The L.A. Times reports on a threesome of scam artists who are calling bookstores claiming to be famous authors. They say that they’re in trouble, and need some money.

After getting a second call, in just a few days, from a writer needing money — this one purportedly from English writer Nick Hornby — Book Soup’s Tosh Berman didn’t hesitate to cut him off. “Almost exactly from the script he said, ‘I’m embarrassed to be calling you like this, but I’m at the airport… .’

“He really managed the accent,” Berman said of the Hornby impersonator. “I almost fell for it. But I didn’t take that trip.”

Berman speculated that this gang has several members — one black man, one English guy, one woman — to make impersonation easier. “It’s like the Mod Squad or something.”

Vroman’s has hung up on someone claiming to be Ray Bradbury and, in late February, Ramos said, Russell Banks.

I actually find this really charming. I mean, I hope that no bookstores are actually forking over money, but the fantasy of it all—that these con artists actually think that authors can call up bookstores and ask for a loan, like family—is quite sweet. But no actual author I’ve met would be able to pull of a scam like this one: The good ones are way too nice to request something like that, and the jackasses just out-and-out ask for a substantial discount and then pitch a red-faced fit when it’s denied and swear that they’re going to shop at Amazon.com forever “because my books have made you so much money and you treat me like this.”