John Evans, co-owner of Diesel: A Bookstore,
with stores in Oakland and Malibu, Calif., related to Shelf Awareness
the following
cautionary tale for booksellers. It started a week ago Saturday morning
when the store received a call from Eric Gower, author of The Breakaway Cook, who was appearing at a multi-author event at Diesel's Oakland store that afternoon.
"My car has been stolen and I need you to help me," he told Evans.
"I've found a rent-a-car company that will rent to me, but I need you
to send me $150 by Western Union. I can give you the address and
information to send it. I'll give you $400 when I get up there, for
helping me out."
Evans declined the $400, and Gower said, "Yeah, you don't need the
money." So Evans asked what happened and where he was, thinking that if
he were in the Bay Area, someone from the store could pick him up.
But Gower said he was in Los Angeles, explaining, "I locked my keys in my car,
with all of my credit cards, and my computer with all the photos I have
of my mother in it. I went to get something to open the car, and when I
came back, there was just broken glass and my car was gone with
everything in it." To Evans, he sounded desperate and a bit dramatic,
both over the top and honestly anxious. Evans noted: "It sounded strange
though, calling us and not someone else, when there was no way to make
the event in any case."
Evans suggested Gower forget traveling to Oakland, but Gower pleaded,
"I have two other appointments up there and need to get back today.
I'll bring in $400 tomorrow after I get up there. Let me give you the
information for wiring the money."
Evans told Gower to call back when the events person Gower had been
dealing with would be in the store. But Gower did not call back, so
Diesel staff set up for the event without space for Gower. Evans
continued: "Everything looked great for the event and at start time, in
walks Eric! We asked him what happened and he didn't know what we were
talking about."
Evans called it the "Nigerian author scam, the latest in an
endlessly inventive series of attempts to hustle and shakedown
unwitting booksellers of their hard-earned cash."