Authors beware: Scams impersonating ‘St. Louis on the Air’ host Elaine Cha want your money

Twice over the past week, I was alerted to a scam.

Someone is impersonating "St. Louis on the Air" host Elaine Cha, using a fraudulent email address to contact authors.

The email invites the authors to participate in a "special 45-minute recorded author interview" about their books and writing careers.

It goes on to promise: "The interview will be conducted remotely and scheduled around your availability. There is no charge for the interview itself; a separate production and promotional fee applies to coordinating the feature and preparing its accompanying promotional materials."

Similar incidents have happened at stations and publications across the country, including fraudulent emails impersonating host Terry Gross of NPR's "Fresh Air," a reporter at another public radio station in Seattle, journalists at Rolling Stone and others.

This is a scam and a pay-to-play offer that has no connection to Elaine Cha or anyone at St. Louis Public Radio.

STLPR journalists select guests and stories based on their journalistic merit and relevance to our audience. We have never - and will never - offer or accept money in exchange for coverage.

To alert people about these scams, we're adding a note at the bottom of every story we publish:

St. Louis Public Radio does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an STLPR employee and does not represent STLPR.

Credible news depends on trust. Our editorial decisions are based on journalism, not financial transactions.

If you've been targeted by this scam, you can file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and Federal Trade Commission. Also, please send us an email about it.