AO3 Scam, Spam, and Bot Comments
Let's have a talk about all the damn spambots and scams on AO3 shall we? This isn't a complaint against AO3 - the archive volunteers are fantastic for helping work these things out. It's a warning and reassurance to other writers, and a reminder for readers whilst we're here. Lets take a look!
Details below the cut
There are several different kinds of spam and scam messages going around. Some are there to scare you, some are there to try and get you to pay them for something, some are just pure malicious hate.
They are more common from Guest accounts, but can come from registered accounts too.
Here's one from a guest, one of the most recent kinds, that threatens legal action against the author. To be clear, you cannot be charged with a crime over writing fiction, or a lot of famous and beloved authors (eg, George RR Martin) would have been charged.
EDITING TO ADD There may be some places in the world where writers can be charged over some fictional content, so it is good to know your local laws and keep personally identifying information off your AO3. However, these comments here are still bots, not genuine threats to worry about. They've also been seen on SFW Gen fluff fics with only cute and fluffy tags, which would not be a crime in any area.
Again, the work this comment is on is not a crime. Here's the work it's on, but I've seen this reported on things that have absolutely no sexual content or otherwise. (Image contains NSFW Tags in the text)
If someone were to report this, it would take resources away from actual crimes, causing harm to real victims.
Other comments might talk about being "inspired to turn [your] work into a comic" or encourage you to contact them on another site. These ones are trying to get you to pay them for something, and will scam you or not deliver or serve you AI slop. Which, fuck that. And this one was registered.
Key signs of a BS profile: - Name is name_name[number] format - No works, no bookmarks, absolutely nothing on the profile - Very vague, talks about being a visual storyteller and/or bringing imagination to life - Linked account names may not match - Account is very new
Here's another one, disguising the word "Discord" to avoid filters. To be clear even if this was genuine, it is not permitted to advertise for paid work on AO3. It's against their TOS. And again you can see no actual comment about the work itself.
There are other kinds of comment bots too. Some will have weirdly phrased details from the fic that are very general, like someone fed the piece to AI and asked it to create a comment or summary (which they most likely did) to try and trick you into thinking it's genuine. Unfortunately not.
I've even seen some trying to stir up arguments like demanding an author change details about the fic claiming it's transphobic/homophobic/anti-immigration etc. I once had one like this accusing me, and asexual, of being acephobic from a guest account copying the name of a regular commenter.
So there are lots of them out there. I see new ones every week on my works or reported from other writers. But now the important bit: What can we do about these bots? Given how some are registered, locking fics so guests can't read/comment won't work any more. But you have options!
First, REPORT! As you can see on one of my threads before there was a button for "spam". What if you already accepted the comment or replied or don't have comment moderation turned on? In the email, click "go to comment thread page" and hit report at the bottom of the page here.
Keep your report concise and include spam or scam bot in the title, like this! If you went from the comment thread page from above, the link will automatically be filled in for you. Just let the volunteers know what you're reporting and they'll handle it when able.
Having comment moderation turned on can also be peace of mind. It might mean having to manually approve all comments before they appear on your work, but it also means you can report these scam/spam/bot comments without them showing up on your work. You deserve better.
"But Lia, what if I'm a reader, not a writer? How can I help?" You, dear readers, have the most powerful skill of all - you can leave genuine comments. Even if it's just some emojis or a keysmash or some small but real comment on the work, to show authors they're still seen and appreciated.
Even better if you quote a line you really enjoyed, or say something specific about the work, but literally any comment could be a sorely needed boost for a struggling writer who has only had bot comments. I've seen new writers feeling so discouraged from all these and that's heartbreaking.
"What do these hate bots want? I know scammers want money but the hate makes no sense!" The leading theory is they're trying to scare people off the site, stop them writing, and somehow weaken the archive because they don't like that it hosts works of all kinds. Really, nobody knows for sure
There are likely only going to be more. It sucks, but I want you to know those signs to look out for to protect yourselves and others, and to report to help AO3 find ways to combat these annoying and pointless posts Share this around, add your experience or anything I missed, but most of all:
Don't let it discourage you. Keep writing, keep reading & commenting, keep enjoying this wonderful creative hobby we all love so much! Tell YOUR stories in your ways with the characters and worlds you fell in love with so much you just had to write about them. We have the real power here.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I did not cover up the names of any users here. They intended these to be public comments on public works. HOWEVER please do NOT seek out or harass anyone shown here. Some may be cloned from genuine people, but either way contacting them will not achieve anything productive.
