Fake journal again puts stress on vigilance

The Asiatic Society at Town Hall

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai said in a tweet that its annual journal was being ‘cloned' by some and people were told to pay for their papers to be published in the prestigious journal. The iconic institution housed in the magnificent Town Hall overlooking Horniman Circle Garden warned persons that the journal was cloned. The Asiatic Society said it does not ask for payments for papers submitted for publication. It does not guarantee publication. Submissions are selected after a rigorous whetting process. The society's tweet had ‘Imposter Alert' emblazoned across it in giant letters. It also warned that it was not responsible if people paid money to parties for ‘publication'.

An extensive report in this paper highlighted the red-flagging done by the society, with the president stating that they were thinking about filing a police complaint.

There are some takeaways from here. First is the fact that cybercrime, which peaked in Covid times as the world moved online, shows no signs of abating. The second is that there is a pattern. In the case of the journal, the cover is cloned to look like the original. There are some giveaways though, like wrong volume numbers. Then there is the payment, to be made in advance, on the assumption that the paper is going to be published in the journal.

It is better to simply first put in a call to a space or institution before one pays up. Analyse why somebody would guarantee publication, we are referring specifically to this case. Like this edit space has warned earlier, checks and due diligence is always a good idea, especially when there is a payment option. Even a discussion with some people who have submitted to this journal earlier may set alarm bells ringing. Caution, scepticism, vigilance and fact checking should be exercised before parting with money. This con model and caution advice extends to other areas too.