Protect Your Contact Information From Scammers

Post Header

Published:

2025-09-23 16:14:34 UTC

Tags:

AO3 Logo with words AO3 Update

In the last year, AO3 has seen a rise in "art commission" spambot comments. The bots leaving these comments pretend to be artists who want to make comics or illustrations for a fan's fic. After convincing their targets to contact them off AO3, they scam their targets into paying for that art. Fans have reported that after sending payment, they either received AI-generated art or nothing at all.

AO3 has been working on various methods that we hope will reduce the spam. However, these scammers are persistent and creative about circumventing our protections.

To avoid falling victim to one of these scams, the Policy & Abuse committee recommends:

Do not commission art from someone who solicits you by commenting on your work on AO3. Commercial activity is prohibited on AO3. If someone is encouraging behavior that violates our Terms of Service, it’s a good idea to be cautious. They likely do not have your best interests in mind.
Do not provide your email or social media contact information to a commenter who asks for it, even if they say they'd just like to discuss your work further. Scammers try to get you to talk to them privately, because it is often easier to deceive or manipulate people in a one-on-one conversation.

Example of this type of scam

An example AO3 comment exchange with a spambot.

Elizabethbrown123: Wow, this fic was amazing! The way you describe things is so vivid and really brought the characters to life. Your work moved me to tears.
cool_username_42069: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. <3
Elizabethbrown123: You're welcome! I'm so glad you responded. Do you use Discord or Twitter, or could you tell me your email so we can chat more? I've got some ideas I'd love to share with you, but I don't want to spoil anything.

This is just one example of how a scammer tries to lure the work creator onto a different platform where they can pressure the creator into commissioning art. These scammers use AI to generate realistic-sounding comments. The comments often contain generic praise or statements that could apply to any work, but sometimes they are extremely lengthy and/or specific. If the creator is suspicious and asks why the scammer wants to move the conversation off-site, they will typically claim that they aren't a scammer and/or that they can explain things better in private.

However, unlike a regular user, a scammer will always do at least one of two things:

They will ask you to commission art from them, or
They will share their contact information and/or ask for your information (such as an email address or username on a site that supports private messaging, like Instagram or Discord)

If you suspect that you've received a spam comment on your work, don't reply and especially do not provide them with your contact information. Just report the comment to Policy & Abuse so that we can take care of it.

What to do if you encounter this scam

If you receive a scam comment from a guest, you can press the "Spam" button on the comment. This helps train our automated spam-checker to better detect this type of behavior.

If you encounter a scammer that has a registered account, or if you encounter a guest posting scam comments on someone else's work, please report them to the Policy & Abuse committee. To do so:

Select the "Thread" button on the scammer's comment. This will take you to the specific comment page.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Policy Questions & Abuse Reports.
In the "Brief summary of Terms of Service violation" field, enter "Spambot".
In the "Description of the content you are reporting" field, enter "This is a spambot, their username is USERNAME."

Reporting in this fashion helps us auto-sort your report so that it can be handled as soon as a Policy & Abuse volunteer is available. To help us address reports about these types of bots as fast as possible, please only submit one report per account, and don't include multiple accounts in the same report.

If you encounter a scam commenter on someone else's work, you can let the work creator know the commenter is likely a bot and link them to this news post.

We also encourage you to share this post on social media and help spread the word about how to protect yourself from scammers and reduce spam on AO3.

Actions

Comments

Sorry, this news post doesn't allow comments.

Pages Navigation

thesavagesabretooth Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:26PM UTC

Thanks so much for taking the time to address this. It's been really disheartening to see the rise of scammers on the site recently.

Comment Actions
- Thread
radiant_chaos Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:32PM UTC

Thanks for bringing attention to it!

Comment Actions
- Thread
ThatWildWolf Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:32PM UTC

It's so disheartening that this is happening on such a large scale :(

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. writeranthea Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:35PM UTC
  
  It really is :-/
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. Snowgrouse Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:59PM UTC
  
  Yeah. Comments are precious and rare these days (especially those of us writing in small fandoms), and the fact that some of the scammers look legit and vice versa makes it even more difficult to interact with the few real people who do want to discuss your fics and your darlings with you. I can imagine this sort of thing discouraging yet more people out of commenting altogether :(
  
  I once got like five comments on five different fics, from someone who just left me a short row of blue hearts every time, and I had *no* idea if that person was a spammer or a real person wanting to show their appreciation. I'm the only active English-language writer in a Chinese fandom at the moment, so how do I know that that wasn't someone who just wasn't confident in their English skills, and that's why they only left a bunch of emoji instead? But as spammers do the emoji thing, too, I erred on the side of caution and didn't let those comments through. Even looking at their profile won't necessarily give you a clue--so many empty-seeming accounts (with no works or bookmarks) are genuine, so that it's impossible to tell. The "I want to illustrate your fics" scam is far easier to spot (hilariously, I've got those even on fics I've illustrated myself).
  
  So, please, people, don't just leave a row of emoji, because so many spammers do just that!
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
3. 1. yuri (yuri_lovesamaryllis) Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:15PM UTC
    
    that's so true :(
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. Vresci Tue 23 Sep 2025 08:46PM UTC
    
    How would a bunch of emoji invite a reply though? That's usually what the scammers want—honestly, I've never had seen a user who commented with just emoji end up trying to convince someone to contact them off-site
    
    All of the ones I've seen tend to be either vague compliments about the fic, or specific but bland in a way that feels like AI, and when you reply to them they start talking about contacting them on discord or insta or whatever, or how they'd like you to commission them for art/a webcomic/whatever
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  3. 1. magicwonderdreamfantasy Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:16AM UTC
      
      Agreed, I am active in many fandoms and have yet to see an emojii only comment that was a scam.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. slhisenbrower Wed 24 Sep 2025 04:58AM UTC
      
      Agree. And as an author, I'll totally take some emojis if you liked it!
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
  4. Blue_mushie Tue 23 Sep 2025 09:56PM UTC
    
    OH NO, I always leave a short row of blue hearts in comments because I don't know what to say, but I really love the work. Luckily, I'm a registered user with my own works, so I hope people don't think I'm a spammer. I also hope that those who commented on your work are just like me instead of actual spammers. I had no idea about the issue. Thanks for letting me know. I'll take note of that!
    
    Last Edited Tue 23 Sep 2025 09:57PM UTC
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  5. 1. Snowgrouse Wed 24 Sep 2025 09:17AM UTC
      
      Replying to you in lieu of everyone telling me off for treating the hearts as suspicious: yes, I've had experience of that type of comment being used both by spammers and trolls.
      The spammers have done it to get you to chat to them, to leave a row of cryptic emoji to get you to ask what they meant by the emoji and whatever. Checking if you're active, as it were. Then the usual scam talk starts. The emojis have only been there to break the ice.
      And believe it or not, the blue hearts have been used--in some non-Western fandoms and some corners of the Internet--as a sarcastic thing to say "this fic sucks," or to flag it as something the commenter disapproves of: the blueness of the hearts has been used as the "opposite" of red hearts. As in, if ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ means "love, love, love," 💙💙💙💙💙 has meant "crap, crap, crap." So it's a subtle way of saying "this fic is awful" and a way to mark a fic as "icky, don't read" to others. In that context, it's even better if the recipient doesn't know the meaning, so they won't delete that comment.
      So. Absurd, yes, but I don't make the rules. I wouldn't be suspicious of a row of red hearts.
      Just because I'm curious: why do you, personally, use the blue thing? What does it symbolise to you? I wasn't even aware of the negative connotations of the blue heart being a "reverse of love" in some circles until I dug it up, so I totally get if some just use it innocently, I'm not saying that. But if there are some other connotations I'm not aware of, I am curious.
      
      Last Edited Wed 24 Sep 2025 09:31AM UTC
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. Blue_mushie Wed 24 Sep 2025 09:49AM UTC
        
        OH NO, I didn't mean to tell you off! I just wanted to thank you for letting us know. Please don't get me wrong. I never knew about this meaning of blue hearts. I use them because blue is my favourite color (as you can probably tell from my username). In daily life, I also use blue hearts more than red ones because red feels more romantic. Blue hearts feel more neutral and friendly to me and I can send to everyone, even those who are not that close to me. Since I use them so often, they show up in my frequently used emojis, and I just click on them for comments. I had no idea about this negative meaning! T_T And of course I believe you; my replies were never meant to dispute, criticize, or judge you.
        
        I also wanted to ask if this is specific to the Chinese fandom? I noticed your works are based on Chinese dramas. As a Chinese writer and reader myself, I am truly sorry that you've had to deal with those bad comments. Please don't feel bad for them. They are just attention seekers.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      2. Snowgrouse Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:35PM UTC
        
        I didn't think you were harshing me, so no worries :) You were the kindest of everyone who's responded to me, so that's why I gave my explanation to you instead of everyone separately. I saw you were considerate and thoughtful about the matter, and took into account both sides--that of the writer and the commenter. Most people who replied to this got upset in a way that assumed I was being unfair, didn't take the commenter into account, etc. when I definitely was (hence my distress at not knowing if someone was legit, and my giving them the benefit of the doubt by assuming a language barrier or something else). As someone who writes in small fandoms, I do consider comments precious, and am predisposed towards thinking positively about the commenters' intentions. But at the same time, my experiences of spam and trolls are very real, too.
        So, yeah, it's a bummer, isn't it? I mean, I don't want to harsh anyone if they're legit, but spammers/trolls like that exist, so it's sad. Like, I totally get if someone hasn't got the spoons or the language facility or whatever to leave a more elaborate comment, but then, commenters can't help what the writer's background and experience is either. You never know if someone has serious PTSD and has been bullied viciously online (if you're in Chinese fandom, I'm sure you know exactly how nasty and toxic stuff can get, especially in East Asian fandoms). Or maybe the writer has had stalkers who have left cryptic comments consisting just of some emoji, or maybe *they* themselves don't have the spoons to deal with potentially dodgy comments and thus, are over-careful, etc. So we have to be aware of that.
        Ideally, we should consider both sides: not just what we are feeling but what the person on the other end may be feeling. I think that in fandom, since so many of us are hugely introverted, neuroatypical, autistic etc., we so often get caught up in our own experience that we forget to step outside of that, forget to take a moment out to consider the other person's POV. I think that what's often (rather cruelly, IMHO) assumed to be a "lack of empathy" on the part of autistics is more like autistics feeling super-intensely about everything so that they "forget" what the other person may be feeling, or maybe they're so overwhelmed by their own feelings that--*even* while being aware that the other person may be uncomfortable--they still feel this huge pressure to express that feeling and say whatever's on their mind anyway. But there's no harm meant by that. So I get the "I want to say the things I want to say, and in the way I want, dammit!" responses, too. But stepping outside of one's own experience is also necessary.
        So I'm hugely aware of all sides of this equation, just so everybody knows. I want to be clear about that. I'm not the only person to point out the "row of emoji" thing being used by spammers to lure people into chatting, so it's honestly not me being mean; it's just something that happens. So to everyone who defends their way of commenting with emoji? Ok, do your thing, but also be aware that that runs the risk of being thought of as a spammer or a troll, and that if someone refuses to publish your comment, there's no meanness intended.
        And thank you for telling me what you mean by blue hearts--that's fascinating! I can see why someone would think of the red hearts as almost flirty or something, and would choose the blue as a more neutral colour. The negative connotations seem to be more *fandom-specific,* but I honestly can't pinpoint a specific culture, whether it's Asian or Russian or whatever, so I think it's more of a fandom rather than a cultural thing. I forget the places I found the explanations on because it was a while ago, but those discussions were in English. It was to do with people attacking sexually explicit fics, though, at least in some cases, but not just those--it was this general disapproval of something, like you'd "flag" a fic with blue hearts if you wanted people to avoid those fics or shun the writer. It wasn't the The Longest Day In Chang'an fandom (which is the only Chinese fandom I've written in so far), as far as I know. But ah well.
        Thank you again for your kindness; I'm very sorry (duìbùqǐ!) if I came across as harsh towards you. I'm replying to you on behalf of everyone in this thread, so please don't take it as a criticism of you or anything! <3
        
        Last Edited Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:37PM UTC
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        Blue_mushie Wed 24 Sep 2025 02:44PM UTC
        
        Yes you are right. We need awareness on both sides. I almost wish the OTW would publish a notice on this. It is not much to ask to leave emojis of another color if blue hearts are easily misinterpreted, and making that small change would be a simple way to foster clearer communication. Of course, a commenter should be free to comment with emojis, but it's fair and important for them to know that, due to the actions of spammers, their comment might occasionally be misread. A writer should be free to curate their comment section for their own peace of mind, and it's important to remember that such moderation is not a personal rejection of a well-meaning reader.
        
        I hate how fanfiction, which should be a way to express love for our characters, can sometimes be misused as a platform to attack others by shitty people. This is absolutely wrong.
        
        Wishing you all the best in your writing and fandom experiences, and hoping you receive many wonderfully kind comments that bring you only joy.
        
        I can't believe some are criticizing you for this. It's obviously just a matter of perspective. Thank you for pointing it out!
        
        💜love you
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        Snowgrouse Thu 25 Sep 2025 10:32AM UTC
        
        Gosh, you're nice ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for getting it and seeing both sides of the equation, instead of just reading me in bad faith. I always try to keep in mind that I don't know the other person's background, whatever side I'm on: I've seen so many terrible fanwars that I know there are people with serious PTSD from that stuff out there, and I know people who've had stalkers (and one person I knew even committed suicide due to online bullying in fandom). So there are very good reasons for some people to be cautious (us darkfic-leaning writers even more so, due to the hostility we get from time to time). And again, it's not like people don't have the power over the formatting of their own comments, for crying out loud. That's the thing we do have power over, even when we don't know the other person's background.
        
        And conversely, someone's background, or the behaviour of spammers and trolls is not something we can do much about. Like, I used to know a really popular writer who got many comments but never bothered responding to them, but that had nothing to do with PTSD--it was just her genuinely not understanding how rude or hurtful that could be to the commenters who bothered to leave really nice comments. But that was a matter of her neurology; it was the kind of "forgetfulness" I mentioned earlier. On the other hand, I've seen people who've had to disable comments entirely thanks to trolls and spammers. And then there are people who are really lovely and respond effusively to any comment you leave. I tend to shower commenters with love, and generally do give people the benefit of the doubt--so it's extra hilarious that some people on this thread think I'm being mean, over a case that was totally different. I forgot to say that later, I checked the account that'd left the suspicious comments, and it'd been deleted. So, yeah...
        
        So, you never know, and the only thing you can have control over is how you yourself come across.
        
        And you come across in the most lovely and understanding of ways. I wish excellent stories and excellent comments and excellent people and everything to you, too. Have yourself some more hearts! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      3. TheDragonQueen1998 Wed 24 Sep 2025 10:23AM UTC
        
        I can only really speak for myself but i use purple hearts because purple is one of my favorite colour. XD I leave a spam of hearts to help show i liked the fic, but don't really know what else to say. I'm not very good with expressing why i liked something, but with the drought of comments in fandoms, i try to combat it. So to see that an innocent and heartful gesture is potentially seen as negative or has a meaning it doesn't is discouraging and makes me think that the probably hunderds of heart comments i have left is seen as unwanted makes me think feel i should stop with it. 😔 I won't, but reading this honestly made me sad. :(
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      4. GirlGamer4183 Fri 26 Sep 2025 10:54PM UTC
        
        Yeah! I use purple hearts too. Purple is also my favourite colour and its a lot of other people's favourites too. Thing is is that, I can't remember where is heard it from, but a purple heart can symbolise that perhaps you are... trying to make a move on someone is the best way I can describe it and I personally think that that is messed up honestly. I have also never particularly had a problem with emoji spamming, and people do ask me about making art for me quite regularly (Which I am really flattered by). But this post from AO3 has scared me into perhaps putting only author comments on. I also do see Vulgarweed's comment and even though I do agree with it (Being that heart emoji don't translate onto AO3), I am still scared to use hearts on here. What I do is I use red heart emojis in my notes (❤️) and typed out hearts in comments (<3) , cuz I reply to all comments that aren't talking about making art. I like to reply and read everyone's comments tho and like to think I can spot a scammer, cuz I don't like the idea of messaging off of AO3, because you are being taken away from other eyes.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        LittleFluffyBear Sat 27 Sep 2025 02:55AM UTC
        
        I also spam hearts! Usually I'll use assorted colours randomly. I don't always have the time or words to expand on how much I liked a fic, so I leave hearts as a kind of second kudos. I don't recognize any usernames (I'm only really active in the Assassination Classroom and My Hero Academia fandoms), but I'm sorry if any of my comments got taken the wrong way.
        
        💚🖤💜💗♥️💙💖💖🧡💙💛💞💕❤️💙💛🧡💜
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      5. ProcrastinationMachine Wed 24 Sep 2025 11:19AM UTC
        
        That's super interesting about the colors!
        
        I always do strings of blue and black hearts because the colors are for characters in my fandom.
        
        I wonder what I been "saying" all this time, lol.
        
        Still won't change how I comment/reply because I think it's cute, and fwiw I'd cherish a wall of hearts on a fic of mine some day..
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      6. Vulgarweed Thu 25 Sep 2025 08:14AM UTC
        
        OK, but this is bizarre, because highly-specific niche-sub-subculture codes like the colors of heart emojis don't translate across a multicultural, multifandom space like AO3. This is the first time I've EVER heard of blue hearts meaning something bad, and I've been around a long time.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      7. Tlazolteotltl Thu 25 Sep 2025 03:49PM UTC
        
        Yeah, same here. Like, I don't doubt a really specific fandom or (sub)group uses and reads the blue heart emoji that way --like for example, there are people over Facebook who takes the "like" reaction as "passive aggressive" and read it like "I don't really care about this but reacting so you know I saw it" which is... um... okay, whatever, but that's not how I use it nor how I interpret it when people like something I shared over there. But to be over-vigilant about a row of blue heart emojis in a really big big site like AO3, where people come and go from fandom to fandom...
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        trainerlyra Thu 25 Sep 2025 07:35PM UTC
        
        same here as well... i've been active in fandom on so many different platforms and for so many different mediums and have never heard of anything like that... i'm sure a fandom does exist that uses heart emojis that way, the same way so many fandoms have taken to using emojis to represent a ship, sure, but there is such a thing as overly paranoid and i would say that applies here lol. plenty of people want to support their favorite fics and authors but don't always know how to engage with them, so sending only emojis - especially heart emojis which are pretty innocuous - makes sense
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        SarkyLittleMonster Fri 26 Sep 2025 07:53PM UTC
        
        Same! I've never heard of blue hearts meaning anything :0 maybe I will be a little more cautious leaving them in future...
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      8. semperubi Fri 03 Oct 2025 12:27PM UTC
        
        I use <3 because I'm old school and often on my computer making it easier/quicker. Hopefully, there is nothing for anyone to read in that other than that I'm the kind of oldie that still outlines/writes on paper sometimes.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
  6. emryspaperart Tue 23 Sep 2025 11:14PM UTC
    
    respectfully, i disagree with the "don't emoji-only comment" sentiment. they're easy to say thank you too and if it's a genuinely shy commenter or someone leaving a quick 'extra kudos' emoji comment then it's the last you'll hear from them, but it's unfair to treat them as inherently suspicious when all scam comments seek to mimic genuine replies one way or another.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  7. Raberba girl (Raberba_girl) Tue 23 Sep 2025 11:31PM UTC
    
    Yeah, I agree with others that it's very unlikely that a simple string of hearts is spam. Comments like that are perhaps a little disappointing, but I'd rather receive those than nothing! X'''D Especially on fics with low engagement. I'm desperate for any scrap of positive feedback.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  8. p0ppys33dmuff1n Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:51AM UTC
    
    I understand being cautious, but emoji-only comments aren't at all an effective method for scammers who want to draw you in, and they know that.
    Emoji-only comments are used by all sorts of people, from shy people to those without much to say to people without the spoons to say anything, but not scammers. /not mean
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  9. 1. MalcontentCatboy Wed 24 Sep 2025 12:41PM UTC
      
      I agree, all-emoji comments are probably the least likely to be a scammer or anything like that, because aside from total nonsense, they're the least likely kind of comment to get a response.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. StarCoyote Wed 24 Sep 2025 02:59PM UTC
        
        Real. I've gotten them before and I don't reply to emoji only because I have no idea how to reply to them.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      2. waketosleep Wed 24 Sep 2025 11:15PM UTC
        
        I usually reply to emoji comments with an emoji
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        StarCoyote Thu 25 Sep 2025 09:22AM UTC
        
        Wait that makes so much sense!
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
    3. tocasia Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:58PM UTC
      
      Seconding the spoons thing. Oftentimes I leave a string of hearts when I can't manage anything more articulate. It's important to me to let the author know I liked it, even if that's the best I can do right now.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
  10. EmiDidact Thu 25 Sep 2025 02:24PM UTC
    
    I had a similar issue like one time this person kept leaving heart emojis mere seconds after I published a chapter which made me suspected it was a bot.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  11. 1. Snowgrouse Thu 25 Sep 2025 03:09PM UTC
      
      Finally, another person who's had this speaks up, so I can prove it's not just me being a dick:P. I got these just after publishing chapters, too. When the "row of emoji" (hearts or whatever) thing happens, it's usually just after I've posted a fic or a chapter (like within an hour from the notification email being sent to subscribers), or then it comes in a flurry of about half a dozen comments in a row on different works. Thankfully, the latter stopped happening after Ao3 put that "brake" on how many kudos you could leave within a certain period of time. It's always different usernames, too; throwaway handles. And they're always either empty accounts, or the sort that have like thousands of bookmarks made in a very short time, which also screams "bot."
      
      Hey, I recognise you from your having left me kudos recently (I don't remember which fic), and from having glanced at your profile back then. It boggled my mind to discover there's someone writing Lordi fanfic, but in a good "gods, there really is fanfic for everything" kind of way:D I'm glad I can now thank you for the kudos in person (sort of); thanks!
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. EmiDidact Thu 25 Sep 2025 05:47PM UTC
        
        Yes exactly! I have nothing against people who use emojis in general but there is a limit where it can be overdone. In my case this person was doing it on every chapter. It's infuriating how these bots come in so many forms. I had to block that user to get them to stop.
        
        Hmm, did I leave a kudos on one of your works? I don't remember either hahaha, but yes I have a Lordi fanfic and it pleases me when people read it because Lordi fanfics are quite rare outside of dedicated forums for the band!
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
  12. That_One_FNaF_Gal Thu 02 Oct 2025 08:43PM UTC
    
    The same kind of thing has happened to my fics too, unfortunately. I'm writing about a F/F rarepair (so rare that I'm literally the only one writing about them), and the first comment I ever got was one of those art commission scams. It's very disheartening to know that many small fic creators get taken advantage of because of this.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  13. 1. Snowgrouse Fri 03 Oct 2025 11:35AM UTC
      
      Man, I feel that :/ I've often been the only person writing a particular ship myself. So that makes the real comments even more precious when they come. So many people on this thread are heartbroken over only ever having got scam comments; it's depressing. I do wish this sort of thing would embolden people to leave more "real" comments that couldn't be easily mistaken for bot stuff (although the bots are getting so realistic it's hard to tell anyway). But I fear it may discourage people even more. :/
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
  14. Tintin_Fan1930 Thu 02 Oct 2025 09:59PM UTC
    
    I am really feeling this as someone who writes for Tintin and has also written for TNO (the HOI4 Mod). If I had the choice between having kudos or comments, I would choose comments any day because a comment has to be deliberate meaning someone actually had to go out of their way to read a fic unlike a kudo where it is just a click of a button.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
writeranthea Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:34PM UTC

Beside the threat of AI, spam comments are the main reason as for why I’ve had to restrict my works to registered users :-(

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. Jem4ever Tue 23 Sep 2025 11:08PM UTC
  
  Me too. Which sucks because I are had one maybe two regular guest commenters who can’t even read them now. :(
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. Forested_Woodlands Wed 24 Sep 2025 04:33AM UTC
  
  i monitor ai going onto a site to recognize patterns and most ai crawlers and scrapers dont do anything, not even leave a hit on works. ive never seen an ai actually log on and comment on its own (wait did i misunderstand the ai part sorry) but has this happened? I've only started monitoring in june.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
axiun Tue 23 Sep 2025 04:59PM UTC

Can the next step be banning AI usage from the site entirely, comments and otherwise? This is only the tip of the iceberg, AI spam fics are next.

Comment Actions
- Frozen
- Thread
1. OTW_News_Post_Moderation (Official) Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:16AM UTC
  
  Hello,
  
  There are no plans to ban AI works on AO3. For an explanation of our stance regarding AI-generated works, please refer to the 2024 TOS Update Guide section on AI-generated content.
  
  Best,
  Joey
  OTW News Post Moderator
  
  Comment Actions
  - Frozen
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. Anise Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:33AM UTC
    
    There should be plans to ban AI-generated works. No-- there shouldn't be PLANS, because it should have already happened. Accepting this work is morally wrong.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. 1. QwazyQuetzalcoatl Wed 24 Sep 2025 04:33AM UTC
      
      But like the article said, there is no reliable way to detect ai easily. Ai was trained off of real people and real writing, what if a human poured time and effort into their fanfic only for it to be taken down because of assumed ai usage? Personally I would be hugely demoralized. And that's not counting the countless ai fics that fly under the radar. I'd much rather just filter the tag out then find out halfway that a work is ai because people were too scared it would be flagged.
      I hate ai as much as the next writer, but it's not archive of our own's place to decide what is and isn't moral and right. In the end, it's simply a neutral ground to host fanfiction (with some small restrictions)
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. SICKSADhopeworld Wed 24 Sep 2025 08:21AM UTC
        
        I totally get people not wanting their fics used for AI (I am on this boat), but unless there's a rubber stamp that says "THIS IS MADE WITH AI" that's 100% accurate each and every time, there's just literally no way to tell.
        
        Even an AI detector you put writing in to determine if it's AI has been wrong with my own writing…
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      2. StarCoyote Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:00PM UTC
        
        The problem is is that if we like, made a tag that said that AI was used nobody is gonna use it :(
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        napdragon Wed 24 Sep 2025 05:41PM UTC
        
        there is a tag for that ("created using generative ai") and people do use it! some don't, but then you can just mute them. though i guess it might depend on the fandom but i've only seen untagged ai stuff like twice
        
        i'm also using this css in a site skin to filter out works tagged with the ai tags:
        
        .blurb:has(.tag[href^="/tags/AI-Generated" i]), .blurb:has(.tag[href="/tags/Created%20Using%20Generative%20AI/works" i]) { display: none; }
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
        
        (2 more comments in this thread)
      3. Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari) Wed 24 Sep 2025 06:01PM UTC
        
        ^ This.
        
        Funny enough, I had someone try to claim they 100% knew something I wrote a long time ago was AI-written, which I 100% with, based on their use of an AI detection tool to prove their case, when the reality is these tools are unreliable at the end of the day.
        
        What the tool actually ended up flagging was the proclivity of my dyslexia to show up in my earlier works, but at the end of the day, the writers most negatively impacted by this are going to be at-risk writers, aka young writers, writers with learning disabilities, ESL writers, but it begs the question, who is the real target, even?
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      4. fallofman Thu 25 Sep 2025 09:15AM UTC
        
        So I am not misunderstanding--your old work rated higher on "ai-detection" tools because how your dyslexia affected your writing was more prelevant then?
        
        I had no idea about the groups more likely affected by false positives using "detection" software. That's horrible.
        
        (My extent of knowledge about genAI is that it is a tool to mimic human language.)
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      5. hello_ree Thu 25 Sep 2025 11:17AM UTC
        
        i love your pfp
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
    3. Forested_Woodlands Wed 24 Sep 2025 04:34AM UTC
      
      i mean if an ai enjoys writing fanfic should we stop it
      can an ai even enjoy stuff tho
      is it harming us
      it might be
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    4. atlasoak Wed 24 Sep 2025 12:02PM UTC
      
      Banning AI works won't stop people from posting AI work. It will only make them try and hide it more. I'd rather it stay allowed so it can be tagged and filtered out.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    5. MalcontentCatboy Wed 24 Sep 2025 12:44PM UTC
      
      A lot of people would argue just as strongly that many stories on this site are morally wrong. Including your own. Be careful what you demand, you might get it.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    6. 1. QwazyQuetzalcoatl Thu 25 Sep 2025 03:47AM UTC
        
        Exactly! This author has explicit underage content. If ao3 is willing to ban ai, then what else could be next that's "morally wrong"? Strange kinks? Dubious consent? Underage sex? Even nonsexual stuff could be affected. Anise would simply be one of the millions of authors silenced. But that's why ao3 has set rules in place. Unless you're is trying to make money off of fanfiction, you basically have free reign. That's what makes ao3 special.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
  3. Anise Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:36AM UTC
    
    There shouldn't be "plans" to ban AI-generated works, because this ban should have already happened. Accepting this garbage is morally wrong. Of course the stance isn't guaranteed to be enforceable, but neither are laws against armed robbery. It's against the law, but it still happens. Does this mean that all types of robbery and burglary should be legal, that we should just throw up our hands and say that we can't do anything about them? Does this mean that nobody should go to prison for murder, because murders are against the law but still happen? Should we just have no laws at all, because laws are broken all the time? Why do we even try to do the right thing, why not just repeat that "nothing can be done" and allow/ignore every type of crime? Right here and right now is the time for people to stand up and refuse to be brainwashed and manipulated into thinking that "nothing can be done." Will YOU choose to do the right thing instead of the easy and morally bankrupt thing?
    
    Last Edited Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:39AM UTC
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  4. 1. grommile Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:23PM UTC
      
      A ban on posting LLM output to the Archive makes it harder to detect LLM output posted to the Archive, because people will stop self-reporting their use of LLMs in tags, summaries, and author's notes, leaving only user accusations and the occasional bungling idiot who leaves prompts and AI interaction puff in place.
      
      Many of those user accusations will be false positives.
      
      Some of the false positives will be accidental false positives from well-intentioned idiots.
      
      Some of the false positives will be malicious false positives by bots, LLM stans, TERFs, racists, homophobes, misogynists, and common or garden trolls.
      
      And unlike a false accusation of murder, there's no need for the malicious false accuser to set up an apparent murder scene. They can just point a finger and say "that fic is AI" and now a volunteer on the PAC team has to go look at the fic and make some kind of assessment.
      
      Which may involve reading many thousands of words of the impugned work to pick out features that might be AI spoor... or might just be shitty, formulaic writing by an inexperienced or perpetually incompetent human author. And then get a second opinion from another PAC volunteer.
      
      And a lot of the fics that get those malicious false reports will be things the volunteers would rather not read at all, but now have to read because someone has alleged that they're LLM output and thus forbidden.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
  5. axiun Thu 25 Sep 2025 01:33AM UTC
    
    Wow, I thought my comment wasn’t permitted to be posted, I’m genuinely shocked to see it was and there’s a response. I understand AI can’t be detected in many cases and the rule wouldn’t be enforceable, but I guarantee you spam fics and comments will become a massive issue in the next few years/bigger of an issue. I do not understand the reasoning behind allowing AI work outright. I thought AO3 was for fans by fans, not for bots by fans. But oh well, I guess we’ll see what happens when bots - and I mean literal bots, not controlled by a human, start posting works en masse. Good to know a portion of donor money goes towards making the site available to those who steal fanworks and just paste generated code.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  6. EmiDidact Thu 25 Sep 2025 02:27PM UTC
    
    Sorry but that's just absurd, this isn't right.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
3. mxaugury Wed 24 Sep 2025 09:55PM UTC
  
  gosh, I wish AI images (or ai ''art'' as some may call it, eugh) would get nuked off of the archive. i feel like ripping my hair off of my scalp whenever i see that a fic has been made with fkin ai
  
  Comment Actions
  - Frozen
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
4. 1. axiun Thu 25 Sep 2025 01:34AM UTC
    
    Same.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
5. MidnightDarkride Thu 25 Sep 2025 07:04PM UTC
  
  The thing is I use Ai to beta read even though my fic is orginal and I'm sure there are others like me. you would be creating as many problems as you solve.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Frozen
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
6. 1. Canary_X Fri 26 Sep 2025 04:51AM UTC
    
    Same! The only AI I use is Grammarly to help pick up any grammatical errors (and I miss a lot because I’m dyslexic at 1am) that I might’ve missed during my proof reads. If there was a tool used to detect and ban AI, I’m worried to see it detecting AI use through grammar structure and banning fics that took months to write simply because of it.
    
    I’m all for outlawing the use of producing something with AI, however, spell checkers are useful to have, especially as a writer. With 250K words, I’m still trying to find and fix small errors and I wouldn’t have gotten this far without it. But I NEVER use AI to actually write something, not even when I’m deep in Writer’s Block!
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. axiun Fri 26 Sep 2025 06:40PM UTC
    
    Well, I'm down to create another 10000000 problems as long as it gets rid of AI slop. But I guess I'll just have to not donate money anymore, as the OTW don't seem to want to do anything about it.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  3. 1. TrashyPandas (BlueJayFan) Sun 28 Sep 2025 09:44PM UTC
      
      Yeah, imo I feel like OTW will be fine with one person not donating money because they don't understand the incredibly simple logic (no reliable way to check for ai) behind OTW's decision on this
      
      Comment Actions
      - Frozen
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. axiun Mon 29 Sep 2025 01:25AM UTC
        
        Oh no doubt they will be fine! Did I ever say my decision to not donate would cause the site to collapse? What will cause the site to collapse is exactly what I said in my original post if you’d actually read it. Also, your tone is hilarious to me, as you somehow seem to genuinely believe there aren’t more people upset about this decision than me. One day the OTW will not reach their funding goal. Maybe it’s for this reason, maybe for another. You are absolutely out of your mind if you think the OTW has permanent support if they continue to make poor decisions. Is my logic simple enough for you?
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Frozen
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
7. Nosferamus (DarkDiva) Fri 26 Sep 2025 01:20AM UTC
  
  Can I ask your opinion over AI translations? Cause I use AI to assist on the translations of my works and I was wondering if this could be bad somehow.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Frozen
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
8. 1. axiun Fri 26 Sep 2025 06:38PM UTC
    
    AI in general is bad. Its not the use of it in different ways that's wrong, its the use of it AT ALL that is. This is of course in my opinion, but also I would encourage you to check out how AI is destroying the environment and displacing low income people. Scholar.google and jstor are pretty good places to learn about that if you're curious, don't just take my word for it.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
9. LittleFluffyBear Sat 27 Sep 2025 03:01AM UTC
  
  I saw a fic once that was directly copied and pasted from Chatgpt! It actually had the conversation part on top...
  
  Comment Actions
  - Frozen
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
10. 1. axiun Sat 27 Sep 2025 05:48AM UTC
    
    Aweeesomeee /s!! If nothing else why can't AO3 remove obvious ones like this, that self report :DD
    
    Comment Actions
    - Frozen
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
mew_tsubaki Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:01PM UTC

I appreciate this; was rly surprised to see the spam comments start to appear here for me since my works are already locked to registered users, tho (I've gotten two scammers within a wk :c).

Regarding the Spam button—it would be helpful if it appeared on *all* comments, at least for OP of said fanwork, not just for guest comments. Bc when I read this news post, I was confused and thought I was missing this feature. But I looked back thru older works where I knew I had old comments from guests…and yeah, only those have the Spam option. Yet the problem rn comes from alleged "Registered users."

Anywho, hang in there, folks! This is hitting all the diff fandom sites, p much, fic-centric or not. Just keep on sharing the love for your favs; we can drown out the scambots. :')

Comment Actions
- Thread
Ada_Cackle Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:07PM UTC

Thanks for adressing it, I've had two people so far who claimed to want to turn my work into art!

Comment Actions
- Thread
naname2 Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:08PM UTC

It's not just Ao3 that's going through this, sites/forums like fanfiction.net are also going through a similar situation, in the case of fanfiction.net it's even worse because there's no way to even delete such comments.

In addition to this, there are other scams that Ao3 users should be aware of:

Discord Scam: Certain commenters (mostly anonymous) will make generic comments praising a fanfic and invite the author (and, by extension, anyone who has access to the comment) to a Discord server. The problem is that these servers are often set up to extract data, hack, or otherwise lure someone into a scam.

Webcomic/Comic Scam: Very similar to the art commission scam, the comic scam is when a commenter posts a highly complimentary, flowery, and generic comment about a work, and asks the author if they'll allow them to draw a comic/webcomic based on that fanfic, leaving only a single link as contact information.

Webnovel Scam: Similar to the two above, authors receive comments inviting them to join a community/forum/Discord related to the webnovel site, a paid platform for reading officially translated novels and manhuas, as well as publishing original books and fanfics.

This platform has generated controversy in recent years, as many authors from Ao3, Fanfiction.net, Wattpad, and other platforms have had their work reposted on the webnovel without the original author's knowledge, and worse, behind a paywall.

The situation is worsened by the fact that several writing sites have been inundated with invitations from supposed webnovel members trying to convince authors to "migrate" to that platform. I myself have seen several commenters warning authors that this is a scam.

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. mew_tsubaki Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:25PM UTC
  
  Re: FFN—it's not entirely true, that the comments cannot be deleted, tho (I know, bc I crosspost from there).
  
  Guest reviews/comments can always be removed. And with regards to signed-in ones—FFN Admin are v much aware of the situation and are trying to tackle things, so using the ⚠️ icon on a review (from the reviews page for a story) allows someone to report the review for abuse, where we can mark it as spam and quickly describe it as part of the ongoing scambot situation. These reviews *can* then be deleted by FFN Admin, as well as see the attached offending accts terminated, but it can take a moment, and sometimes the reviews numbers stay up while things cache/refresh. Admin are inundated, plus they're working on implementing a whole new site at the same time, apparently, with a v tiny staff.
  
  So while an author doesn't have as much direct control over deletion, the report process IMO is simpler than AO3's. It's smthg of a trade-off.
  
  (Have yet to encounter things on SqWA, but reporting on tumblr and on pillowfort, where else I post, falls somewhere btwn FFN and AO3. 🤷‍♀️)
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. AuroraExecution Tue 23 Sep 2025 07:40PM UTC
    
    Unfortunately for me, all of the ones I've gotten on FFN are direct PMs. Luckily the scammers are pretty obvious but reporting them is kind of annoying because you still have go through the email form.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. 1. mew_tsubaki Tue 23 Sep 2025 08:21PM UTC
      
      Oh, I'm with ya there! -_-;
      
      My above comment rly was just pertaining to comments/reviews on stories. But for the PMs on FFN (which has its pros and, in this case, clear cons 🥲), I can offer one suggestion, esp if you end up with a lot at once, as I've done this in the past—
      
      Send *one* email to FFN's support email, with a subject line along the lines of "Reporting multiple scambot accounts." And then just list both the usernames and associated user IDs, in list format. 👍 Since there isn't rly an email form over there, just emails for folks to use (as well as specific topic tags to include in the subject lines), this might be easier for you, that way you don't hafta send so many emails. IME, one of the Zacks gets to it fairly quickly.
      
      Sending some good vibes your way, fellow FFN user! :'3
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. AuroraExecution Wed 24 Sep 2025 06:10PM UTC
        
        That's actually what I did the last time haha :)
        
        But hopefully this will be helpful to other people who use both sites!
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
  3. Raberba girl (Raberba_girl) Tue 23 Sep 2025 11:40PM UTC
    
    Wait, where are you getting your information?! From what I've found, FFN only updates their Twitter/X once in a blue moon and I can't find any other source of news from them.
    
    The FFN admins are almost completely silent as far as I can tell, to the point where I sometimes genuinely wonder if anyone is still running the site anymore or if it's been left to drift through space on autopilot ._.
    
    Their very belated crackdown on the spambots was the first sign of life I'd seen from them in quite a while, and even then, I could only tell they were doing it because when I went to routinely block a new batch of spammers, the accounts had already been suspended, which was a refreshing change from the previous year of unchecked spambot hell.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  4. 1. mew_tsubaki Wed 24 Sep 2025 12:30AM UTC
      
      I've been blogging about this situation on pillowfort for over a yr now (bc folks talk about this occurring on IG and dA, etc, too; my posts on the topic are locked to logged-in-users there, tho 😅), but aside from my first-hand experience on FFN, I check forums over there as well as use Nitter to stay on top of their Twt/X bc I don't have an acct there.
      
      Their last post was from Sept 3rd, but they've been moderately active. And Admin/Staff are deffo tackling these things across sites, wherever users are posting. (I know tumblr nips things p quickly.)
      
      They rly aren't silent, tho; they're just a small team.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. Raberba girl (Raberba_girl) Wed 24 Sep 2025 01:19AM UTC
        
        Ah, thank you!
        
        It's hard to tell with Twitter/X because tweets are now posted in a COMPLETELY RANDOM order as far as I can tell, rather than chronologically. X'''D I can't find a way to sort tweets by date rather than by whatever insane metrics the algorithm uses (???). At least, I can't find a way to do it as an anon; maybe that's something you can only do if you're logged in?? Who knows.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
StringCheeseEater94 Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:11PM UTC

They (the scammers) appear to
1. cut to the chase
2. reply as soon as a work with (over 1000) words in it is published. Done through automation, I'd assume.
3. either be informal or overly formal
4. not care about the story.

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. Miragia Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:51PM UTC
  
  5. They usually put their comments on chapter 1.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. Dust2Dust00 Tue 23 Sep 2025 10:55PM UTC
    
    Yes, you're absolutely correct on that. I thought it rather strange when a multichapter fic has like, 15 chapters and someone posts something like these spambots on chapter one saying they read the entire piece of work... Really disheartening...
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. 1. fucknasty Wed 24 Sep 2025 07:59AM UTC
      
      fwiw, when someone uses the "entire work" button, any comment they post when they get to the end will get posted as a comment on chapter 1. there are legit readers that do that. they don't follow the spambot script though.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. 1. fallenconstellations Wed 24 Sep 2025 08:53AM UTC
        
        actually, those comments when someone uses that 'entire work' button goes to the last chapter, but i've definitely still seen readers comment on the first chapter after reading the entire work
        ...somehow i managed to get two typos in one sentence and i find that really funny
        
        Last Edited Wed 24 Sep 2025 09:18AM UTC
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      2. Dust2Dust00 Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:32PM UTC
        
        Ah, I didn't think about that. Thanks for pointing that out.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
3. fucknasty Wed 24 Sep 2025 07:55AM UTC
  
  to 2. i've gotten em on a 650 word fic before (the title is a meme so it was pretty funny to see "i loved well well well... the conses of my quences, it was so deep and moving") and 3. have gotten a couple of them days after posting.
  
  the only constant is that they try to get you off site, afaict.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
4. 1. SailorStyx Tue 30 Sep 2025 04:02AM UTC
    
    Recently got one on a 564 word fic a few days after posting but this one was craftier and acted like they wanted to give me writing tips, likely jumping me with the commission part after luring me into a conversation about something else.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
Yonia_Blooms Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:37PM UTC

I lurk on the AO3 sub-reddit, and people there have been screaming for MONTHS about this major issue. It makes me glad that I only write for a smaller fandom, because I haven't yet encountered these bots. It's great that the OTW created this PSA for everybody else who's unaware of these scams.

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. MysteriousMihai Wed 24 Sep 2025 05:15AM UTC
  
  You might just have been lucky, though. I write for a small fandom, too, a non-English one on top of that, and yet, I managed to encounter them twice back in February. Making people aware of that is important, as it seems like they're getting increasingly smarter and less obvious to identify at a first glance.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
bluerosekatie Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:54PM UTC

I will note sometimes this scam will use a judgemental/critical tone as well as the compliment, such as calling your chapter 8/10 to get a rise out of you so you will respond (and so the "more ideas" may seem to be ideas for the work, not like an art commission at first)

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. SailorStyx Tue 30 Sep 2025 04:37AM UTC
  
  Yes, I recently got a comment from a scammer like this except it "criticized" how I wrote my female characters and offered to "help" me. Even if it wasn't a scam, I wouldn't have responded.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. bluerosekatie Tue 30 Sep 2025 06:01AM UTC
    
    Oh wow, yeah, that's not subtle (or nice)
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
Corovera Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:59PM UTC

Thank you for highlighting this issue! It’s so disappointing to check my email, see someone’s commented, and it’s just a scam bot.

Been blocking them on sight. Got a whole list to report now.

Comment Actions
- Thread
thirstys Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:10PM UTC

imagine scamming on fucking ao3 of all places. how desperate do u have to be 😭😭

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. Forested_Woodlands Wed 24 Sep 2025 04:36AM UTC
  
  and to realize they dont beneift from it. they get like 12 cents per information peice whic could take hours.
  crazy ppl
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. Mari_does_fanfic Wed 24 Sep 2025 12:47PM UTC
  
  I got a scam comment tryna rizz me up with the amount of glazing it did, 💀 bitch plz, it’s a fic about Mineta chasing u with a machete in an abandoned warehouse, it’s crack 😭🙏
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
3. 1. SailorStyx Tue 30 Sep 2025 04:57AM UTC
    
    Got a scam comment on a short comedic oneshot making fun of how dumb the female lead and her helper are "criticizing" me for how no female characters had their own arcs or motivations and offering to help me "fix" it. At first I thought they were a real person mad I mocked their fav. In your case it's obvious they didn't read the fic before commenting. In mine I wonder if the programmer is just targeting fics with female characters in it and hoping someone will take the bait. The fic was for a fandom well known for having a female lead. At least mine didn't leave kudos. I don't get them enough to know if that's normal or not.
    
    Last Edited Tue 30 Sep 2025 05:04AM UTC
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. 1. Mari_does_fanfic Tue 30 Sep 2025 07:44AM UTC
      
      Oh, that’s the worst kind of bot, the mean one 😭
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
4. StarCoyote Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:01PM UTC
  
  Very desperate I guess...💔
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
5. 1. ペッかハート (normalface1204) Fri 26 Sep 2025 01:19AM UTC
    
    I am desperate for friends, but I am not a bot, so seeing social media, which is SUPPOSED to bond people together, used like this? Breaks my heart.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
  2. 1. StarCoyote Fri 26 Sep 2025 04:08PM UTC
      
      FR!!! I agree 100%! I want more friends too!!!
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    2. StarCoyote Fri 26 Sep 2025 04:09PM UTC
      
      Me toooooo!!
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    3. SailorStyx Tue 30 Sep 2025 03:28AM UTC
      
      I get your sentiment but AO3 isn't a social media website.
      
      Comment Actions
      - Thread
      - Parent Thread
    4. 1. ペッかハート (normalface1204) Tue 30 Sep 2025 12:07PM UTC
        
        no, like its alright to desire a geunine connection to people who like ur fanfic :/
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
      2. SailorStyx Tue 07 Oct 2025 12:14AM UTC
        
        You don't appear to understand and there might be a language barrier. Just because you can comment on AO3 and can have a conversation with other fans if they respond, that doesn't make it a social media website. Its primary function is as a fannish archive as I've seen other users reiterate a billion times elsewhere. Its goal is not to facilitate discussion, which is what social media is primarily for, i.e. Twitter and Tumblr. You can write fiction on them, but that's not what they were initially designed for and I find reading fic on Tumblr an absolute pain in the ass. If you're still confused, I recommend checking out the AO3 subreddit; they're really good at explaining this kind of stuff.
        
        Comment Actions
        
        Thread
        
        Parent Thread
efrafa Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:13PM UTC

Just reported somebody for this yesterday. Great to have some official communication on it and a step-by-step on how to format a report.

Comment Actions
- Thread
Catelia Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:32PM UTC

This has actually happened to me, twice! Both times I responded that I don't have the money for this, and then they deleted their comments (so I can't go back and report them)

But if it happens again, I'll be reporting first thing

Glad to know I wasn't crazy for thinking it's a scam and not adding them on discord, but I should've reported them earlier

Comment Actions
- Thread
jaystheanimewatcher Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:35PM UTC

this actually happened to me. needless to say i blocked them. its sad that it makes it so much harder to allow guests to comment and such anymore :(

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. EmiDidact Thu 25 Sep 2025 02:29PM UTC
  
  Even with guest comments disabled, I'm seeing bots with registered accounts commenting as well.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. jaystheanimewatcher Thu 25 Sep 2025 09:09PM UTC
    
    i know, its awful.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
Cruellinnet Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:37PM UTC

I like to have fun with them since I've said multiple times in my fic that I'm a web comic artist who's doing this for fun while I work on my main project and that's how I know they didn't read any of my stuff because I've mentioned it in the chapter notes.

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. Slaskia Tue 23 Sep 2025 08:03PM UTC
  
  I had one 'advertise' on my fanart 'fic'....hilarious! (but still annoying!)
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
HannahTheScribe Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:41PM UTC

Thank you for addressing this. I’ve gotten similar comments several times and wasn’t sure what to do about them from AO3’s perspective.

Comment Actions
- Thread
Doranwen Tue 23 Sep 2025 06:50PM UTC

It would be good if it were also publicized to not delete the comments so that there's evidence. I reported a couple the other week that were posted on another author's fic (one of them was posted in reply to one of mine), and these weren't the art commission ones but the ai accusation bots (still a bot, though) - but by the time the report got dealt with, the author had simply deleted the comments, so there was no evidence. The account that made those comments is still up, and it probably wouldn't be if there was evidence for the abuse (I screenshotted it and said so in my report, but I don't think that works for Abuse, they need the actual comments to still be up). So if the author in question had known that it was important for them to leave the comments be, perhaps that spam account might have been dealt with by now. :/

Comment Actions
- Thread
1. MalcontentCatboy Wed 24 Sep 2025 03:31AM UTC
  
  AO3 doesn't store deleted comments on the back end? That... seems like a very bad idea.
  
  Comment Actions
  - Thread
  - Parent Thread
2. 1. exceptionallyunfortunate Fri 26 Sep 2025 10:34PM UTC
    
    No, they do. Admin can verify the contents of a deleted comment, but the more typical procedure would be to treat the issue as resolved, since removing the comment would have been the resolution anyways.
    
    Comment Actions
    - Thread
    - Parent Thread
rumiami Tue 23 Sep 2025 07:00PM UTC

thanks!

Comment Actions
- Thread

AO3 News