They prey on people with dreams — aspiring authors with unfinished manuscripts, life stories, or memoirs they’re finally ready to share. You think you’re investing in your legacy.

But you’re actually walking straight into a well-oiled trap that viciously scams larger and larger sums of money out of victims with the promise of fame and huge returns on investment.

That trap in this case is called Ottenheimer Publishers  — and what follows is a step-by-step breakdown of how I played the role of a victim to get information on their operation using nothing but AI-generated responses, investigative persistence, and a refusal to hand over money without proof.

I have traced this scam website to a company called AKP SOLUTIONS USA LLC which was formed in Texas by a person called Gulz Bagh Joya using the address 7051 Southwest Fwy suite A Houston, TX 77074. I’ve traced the real owner of this entire scheme back to the Mafia Don calling the shots from Karachi but won’t be revealing that information as of yet as I’ve been told by the officials I am helping to not reveal certain details while their investigation reaches its conclusion.

This vanity publishing fraud is so deceptive and profitable. Every time I tell someone about it for the first time it seems they are astounded by the tens of millions of dollars being scammed from gullible victims who are in many cases older Americans.

Why I Did This

I expose scams and frauds across the world and have covered everything from crypto Ponzi schemes to MLMs and other scams. But recently, I started noticing a pattern in the online scam world: thousands of websites offering “bestseller ghostwriting services”, “bestseller book publishing” — all claiming to be based in the U.S., all hiding the same infrastructure, and all making the same promises.

So I posed as a hopeful author. What they didn’t know? Every word they read from me was AI-generated, designed to sound just vulnerable enough to get them talking — and just curious enough to raise red flags without triggering suspicion.

The Pitch Begins: Warmth, Validation, and Emotional Bait

The first email came from “Richard Austin”, claiming to be the Senior Author Consultant at Ottenheimer Publishers. He started off kind, caring, and curious.

“Your goal of creating a legacy for future generations is something meaningful, and we’ll be proud to be a part of the journey.”

From the start, this was emotional manipulation 101. He was validating my (fake) story. Making me feel special. Telling me my book mattered.

“We don’t use cookie-cutter templates. Every manuscript is handcrafted by professionals who respect your story.”

This kind of phrasing is everywhere in these scams. They want to make you feel like you’re different — not just another lead in their funnel. But that’s exactly what you are.

The Sales Funnel in Action

Within a couple of emails, the pitch arrived: ghostwriting packages priced by “writer tier.” They wanted me to choose between:

  • Platinum Tier – $6,300 (featuring New York Times-nominated authors)
  • Gold Tier – $3,700
  • Silver Tier – $2,100

“Our Platinum tier includes New York Times-nominated authors… These are professionals who’ve worked on award-winning books, and your story would be in experienced hands.”

This is the dream they’re selling: that your book will be shaped by elite literary talent.

But when I asked for proof — even just anonymous bios or sample work — they refused. Instead, they sent links to self-published books on Amazon with no connection to their brand.

The Scam Timeline: How They Reel You In Step by Step

Here’s how the Ottenheimer Publishers scam unfolded, from the very first message to their final guilt trip:

Day 1: I received a friendly email from “Richard Austin” at Ottenheimer Publishers. He asks what my book is about and shows genuine interest in my “legacy.”

“Your goal of creating a legacy for future generations is something meaningful…”

Day 3: He pitches me ghostwriting packages with three tiers, going as high as $6,300 for access to “New York Times-nominated authors.”

“You’d be working with professionals who’ve worked on award-winning books…”

Day 5: I ask for examples or author bios. He refuses — blaming NDAs — and instead sends links to random Amazon books with no connection to Ottenheimer.

Day 6: He sends over screenshots of the so-called “Author Portal.” It looks professional at first glance — but it’s just a re-skinned white-label dashboard with no editorial tools.

Day 7: I ask for his LinkedIn. It 404s. He gives me his “manager’s” profile instead — a generic, unverifiable shell profile with no traceable company history.

Day 9: I press further and mention similar companies I’ve spoken to — like Orbit Book Writers, Silver Ink Publishing, and Amazon Publishing Experts. He agrees there are scams in the industry but insists his company is legitimate.

Day 10: I escalate. I drop names: Digitonics Labs, ABTACH, Legendesk, Sybex Lab. I ask if he’s heard of these Pakistani scam networks. He replies vaguely, trying to distance himself.

Day 12: I ask for staff names, contract samples, references — anything. He avoids direct answers and shifts to emotional manipulation.

“It is ok if I lose a client rather than feeding my child on money that I didn’t really earn.”

Day 14: The conversation dies. No more follow-ups. I’ve extracted all I need. The mask has slipped.

The Fake Infrastructure: Portals, Dashboards, and Disguises

To build credibility, “Richard” sent me screenshots of what he called the Author Portal — a secure system where I’d supposedly collaborate with editors and track progress.

“Once your account is created, you’ll be able to manage everything from file sharing to communication in one centralized space.”

But those screenshots told a different story. The portal was nothing more than a re-skinned white-label CRM, likely based on a public tool like InfoAITY or Perfex. There were no visible features for writing, editing, collaboration, or publishing.

“All your project records, submitted drafts, edits, and notes will be securely maintained on the portal.”

The illusion of professionalism — without any actual infrastructure. Just another screen to make you feel like you’re “in the system.”

The Staff That Doesn’t Exist

I asked for Richard’s LinkedIn profile. The link he gave me? A 404 error.

When I asked again, he redirected me to his “manager,” Ryan Chase, whose LinkedIn was a barebones, unverified profile with no real publishing credentials and no mention of Ottenheimer anywhere.

I pressed for clarity:

“Just for my own peace of mind, could you confirm how long he’s been managing projects at Ottenheimer?”

Richard’s reply:

“Ryan’s been working with us since 2019… Though much of the work he handles involves behind-the-scenes projects and business development, so it’s common practice for our team not to publicly list every affiliation.”

Translation: There’s no record of us because we don’t want one.

Guilt and Emotion: The Final Manipulation

Once I began pressing harder for transparency, I got hit with this line:

“It is ok if I lose a client rather than feeding my child on money that I didn’t really earn.”

That’s when I knew I had them cornered. The guilt tactic. The emotional sob story. Designed to make the victim feel like the bad guy for asking too many questions.

This is a pattern I’ve seen again and again across Pakistani-run publishing scams: when the sales pitch starts to collapse, they try to salvage your trust through morality.

The Scam Network Behind the Curtain

At this point, I confronted “Richard” directly. I told him I had been in contact with:

  • Orbit Book Writers
  • Barnes Noble Publishing
  • Silver Ink Publishing
  • Authors Harbor
  • Elite Book Writing
  • Amazon Publishing Experts
  • Alpha Book Writers

And I asked if he’d heard of:

  • Digitonics Labs
  • ABTACH Ltd.
  • Legendesk
  • Sybex Lab
  • TechiGator

His response was cautious. He agreed that many scam companies operate overseas and warned me to be careful — while still trying to convince me that his company was different.

“What can I do to help with your research? Any brand that claims to be Amazon or Barnes and Noble is already a huge red flag.”

The irony? Ottenheimer Publishers itself is a stolen brand name — hijacked from a defunct U.S. publishing house that shut down in the early 2000s. They revived the name in 2019 — the same year many Karachi-based digital scam companies began registering fake publishing domains.

How They Build the Illusion

Let’s break down the core psychological tactics Ottenheimer and their clones use:

  1. Validation and Emotion
    They tell you your book matters. That you’re inspiring. That your legacy deserves to be shared. This lowers your defenses.
  2. Professional Packaging
    They offer “tiers,” “teams,” and “portals.” It feels like you’re dealing with Penguin or HarperCollins. You’re not.
  3. Fake Credentials
    They claim to work with NYT authors, editors, publicists — none of whom you’ll ever meet or verify.
  4. Guilt and Morality
    When you push too hard? They make you feel bad. They frame your doubt as an attack on their integrity.
  5. Urgency and Pressure
    Eventually, they’ll say: “We’re ready to start — we just need the deposit.” And that’s where the scam begins.

To the People Working Inside These Software Houses

If you’re reading this and you work inside Orbit Book Writers, Ottenheimer Publishers, or one of the others — I want to hear from you.

I know some of you are just answering phones, ghostwriting under pressure, or doing back-end admin without even realizing the full scam. But if you do know what’s going on — and you want out — you have a chance to do the right thing.

I protect my sources.
I give whistleblowers a platform.
You could help stop this from happening to someone else.

Contact me privately at dehek.com/contact

Final Thoughts

They thought I was just another vulnerable writer. Someone desperate to finally “become an author.” Instead, I was using AI to expose them — one manipulation tactic at a time.

Their pitch was emotionally persuasive.
Their infrastructure was fake.
Their staff as outlined on the website didn’t exist.
And their entire business model relies on you believing they’re legit — just long enough to take your money.

So if you’ve received emails from “Richard Austin” or any brand that sounds vaguely prestigious but asks for money up front?

Walk away. You’re not buying a legacy — you’re buying into a lie.

Disclaimer: How This Investigation Was Conducted

This investigation relies entirely on OSINT — Open Source Intelligence — meaning every claim made here is based on publicly available records, archived web pages, corporate filings, domain data, social media activity, and open blockchain transactions. No private data, hacking, or unlawful access methods were used. OSINT is a powerful and ethical tool for exposing scams without violating privacy laws or overstepping legal boundaries.

About the Author

I’m DANNY DE HEK, a New Zealand–based YouTuber, investigative journalist, and OSINT researcher. I name and shame individuals promoting or marketing fraudulent schemes through my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Every video I produce exposes the people behind scams, Ponzi schemes, and MLM frauds — holding them accountable in public.

My PODCAST is an extension of that work. It’s distributed across 18 major platforms — including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and iHeartRadio — so when scammers try to hide, my content follows them everywhere. If you prefer listening to my investigations instead of watching, you’ll find them on every major podcast service.

You can BOOK ME for private consultations or SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, where I share first-hand experience from years of exposing large-scale fraud and helping victims recover.

“Stop losing your future to financial parasites. Subscribe. Expose. Protect.”

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