True crime has come to the world of indie publishing—and we’re not talking about a book genre. We’re talking about accusations that thieves are using self-published books to launder money. According to this article Writer’s Relief found in Fortune:

Some authors on Amazon’s self-publishing print book service have had their identities stolen and then used to launder money, according to cybercrime reporter Brian Krebs. The crooks upload phony but expensive paperback titles to the stolen authors’ accounts via Amazon’s CreateSpace service and then “buy” dozens of books, transferring funds to legitimate bank accounts, he reports. Amazon typically pays authors 60% of a book’s list price on CreateSpace after deducting production and other charges.

Read more about money laundering and self-publishing here.