Beware of fraudulent emails requesting payment

Paul Doda from Elsevier's Legal team warns against emails that appear to be from Elsevier requesting payment from authors

In an article published in September last year we highlighted the fraudulent ‘call for papers’ emails that were going around. Recent feedback from authors have made us aware of additional fraudulent emails requesting payment for publication.

We urge you to use caution if you receive an email requesting payment from Elsevier (or any other company for that matter). If your gut feeling is “this doesn’t feel right” then it probably isn’t.

Here are some signs to look out for:

Email address

• If the "From" email address ends in anything other than “@elsevier.com” please delete.

• Ignore all emails coming from free email services such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail etc.

Block capitals

• Too many words spelled with block capitals is regarded as “shouting” and not very professional.

Errors / misspelling

• We all make mistakes of course, but these emails often contain a higher proportion of misspelled words.

Casual language

• The use of words such as “hi”, “cheers” and “thanks” to name a few, are signs that the email may not be legitimate.

Signature

• Emails requesting payment will never be signed by senior management.

Below is an example of a fraudulent email. The most obvious sign that this email is fraudulent is the email address that it originates from.

One final note: If you are publishing open access with Elsevier, bear in mind we will never request payment before the paper has been accepted.

If you receive any emails that appear to be a part of this fraudulent solicitation, please do not respond to the message and do not open any attachments it might contain. Delete it, block the sender and report it as spam.

If you have any concerns, please contact our Researcher Support team.