A troubling wave of identity theft has emerged in scholarly publishing, with fraudsters are creating fake email addresses to impersonate established researchers and submit fraudulent manuscripts to journals and conferences. These submissions often feature plagiarized content, AI-generated figures, or fabricated data, bypassing standard institutional verification channels. In several documented cases, low-quality papers have been accepted and published before detection, forcing retractions that leave permanent marks on the scholarly record.
The attacks extend beyond authorship fraud. Impersonators have posed as researchers to secure conference speaking slots, manipulated peer review by faking reviewer identities, and even bombarded institutions with malicious complaints aimed at discrediting the real scientists. Reputable publishers, including Elsevier, have been affected, highlighting how easily existing safeguards can be circumvented.
This erosion of trust strikes at the heart of scientific integrity. Retracted papers frequently remain accessible online, potentially influencing future research or grant decisions. The problem compounds broader threats from paper mills and AI-assisted fraud, making it increasingly difficult for researchers to distinguish legitimate work from manipulation.
Publishers and institutions are responding by implementing stronger identity verification, including mandatory ORCID linkage, two-factor authentication for submissions, and direct institutional email checks. As awareness spreads, these measures—combined with community vigilance—offer hope that the academic record can be protected and trust restored in peer-reviewed literature.
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