Publishing Fraud Alert

We have received reports that individuals impersonating HarperCollins UK/Mills & Boon staff or claiming to be literary agents are targeting authors with false book acquisition offers. These individuals request that the author pay them or provide sensitive financial information in exchange for literary services or to facilitate a publishing agreement. Their emails sometimes include letters purporting to bear Mills & Boon’s logos, imprint names, and staff signatures. Similar approaches to readers have been made via social media, claiming to be recruiting paid ‘reviewers’. We are also seeing a number of fraudulent messages regarding obtaining translation services. These communications are fraudulent. They do not come from Mills & Boon and are not associated with our editorial processes. Please keep in mind the following facts:

  • Mills & Boon does not ask prospective authors for any form of payment or bank account information as part of manuscript submission or book acquisition.

  • Mills & Boon does not partner with third-party companies that provide editorial or marketing services to unpublished or self-published authors.

  • Mills & Boon does not reach out to readers to review or copyedit manuscripts via social media.

  • Mills & Boon staff communicate exclusively through email addresses ending in “@harpercollins.co.uk.”

  • Mills & Boon authors are also unlikely to contact readers directly – please treat any such approaches with suspicion


If you suspect that a communication claiming a connection with Mills & Boon is fraudulent, you can always email us at fraudUK@harpercollins.co.uk to check. In the meantime, protect yourself from fraud:

  • Do not click on any links in the email or social media post.

  • Do not open any attachments to the email or post.

  • Do not reply to the email or post or contact the sender in any way.

  • Do not send any money to someone claiming to work for Mills & Boon in exchange for having your book published or other services.

  • If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your credit cards, contact your financial institution immediately.


We encourage all targets of publishing scams to report the matter to Action Fraud.