9 Tips for spotting fake and predatory conferences

24th July 2019

Fake meetings are not fake news. That is to say, fraudulent conferences exist, and they are becoming a real problem for the meetings industry.

An increasing number of websites publicise academic conferences that simply don’t exist. The aim of such scammers is to prey on naive, often young, academics who are desperate to get their work in print or accepted for a scientific conference. Deceptions are camouflaged by flashy websites that emulate credible conferences, thereby duping unsuspecting delegates to pay registration fees and provide personal information.

The Manchester Convention Bureau recently discovered a website for the “3rd International Conference on Nuclear & High Energy Physics, a conference which claims to be taking place in Manchester in May 2020, yet does not actually exist.  Greater Manchester is a world-leader in the field of physics, and as such, hosts some of world’s foremost physics conferences – but this isn’t one of them. In reality, it’s a metaphorical black hole for prospective attendees.

Whilst the fraudulent website mimics the look and feel of a genuine scientific congress enough to potentially snare unsuspecting delegates, closer inspection reveals several abnormalities.  The absence of any Manchester-based scientists on the Local Organising Committee would be extremely unusual for a conference of this nature. The website’s design is inconsistent and contains numerous broken links. Finally, in almost comical fashion, the website’s homepage proudly displays an image of Paris’ Louvre Museum as an attraction of Manchester – an obvious sign that all is not as it should be.

Broken links, inconsistent design and the Louvre Museum presented as an attraction of Manchester – fake conferences such as this are becoming a real problem for the meetings industry.

Further investigation uncovered four more supposed international congresses due to take place in Manchester in the same week – all in completely different subjects, all purportedly organised by the same company, and all of course fictional.

A growing, and even more alarming trend is for predatory meetings to actually take place – events which initially appear above-board but have no academic value whatsoever. Such conferences usually skimp or skip peer review altogether. They’re run by for-profit companies who may present themselves as not-for-profit. Academic papers are either funnelled into known predatory journals or conference proceedings that are not published at all. The result is big profits for the organisers, and attendees left out of pocket, with little to show for their time or expense.

It’s at best scurrilous, and worst, criminal, for organisations to make money using these confidence tricks. Such practices represent a direct threat to the legitimacy of academic research, especially scientific and medical research. Illustrating the scale of the issue, the US Federal Trade Commission recently fined OMICS Publishing, a well-known organiser of predatory conferences, $50 million and ordered the company to cease its deceitful business practices.

The lack of an authoritative body to monitor predatory conferences makes it difficult to measure the scale of the problem, or any long-term trends. It’s clear that both the academic community and the meetings industry should be on their guard.

Here are our top tips for spotting fraudulent and predatory conference websites:

1. What’s the name of the conference?

Whilst you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it might be wise to judge a conference by its name.

• Fraudulent conferences often use terms such as ‘international’ and ‘global’ to attract attendees and speakers.

• Fake conferences often mimic authentic meetings by using very similar names.

• Often the name can be far too generic e.g. “International Medical Conference”, and if you’ve never heard of it before, it needs investigating further.

• Academic conferences have a tendency to look back with pride on past editions of their meeting. If there’s no obvious history, is it everything it claims to be? Very unlikely.

2. Do some background research

Setting some time aside to do a bit of desk-based research can help you to separate the real events from the fake.

• Always check which conferences are organised and advertised by recognised scholarly organisations in your own discipline. If uncertain ask a more experienced academic, a senior colleague or mentor.

• Google the name of the conference and see what results emerge. Adding the term ‘scam’ to the end of your search can be very useful in flagging up known predatory conferences. Twitter can be particularly useful for this purpose.

• A number of websites have been set up to document fake conferences – such as Beall’s List and Caltech Library. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) also maintains a list of blacklisted conferences and organisations.

3. Ask around

If you’re unsure are not sure about the legitimacy of a conference, start asking around.

• Ask other speakers in your network if this conference is respected in the community. If it’s not, consider if it’s something you’d want to be associated with.

• The host destination’s official convention bureau will be more than happy to confirm whether they are aware of the meeting or not. If it’s a significant and genuine international conference, it’s likely that they already have a relationship with the organiser.

4. Does the website look strange?

Whilst fraudulent websites are becoming much more convincing and sophisticated, there are tell-tale signs if you know what to look out for:

• What’s the site’s URL? If it looks strange, then proceed with caution. Many fake conference websites use generic URLs and free hosting services - a sign that it’s unlikely to be the genuine article.

• Does the language used on the website seem slightly odd? It’s common to find incorrect information, poor grammar and parlance which is inappropriate for an academic meeting.

• Broken links and lots of buttons that loop back to the homepage are a sign that there’s not as much content as it might initially appear.

• Pay attention to the use of branding and themes on the website. Genuine conferences tend to follow consistent design guidelines, whereas fraudulent sites are often poorly presented, mixing a multitude of graphics styles, colour schemes and logos.

• Look closely at the imagery used on websites. As a destination marketing specialist, I can tell you that all of the fraudulent websites that I’ve ever come across have used images of the wrong destinations on their site.

5. Do you know the event organiser?                                                         

This is one of the most important factors in determining the legitimacy of a meeting.

• Is the event organised by a professional association or society? If so, the meeting website should be hosted on their official website. Proceed with caution for any conferences where it’s difficult to determine the host organisation.

• If there’s a disconnect between the location of the conference and the location of the organisers or academic committee, this could be a red flag. Almost all academic conferences are hosted by a local committee – and there should be a strong local focus on the website.

• If you can’t easily find contact information, something could be wrong. Do they provide generic details such as PO boxes?

• Can you talk to a real person by telephone? Consider making contact with the organisers by telephone and/or email, but do avoid premium rate phone lines.

6. Is the subject matter far too broad?

Fake conferences often try to attract as many people as possible by covering a vast array of topics within a discipline. Be wary of conferences which cover extremely broad themes within a field, especially if it’s not clear how each of the topics are related to the subject.

7. Are the registration fees unusual?

Are the conference fees higher than what you’d normally expect for your field? Scammers often go for the big win by charging higher amounts.

Furthermore, many predatory conferences claim to offer extremely attractive packages for speakers – sometimes offering to reimburse all expenses incurred. If the offer seems to good to be true, it probably is.

8. Are there similar events in other locations?

It’s common for fake websites to be set up en-masse, with duplicate meetings taking place in multiple locations around the world, sometimes even over the same dates. Yes, scammers are sophisticated, but they’re playing a volume game aiming for the highest possible audience. A bit of online research and a keen eye should uncover mistakes caused by taking short-cuts with relative ease.

A keen eye for detail should show up red flags, such as these ads for fraudulent conferences supposedly co-locating in the same cities over the same dates.

9. Follow your intuition

Don’t make the costly mistake of being fooled by fake conference organisers. Use your instincts, common sense and the above tips to spot a fake conference before you submit your research (or worse, pay to register).  

Remember the number one rule – if something doesn’t quite feel right – it probably isn’t.

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Written by Anthony Cassidy - @smartieant

Anthony Cassidy is senior sales manager for the Manchester Convention Bureau and leads the bidding team which identifies and bids to attract national and international events to Manchester. An experienced destination marketeer, Ant has over 16 years’ experience in the tourism industry and has worked for Marketing Manchester since 2006.