Fannish Fifty #2: 7 Warning Signs of Fannish Scammers, Grifters, & Toxic People

Over my roughly 23 years in fandom, I've witnessed a number of scam artists, grifters, and otherwise bad actors within fandom. I've had the good fortune, but also the wariness and caution, to not be taken in by these people. So today, for my second Fannish50, I'm going to talk about signs of scam artists and other kinds of grifters, gaslighters, and toxic people in fandom that have become apparent to me over the years and have helped me avoid them.

First of all, I would like to very much stress, these people are absolutely the minority in fandom. Most people in fandom are great! Most people are more or less honest, non-manipulative, and decent. Even if you have a falling-out with someone, it doesn't mean that person is a scam artist, a grifter, or otherwise trying to manipulate you. The vast majority of arguments and fights have very little to do with this; sometimes people just don't get on, for whatever reason, and have to walk away from each other.

( 7 Warning Signs of Fannish Scammers, Grifters, & Toxic People )

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