Paste a too-good-to-be-true offer into AI and ask what it will cost you
Elaine Stone, an author and blogger in the Washington, D.C., area who is in her 60s or older, got a long, detailed email offering to interview her about her book. It didn't mention money, but something felt off. Her son showed her how to check such messages with AI, and when she pasted the email into Gemini, it explained the catch in seconds.
What they did
The email named a real person who really did the kind of interviews it described, and it laid out the whole preparation and interview process. Her first question was whether they'd want her to pay, but the letter never said. She usually asks her grown children to look at suspicious messages, and her son suggested she learn to use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot herself. She copied the whole email into Gemini and asked if it was a scam.
How it went
She got a long, clear explanation of the service and of what other people had run into with the company. The likely pattern: they would eventually ask for money to run ads, the interview might or might not happen, and if it aired it might be at an hour when almost no one listens. Most people who went ahead never saw any return. She called it "A little twist on traditional scamming." She has since used AI to check another message on her own, which she says keeps her "a tidbit more independent."
Worth knowing
Some offers aren't outright theft but are built to lead you into paying later, for ads, "processing," or an upgrade. AI can help you spot the pattern, but it can also be wrong or out of date, so look the company up yourself and never pay, sign, or share account details because of an unsolicited email. Remove your own name, address, and phone number before you paste a message in. A trusted family member is still a good second opinion.
Try it yourself
Copy this into Gemini (or any AI assistant). Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details.
I received this unsolicited email offering me [an interview / a prize / a publishing deal / other]. I've removed my name and contact details. [paste email] Please: 1) Tell me what this sender most likely wants from me, including any costs that might come later even though the email doesn't mention money. 2) List the warning signs you see, and anything that looks legitimate. 3) Tell me what to search for, or what questions to ask, to check the company myself before I reply. Don't tell me it's safe unless you can explain why.
Source: Elaine Stone, Elaine Stone (blog), Jan 7, 2026. Read the original →
First-hand account by the person who did it. Summarized in our own words.
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