to navigate the challenges of caregiving while fostering a supportive and loving environment. With insights on pain relief, symptom management, and daily living, this book empowers readers to face the journey ahead with confidence and hope.

Whether you’re a patient or a caregiver, this guide will provide clarity, comfort, and actionable steps to make life easier.”

Meanwhile, here’s a sample of what the promotional campaign looked like:

The front cover looks rushed, and the back cover is blank. While the book is no prize, the bigger issue here comes from the marketing ploy used to try to put Harry Liam on the map.

The “Harry” comes from singer Harry Styles, and the “Liam” comes from sadly deceased One Direcetion singer Liam Payne. The fake name choice was a conscious one, as whoever put this scam together then proceeded to release two coloring books online (I swear, you can’t make this stuff up if you try), with these titles:

One Direction Dots Lines Spirals Coloring Book: Great gift for girls, Boys and teens who love One Direction with spiroglyphics coloring books – One Direction coloring book

and…

Harry Styles Dots Lines Spirals Coloring Book: New kind of stress relief coloring book for All Fans of Harry Styles with Fun, Easy and Relaxing Design

Yes, those are the actual titles. They read so poorly because this is an SEO (search engine optimization) trick, and a poorly executed one at that. It’s an attempt to give the author a boost simply from using the names of two highly-searched, famous people as his pen name.

Yes, it’s sad to see someone stooping to this level trying to sell an AI book to people who need true, sincere guidance and assistance, not artificially-generated drivel. It is good, however, to know how to spot these kinds of AI book scams, so you don’t waste precious time and energy on them.

Likely Fake Author #4: Nicholas Benner

Our final book steps outside of the dementia realm, instead focusing on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a group of inherited connective tissue disorders. I won’t dive into that too deeply here, since it’s out of scope for our dementia work, but suffice to say that EDS can be pretty debilitating depending on the specific type (there are several). There are some differing symptoms between each type, ranging from joint hypermobility and instability to chronic pain and fatigue to heart valve issues.

Much like dementia, it’s definitely no picnic, and both the people dealing with the syndrome and the people helping those afflicted need real resources from experts who legitimately care.

Instead, in this example, they get a book titled The Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Lifeline: Real Answers for a Misunderstood Condition, from a most likely fake author by the name of Nicholas Benner. Just like the rest of the “authors” we noted in the dementia books above, Nicholas has no actual presence anywhere online as a real person, a real author. The only places his name comes up are places where a book sale might occur.

On the bright side, more than we witnessed in the other examples here, this book received some serious pushback. First, multiple reviews flagged it, starting with this one on Amazon:

“This was most likely AI-generated. The author refers to himself as “we” and doesn’t really say anything you can’t find elsewhere in a better format. NO ILLUSTRATIONS despite directions for movements or massage techniques that would have been greatly improved with illustrations. Nothing about the author.”

Then, over on Goodreads, we see another:

Finally – and this is the best of them all – in one of the most prominent EDS Facebook groups, a post plugging the book was met with some serious pushback:

Of particular note here is this comment:

“People have been using AI to write dozens or hundreds of scam books that aren’t fact-checked (including ones with actually deadly advice, i.e. incorrect mushroom foraging guides)…”

The consequences of such negligence can be more devastating than people may realize, and dementia may not be spared from it either. Thankfully, simply reading this article today has already helped you become more diligent when staying alert for these AI book scams.

Indeed, to give you one final example of what the scams typically look like when infiltrating Facebook groups, here’s one of the best examples. The person joins a group and then comments on someone else’s post to make a book pitch, all without ever actually posting to the group themselves:

Keep the AI Book Scams at Bay

One other warning sign to look for is purposeful typos, which are used when trying to promote sites like Amazon. Group admins may have filters in place checking for words like Amazon to help flag potential sales pitches. To get around this, scammers will misspell Amazon intentionally, like in the example below:

In addition, there are actions we can take to stem the tide as well. This comment below, from a book written on POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), notes the course of action to take when you spot one of these books:

Simply visit the book page on Amazon, scroll down to just below the book description, and click on the link that reads “Report an issue with this product or seller”.

Then select “I have an issue with a Seller” from the dropdown and proceed from there.

Yes, it may be a bit depressing that we all need to fortify ourselves against one of the sinister sides to AI, but it’s also an immense positive that people are flashing the warning signs and getting the word out like we see in these instances.

I hope this article helps in that same manner, and please let us know in the comments, or contact us directly here, if you run into any of these yourselves and would like us to shine a light on them.

— Eric

Eric Battersby
President
Change the World Films