"A few days ago, I answered a phone call for my husband, "David." It was an obvious scam-the caller said they were from an organization that had "read his book" (and gave a full title), then claimed they wanted to give him an award (obviously a "pay us for your award" scam). We might have laughed it off, except for a couple of disturbing facts. First, my husband has never written a book in his life."
"Second, the book in question is 134 pages of Islamophobic, pro-Christian Nationalism dreck. David doesn't hold the deplorable sentiments espoused by this garbage book, and he actively pushes back on this kind of bigotry wherever he sees it. If the book was on some other topic-say, fly fishing or gardening-we would just shrug and go on our way. But this book is disgusting, hateful, and the polar opposite of the ideals he lives and breathes every day of his life."
"The book's author admits to using a pseudonym. My husband's first name is common, but our last name is REALLY uncommon in the U.S. (he lived in another country before moving here at 30), so it's highly unlikely that some random dude selected his name as a nom de plume (there are only two people with his name in the U.S.). Think: "David Aethelred.""
A husband received a phone call from a scammer claiming an organization had "read his book" and offered an award, despite his never having written a book. The book listed under his name is 134 pages of Islamophobic, pro‑Christian nationalism content that contradicts his personal beliefs and activism against bigotry. The book appears on major retail platforms and can be found via a simple internet search, creating potential employer and reputational risks. The person credited used a pseudonym, and the couple notes the husband's uncommon surname makes false attribution unlikely to be random. The priority is to remove the credited name or take the book down rather than immediately identify the perpetrator.
Read at Slate Magazine
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