Thursday, June 14, 2018

SPG Is Another "Science Publishing Group"

"Science Publishing Group" is a nice name. It is used by SciencePG, which boasts about its 200+ questionable journals, and now (6/13/18) by the more diminutive SPG Journals, with a mere four journals. The domain name spg.ltd was registered by Alibaba Cloud Computing Ltd. d/b/a HiChina, raising a question about the putative Zurich address on the website and in emails.

The content of the email displays an abysmal lack of awareness of "this field." Inasmuch as the journal has no editorial board, that is not surprising. I cannot find any article titles -- let alone any articles -- in these journals.
Email
SPG Open
  • From: P Stephane MSE [pstephane@spg-journals.org]
    Date: Wed 6/13/2018 3:19 PM
    Subject: Inquiry about "The good - the bad - the ugly: the NAS report on strengthening forensic science in America."
    Dear Dr. Kaye DH,
    I am editing the next several issues of SPG Open and am hoping I can discuss with you the idea of including an article from you. The paper you published entitled "The good - the bad - the ugly: the NAS report on strengthening forensic science in America." was interesting to me and I think another article related to this work would be valuable to our readership. If you could tell me more about your current work that would be very helpful. I think you will find that SPG Open is quite different from most journals in that we stay in communication with our authors during every step of the publication process and provide detailed feedback for each submission whether or not it is accepted for publication.
    If you have moved on from this field you could certainly prepare an article on a different topic. We don't have any theme issue in the near future so there is no restriciton [sic] on the scope of topics that may be submitted. The deadline for this is flexible and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
    Please reply when you can and let me know whether or not this is feasible for you in the foreseeable future.
    Sincerely,
    Patrick Stephane M.S.E.
    Editorial Board, SPG Open
    Notice: SPG is committed to preventing fraudulent emails. If you receive an email or visit a website that does not contian our logo as pictured above, it is not affiliated with SPG. We have received reports of the existance of other publishers with similar names. If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email that claims to be from SPG please notify us by replying to this email our contacting us through our website.
    This message and any attachments to it are for use only by the addressee. If you are not the addressee please do not rely on the contents of this message and delete it from your computer immediately. To notify the sender write to Auf der Mauer 8, Zurich 8001, Switzerland. To stop future emails from this sender please reply and let us know. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer. Copyright 2018 SPG. All rights reserved. This email is available both in HTML and plain text formats.|

    Followed four days later by "Dear Dr. Kaye DH, Could you please let me know whether or not this if [sic] of interest to you? May I send along more information about the journal?"
SPG BioMed
  • From: K. Gyamdjyan, MD, Ph.D. [k.gyamdjyan@spg.eu.com]
    Date: Wed 4/25/2018 7:08 AM
    Subject: Your paper "The good - the bad - the ugly: the NAS report on strengthening forensic science in America."
    Dear Dr. Kaye DH,
    I am working on putting together the next few issues of SPG BioMed and wanted to get in contact with you because I think your work may be a good fit for the journal. The article you published titled "The good - the bad - the ugly: the NAS report on strengthening forensic science in America." was quite interesting and I think a new article that updates this research would be valuable. Or if you have moved on from this area you could certainly prepare an article on another topic.
    Are you still working in this field? I tried to find your Pennsylvania State University profile page but was unable to do so. [← It is hard to image how anyone could miss the Penn State page.] Could we discuss the idea of you preparing an article to submit?
    Sincerely,
    K. Gyamdjyan, MD, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed, spg.ltd, k.gyamdjyan@spg.eu.com, +41 41 5082905
  • From: Dr. E. Padron, Ph.D. [e.padron@spgb.email]
    Date: Sun 11/18/2018 5:39 PM
    Subject: Planning of 2019 special issue
    Dear Dr. Kaye DH,
    I hope this email finds you well. The biomedical journal which I serve as a board member is commencing a special issue entitled "Special issue: Medical Breakthroughs of 2018", and I am among those tasked with planning the topics which will be featured in the issue.
    Your name came up during my research as someone who has been active in research which may fit the scope of the issue. If you would think about assisting with the issue, either as an author or an advisor, it would be greatly appreciated by myself and my colleagues working on the issue.
    Would it be alright if I send you a PDF which contains a more detailed summary of the special issue?
    Best Regards,
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich Switzerland 8001 p: +41 43 508 29 05
    Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this message are intended for only the recipient(s) specified in message. It is forbidden to share any part of this message with a third party, without written consent from the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email.

109 comments:

  1. thanks for sharing, i received the same set of emails (initial email and the follow-up) with exactly the same text. Its clearly a SPAM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mee too. thanks for sharing

      Delete
    2. Me too. I received the following email yesterday:

      Dear Dr. (my full name)

      I have been trying to contact Dr. XXXXXX because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

      Do you have their contact details?

      Best Regards,











      SPG BioMed

      Delete
    3. I got exactly the same mail! What I do not understand is their purpose?

      Delete
    4. Yep--I also just got this email and unwittingly got wrapped up in an email communication (after only vaguely pointing them to my coauthor's webpage so as not to wrap him up in anything).

      Delete
    5. I received it too, sent by E Padron PhD. He insisted with a couple of mails but I didn't answer

      Delete
  2. I was contacted by this group recently asking me for all my co-authors' email addresses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! And this is where it got suspicious: my co-author's e-mail address is really hard to miss.

      Delete
    2. Here the same as well. With a follow up a couple of days later insisting on my co-author's email addresses.

      Delete
    3. Same..

      Dr. (my name),

      I still wasn't able to find any contact info for Dr. (Co-author) but maybe you can help me instead. We are planning a theme issue on Nanotechnology and I thought if you are still working in this area you could maybe give me some advice on what topics would be good to include and who might be able to contribute.

      I was looking at the article you wrote with ---- a while ago entitled "(title of my paper)" and thought that a short review article related to this topic might be a good fit for the issue. Or even a research article that introduces any new data that is now available.

      Here is a PDF with an overview of the special issue which includes more detailed information: http://spg.ltd/Special%20Issue%20on%20Nanotechnology.pdf

      Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?

      Delete
    4. I received this forwarded email from my advisor
      Dear Dr. xxxxx,

      I am trying to reach Dr. XXXXXX about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

      Could you help me?


      Sincerely,


      P. Stephane, MSE
      SPG Open
      a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
      Switzerland 8001


      p: +41 43 508 29 05

      Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

      Delete
    5. I've just received a similar message !!

      Delete
    6. I did receive one too. Unfortunately, I replied thinking it was a serous mail. Predator publisher's mails usally go directly to my SPAM box, but this one came through. No wonder, they do not ask for contribution, and it looks like a mail from a colleague. Let's be careful.

      Anonymous from Tokyo.

      Delete
    7. I got same email from my advisor. These guys are getting better every day.

      Delete
  3. Me three!
    They contacted one of my coauthors asking about my email!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Our people at the university library told me that it is not ligit and most likely one of the many predator publishers. So I have now bloked that sender's e-mail.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Me too. They just asked for one and I asked them why. He acted like he was needing help on a project. I asked him about it and he said it was for a special issue and the mentioned a topic that was not related to our article.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yup, me too...wanted emails of a co-author, to "because I think they can help with a project I am working on" ...then in a follow up asked me if I was the lead author on a paper I published.

    From:
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05
    padron.e@spgjournals.org

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Dr Padron
      Hopefully that you are fine, I am Dr Samer Alnawajha. I have received your email regarding the project you have mentioned. You can send me details and contact me by this email. Best regards
      Dr Samer Alnawajha
      snawajha@gmail.com

      Delete
    2. Same here

      Dear Dr. ,

      I am trying to reach Dr. Bernardo Ordas about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

      Could you help me?


      Sincerely,

      Image
      P. Stephane, MSE
      SPG Open
      a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
      Switzerland 8001


      p: +41 43 508 29 05

      Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

      Delete
    3. Yup, same thing for me. I was about to reply, but then googled, ended up here....

      Delete
    4. Same here:

      Dear Dr. ...,

      I have been trying to contact Dr. ... because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

      Do you have their contact details?


      Best Regards,


      E. Padron, Ph.D.























      SPG BioMed
      a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
      Switzerland 8001

      p: +41 43 508 29 05

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. Dear Dr.E.Padron

      i told Mr. Hytham about your email but he sent to you email,but some problem in your email

      i am supervisor on Mr. Hytham and these paper from master thesis of Mr. Hytham.

      and i am corresponding auther.

      so, what's your question?

      Best regards,

      Dr.Mohammed Ahmed

      Sinore Researcher,

      National Gene Bank











      Delete
    7. My name is Safa Gurcan and I also had exactly the same co-author email request from E Padron...

      Delete
    8. i also had same request and while searching i ended up here.

      Delete
  7. Exactly the same co-author email request from E Padron...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I also had exactly the same co-author email request from E Padron...

    ReplyDelete
  9. The same here...

    Dear Dr. Garcia-Fernandez,

    I wanted to get your opinion on an issue we are planning and Dr. Garcia kindly gave me your contact info.

    We are planning a special theme issue on Infectious Diseases and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote a while ago entitled "Deciphering the transcriptional regulation of cholesterol catabolic pathway in mycobacteria: identification of the inducer of KstR repressor" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Infectious Diseases

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #cb1
    #2tag

    Best Regards,
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001

    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Dr. (Me),

    I have been trying to contact (My coauthor) because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05



    Got this exact email today. These scammers are getting innovative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have got exactly the same today.
      Thanks for sharing these facts.

      Delete
    2. I just received the same email and a follow up one asking who was the lead author on a paper I coauthoco-a. Luckily I googled the journal and found this page.

      Delete
    3. Yeah, exactly the same here. I got suspicious because the names of me, my co-author, and the paper title were all weirdly in a different font from the rest of the email, suggesting they were copy-pasted from a different sort.

      "Learning how to spot predatory emails" really ought to be a PhD course these days.

      Delete
    4. Same two emails yesterday and today. Clearly a predatory journal. Not even remotely related to my research areas.

      Delete
  11. I also nearly fell victim to this. Thank you everyone for posting about it. Now I can ignore safely.

    Dear XXX,

    Thank you for your email. We are planning a special theme issue on Renal Disease and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with XXX a while ago entitled "YYY" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    I am attaching an overview of the special issue which includes more detailed information.

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #2tag

    Sincerely,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you everyone for sharing this. I was about to be a victim to this. I wrote my reply and was going to send it, but luckily thought of searching the SPG BioMed and found this useful blog.

    Here is what I received too.

    Dear Dr. (Me),

    I have been trying to contact Dr. (My co-author) because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.
    E. Padron, phd

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just received this same email. I found it strange because my co-author's current email is available literally everywhere!
      So I decided to google the dodgy-looking SPG BioMed, supposedly in Switzerland which I have never heard of (and I have been residing here for a while now). Glad to have found this!

      Delete
    2. I also had exactly the same co-author email request from E Padron
      Here is what I received too:
      Dear Dr...,

      I have been trying to contact Dr... because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

      Do you have their contact details?

      E. Padron, Ph.D.

      Another mail:
      I am still trying to get ahold of Dr. ... If you have their contact details or could forward this email to them it would be much appreciated.

      Also, I was looking at the article you wrote together titled "...", but it wasn't clear to me who the lead author is. Would that be you?

      Delete
    3. i also searched before replying and thankful to you all for sharing

      Delete
  13. Same here, the leading author recieved this e-mail:

    From: "E. Padron, Ph.D."

    about: Dr. YYYYY contact info?


    Dear Dr. XXX,

    I have been trying to contact Dr. YYYY because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Same email content I also received as below:

    Dear Dr.---,

    I have been trying to contact Dr.--- because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8
    Zurich, Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Exactly the same kind of e-mails I received.
    Indecent I think..

    ReplyDelete
  16. snap... same email here today after one of my co-authors supplied my email 'for a project we are working on'... grrrr
    Dear Dr. Thomas,

    I wanted to get your opinion on an issue we are planning and Dr. Fevre kindly gave me your contact info.

    We are planning a special theme issue on Infectious Diseases and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote a while ago entitled "Evidence for the presence of African swine fever virus in an endemic region of Western Kenya in the absence of any reported outbreak" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Infectious Diseases

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #cb1
    #2tag

    Best Regards,

    logo
    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Same here - first email (to an email address with my full name in it) was addressed to my former PhD supervisor, but "looking" for me... second email:

    "I am still trying to get ahold of Dr. Lee. If you have their contact details or could forward this email to them it would be much appreciated.

    Also, I was looking at the article you wrote together titled "Progression to tuberculosis disease increases with multiple exposures", but it wasn't clear to me who the lead author is. Would that be you?

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    And the third:
    Actually perhaps you could help me. We are planning a special theme issue on Infectious Diseases and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with Dr. Lee a while ago entitled "Progression to tuberculosis disease increases with multiple exposures" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an overview of the issue which includes more detailed information: http://spg.ltd/Special%20Issue%20on%20Infectious%20Diseases.pdf

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article for our special issue?


    Best Regards,
    E. Padron

    ReplyDelete
  18. I received the very same fishy email from "E. Padron". Thanks for the warning!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Another data point: I just received exactly the same sequence of emails from E Padron: (1) asking for coauthors details (even though they're easily available) and (2) asking to confirm my authorship of an article (even though it's right there in black and white). The only thing that made me really suspicious was the lack of first name (forcing colleagues to address you as Dr is quite rude imo), so that's what I went hunting for but found this post instead. So thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The only thing these scammers have missed is that your name and the name of your colleague they are looking for are typed in a different font from the rest of the message. It became clear for me immediately that they just copy and paste the names to a template email and that therefore it is scam.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I and a co-authors have had these exact emails over the weekend. Whilst E.Padron was asking for my co-authors email address, this co-author was receiving emails from E.Padron asking for another co-author. Text is identical as described above. Just received the email about an upcoming special issue.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have received same type of emails. First reffering one co-author that they were unable to contact and then asking for a contribution of mine. Thanks for sharing your information.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Same crap here too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. why they send such email? what is their purpose?!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks to all sharing this. In my case their spam reads

    Dear Dr. C XXX,
    I am trying to reach Dr. M YYY about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

    Could you help me?


    Sincerely,


    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open

    Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001
    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    By the way, this adress is for sale, cf.
    https://www.clevvermail.com/locations-chinese/zurich.html?L=8&cHash=4a05c71043ea18991d0ce2314fcdaa83
    Your Name
    Your Company name
    Auf der Mauer 8
    8001 Zurich
    Switzerland

    ReplyDelete
  26. Got these same emails on back to back days. Seemed suspicious- glad I looked it up rather than responding.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Exactly here, also Lats name Padron and asking for emails of several co-authors in at least 3 different mails. BEWARE!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for writing this informative blog post. I received the following email from P. Stephane (GMail had sent it into the SPAM Folder):

    From: P. Stephane, MSE
    date: 6 August 2018 at 15:41
    subject: Trying to reach Dr. [full name of one of my colleagues]
    Signed by: spg-journals-org.20150623.gappssmtp.com

    Dear Dr. ,

    I am trying to reach Dr. [full name of one of my colleagues] about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

    Could you help me?


    Sincerely,


    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001


    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

    ReplyDelete
  29. ..And now they are trying African authors. See the email below

    Dear Dr. xxx ,

    I am trying to reach Dr. yyy about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

    Could you help me?


    Sincerely,


    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001

    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear Dr. XXXXX,

    I wanted to get your opinion on an issue we are planning and Dr. YYYYY kindly gave me your contact info. I have left them in CC in case they can also be of help with this.

    We are planning a special theme issue on Environmental Science and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote a while ago entitled "Determin____ __ M____ *** ####-####-#### @ $$$ Margins &&& ^^^ %%%% !!!!!" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Environmental Science

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #2tag

    Sincerely,

    logo
    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001

    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you for this blog post. As with many others who have reaprespo I too have received a similar request via a co-author.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi,
    I googled the address: auf der Mauer 8, Zurich. In the building there are several companies registered, but not SPG open. If this was a legitimate Journal then there address would match with google maps . So clearly weird that it doesn't. I would therefor not interact at all with them.

    When one digs further, you find the following company at the address:
    https://www.turicumadvisory.ch/en/contact
    A financial advising company.

    and some other people:
    https://tel.local.ch/de/q/Auf-der-Mauer-8-8001-Zurich

    Nothing that hints at the head office of a publishers.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Me too !!!

    Dear Dr. §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

    Thank you very much for your help. Actually perhaps you could help me. We are planning a special theme issue on Environmental Science and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with Dr. §§§§§§§§§ a while ago entitled "§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Environmental Science

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #2tag

    Sincerely,

    P. Stephane, MSE

    ReplyDelete
  34. Got this mail a day back:
    ------------------------------------
    Dear Dr. [My name],

    I am trying to reach Dr. [co-authors name] about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

    Could you help me?

    Sincerely,
    [Image]
    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001


    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I got an email from:
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001
    He/She/It asked me for the contact information of my very well-known colleague at Harvard University and said "I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information." Well, my colleague is well-known, is obviously male, and does not need to be called "they." Anybody can easily see by a very quick internet search that my colleague is a "he," and anyone can very easily find his contact information, as well. I suspect that SPG is using a computer algorithm to contact corresponding authors to ask for their co-authors' contact information without making any human attempt to find this information.

    ReplyDelete
  36. We've got the same set of e-mails, too. Thanks, for the post & comments!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I received also the same email:
    Dear my name,

    I am trying to reach (my coauthor) about their research but am having a hard time finding their contact information. I see that you authored a paper together so I thought maybe you have this information.

    Could you help me?


    Sincerely,


    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001


    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    Legal Disclaimer: The content of this email is intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this message with any third party, without a written consent of the sender. To stop future emails from this sender please reply to this email. Do not open any attachments which you do not recognize as they may harm your computer.


    Two days later I received another email:
    Dear my name,

    Thank you very much for your help. Actually perhaps you could help me. We are planning a special theme issue on Environmental Science and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with (my coauthor) a while ago entitled "Title of our paper" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Environmental Science

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #2tag

    Sincerely,

    logo
    P. Stephane, MSE























    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001

    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dr. XXX XXX,

    I still wasn't able to find any contact info for Dr. YYY YYY but maybe you can help me instead. We are planning a theme issue on Environmental Science and I thought if you are still working in this area you could maybe give me some advice on what topics would be good to include and who might be able to contribute.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with Dr. YYY YYY a while ago entitled "..." and thought that a short review article related to this topic might be a good fit for the issue. Or even a research article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is a PDF with an overview of the special issue which includes more detailed information: http://spg.ltd/Special%20Issue%20on%20Environmental%20Science.pdf

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?


    Sincerely,


    P. Stephane, MSE
    SPG Open
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001


    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thanks for the warning. I got the exact same e-mail from "E. Padron, Ph.D." a few days ago, and I forwarded it to the person they asked for. I learnt that he had received the exact same e-mail with more or less the same time stamp, asking for contact information of another collaborator of us. Of course neither of us replied to them. Today I received another e-mail from them again, so now I'll be directing them to my spam box.

    I tried to search for the SPG BioMed (which ultimately lead me to this blog) but it turned out that our organization has blocked us from entering their web-page.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you for this blog post. I have received a similar request via a co-author.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Same here until this week.
    Have to be careful, they are evolving!
    >>>>>>>>
    On Wed, Aug 15, 2018 at 1:57 PM, "Dr. E Padron, PhD" wrote:
    Dear Dr. XXXXXXX,
    I have been trying to contact Dr. YYYYYYY because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?

    Best Regards,


    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001
    p: +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  42. Same here! But can someone explain the purpose of this scam email?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Is there any issue if we reply to this email?

    ReplyDelete
  44. I wonder if the scam is that they want you to click the 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom.

    ReplyDelete
  45. E.Padron PhD is still at it, thank you fellow bloggers for helping me not spam my colleagues

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you for sharing this information ! The same happened to me and I unfortunately replied to the question abot the email assress of my colleague, even though I was suspiciousl. The second email that I received wes :

    Dear Dr. xxx,

    Thank you for your email. Actually perhaps you could help me. We are planning a special theme issue on Pediatrics and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.

    I was looking at the article you wrote with Dr. Xxxx a while ago entitled "Size and synchronization of auditory cortex promotes musical, literacy, and attentional skills in children" and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.

    Here is an an overview of the special issue, which includes more detailed information: Special Issue on Pediatrics

    Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?
    #2tag

    Best Regards,

    logo
    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    SPG BioMed
    a: Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001

    p: +41 43 508 29 05


    I will block the sender now.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Yes got the same not realising it was from these irritating people.
    will block

    ReplyDelete
  48. Thank you for sharing this information. One of my co-authors was also contacted recently by E. Padron PhD, inquiring about my contact details. With your help I could avoid replying...

    Dear XXX,
    I have been trying to contact YYYY because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  49. OMG. I have received the exact same set of emails asking me for my opininion, wether I could add an article and whether I could provide my co authors address.

    This is abysmal behaviour and I hope others search this first before replying.

    Dear XXX,
    I have been trying to contact YYYY because I think they can help with a project I am working on, but was unable to find their current contact information. I see that you authored a paper together a while ago so I thought perhaps you can help me.

    Do you have their contact details?


    Best Regards,
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed
    Auf der Mauer 8 Zurich
    Switzerland 8001
    +41 43 508 29 05

    ReplyDelete
  50. I also received the same email from E.Padron..."i am still trying to get ahold of Dr......If you have their contacts....also, i was looking af the article. ..but it wasnt clear to me who the lead author is. Would it be you?"

    ReplyDelete
  51. My supervisor has forward an exactly same email that ask my contact information to me...Why are they doing this...

    ReplyDelete
  52. Thanks for the comments and for blogs like this, I received a very similar mail, and was almost taken by the beautiful name :SPG and logo. but became suspicious when as commented in the so called special issue flyer that they don't believe in impact factors for articles

    ReplyDelete
  53. I also got same e mail from E. Pedron

    ReplyDelete
  54. Yes i received same email from E. Padron asking for email of coauthor who could help in a project. I did not reply and i received a follow up email from him on same topic. These guys are really very strange.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I received this same email from "E. Padron" today. Sigh. Thanks to all who reported here!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Me three ! But I wonder what is their purpose ?

    ReplyDelete
  57. Me too! I already receive three emails from him.... Thanks for your blog!!!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I guess the "published" articles are from academics who have fallen for the schtick? ...and paid the fees...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Article here: https://spg.ltd/spg/spg-biomed/

      Delete
  59. Same here. They charge a publication fee so they're just scamming people. I think they're targeting people who aren't lead authors in hopes of getting people desperate for a pub.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Same here. In the past, I received many emails to look for a co-author that turned into if I can help. I received this email today (below). I ignored them all. Thanks for the info!

    Dear Dr. xxx,

    I hope this email finds you well. The biomedical journal which I serve as a board member is commencing a special issue entitled "Special issue: Medical Breakthroughs of 2018", and I am among those tasked with planning the topics which will be featured in the issue.

    Your name came up during my research as someone who has been active in research which may fit the scope of the issue. If you would think about assisting with the issue, either as an author an advisor, it would be greatly appreciated by myself and my colleagues working on the issue.

    Would it be alright if I send you a PDF which contains a more detailed sumary of the special issue?

    Best Regards,
    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    SPG BioMed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly the same letter I had received. Thank you for this page for the early warning.

      Peter Felkai MD.PhD.
      associate professor

      Delete
  61. seems he's changed his address, see below
    Also isn't giving name of journal.
    And doesn't know his Wednesday from Thursday

    "I hope this email finds you well this Wednesday. The journal which I am serving as a board member is organizing an issue which ....

    / etc.../

    ....Would you be able to prepare a manuscript for the issue?

    Sincerely,
    Dr. Padron, Senior Editor
    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12
    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should have copied the legal disclaimer! Especially the first sentence is funny:
      "This electronic email message and any files transmitted along with it may contain information which is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under the Electronic Privacy Act 18, USC."

      Yeah, so, this company supposedly located in Switzerland sends out e-mails to just about the whole world...and refers to a US law? Any competent judge will just throw that disclaimer out.

      Delete
  62. Same here:

    Dear Dr. Blumensaath A,



    I hope you are enjoying your week so far. I'm writing to your because an article you wrote caught my attention and I thought it might be interesting to explore the possibility of doing a short followup article for an issue of SPG BioMed this year. The article was titled "Spatio-temporal patterns of orchids flowering in Cameroonian rainforests".


    I was wondering if you could tell me more about any continued research you have done in this field. We have a number of theme issues planned and maybe this would fit the scope of one of them.



    Please share your thoughts on this. Would it be alright for me to send you our registration form?





    Sincerely,



    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    Senior Editor

    SPG-BioMed

    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12

    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048

    ReplyDelete
  63. Received similar stuff, march 22nd, 2019: same E. Padron and swiss address. H Almeida, Portugal.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Dear ___,

    If you haven't already registered as a peer-reviewer and would like to, please do so by June 30th so we have enough time to match reviewers to the manuscripts needing review.
    This October we are commencing a special theme issue on "Managing chronic disease: Prevention, treatment, and epidemiology" and I was thinking that you might contemplate preparing an article of your own to submit.
    Aims & Scope
    More than 45% of people worldwide are afflicted with at least one chronic disease, yet less than 1% of healthcare funds are spent on prevention of chronic diseases. Developing countries face an even greater burden – by 2020 an estimated 80% of all chronic disease deaths will occur in developing countries.
    While many special issues have focused on one particular chronic disease, we believe there is a benefit to examining them as a group. There are correlations and patterns which exist between chronic diseases, which are not readily observed when only studying one disease.
    This special issue will be open to all research on chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on the following core topics:
    • Epidemiology: Which groups are most affected by chronic disease and why? What are the main risk factors?
    • Prevention: How can we stop the spread of chronic disease, especially in developing countries?
    • Treatment: Why do existing treatments fail and what are the most promising new treatments being researched?

    Could we discuss the idea of contributing an article to the special issue?


    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    Senior Editor
    SPG BioMed
    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12
    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048

    ReplyDelete
  65. From: Editorial Board [BioMed] (padron_e@journal.med-spg.com)
    Sent: Monday, June 10, 2019
    Subject: [Review Request] Modernizing Eligibility Criteria for Clinical Trials: What needs to change?

    Dear ____,

    I am hoping you can assist me by serving as a peer-reviewer for one of the manuscripts that is being submitted to the next issue of SPG BioMed. We are expecting approximately 17 manuscripts and unfortunately do not have enough reviewers.
    These are just a few of the manuscripts which we need the most help with:
    • Modernizing Eligibility Criteria for Clinical Trials: What needs to change?
    • Infection in Elderly Critical Care Patients
    • Accuracy of Personally Collected Health Data
    As you know peer-review is made possible by academics like you who contribute their time and knowledge to provide quality feedback. If you could spare an hour or two of your time to help us out it would be greatly appreciated.
    At SPG we have made peer-review quick and easy for reviewers:
    1. Register as a reviewer and list your areas of expertise so we can match you with relevant manuscripts. Registration takes less than 2 minutes.
    2. Accept a manuscript assignment if you are able to review, or Decline if it is not a good time.
    3. Submit your report within 40 days using our simple online system - No need to send documents back and forth or worry about email attachment limits.

    Join SPG's global peer-review network: https://spg.ltd/serve-as-a-peer-reviewer-2/


    Sincerely,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    Senior Editor
    SPG BioMed
    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12
    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048


    This electronic email message and any files transmitted along with it may contain information which is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under the Electronic Privacy Act 18, USC. If the reader is not the named recipient of this email message, any dissemination, distribution or copying of the message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender at Eugen-Huber Strasse 12, 8048, Zurich, Switzerland and delete the email message from your computer or other device immediately. It is advised not to open attachments from senders which you do not recognize as they may be harmful to your computer. Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. Our company accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. This message is for discussion purposes only. The content of this message may be protected by copyright law. Please consider the environment before printing this email. Please do not print this email unless it is absolutely necessary. Every time you don't print an email, you are helping the environment.To cease further emails from this sender please reply.

    Computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. Email transmission cannot be certain to be secure or error-free, as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender, therefore, does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which arise as a result of email transmission.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Also, invites to speak at conferences....
    Dear Dr ....
    I'm hoping talk to you about speaking at the European Annual Health Summit (EAHS), which is held in Rome this year on December 14. From your web pages it looks like you have been doing some work which would be of interest to the summit. It would be great if we could discuss your research and think about where it might fit best within the EAHS program.

    The summit will consist of keynote presentations followed by eight sessions arranged in two tracks. We are still in need of a couple more session chairs so please let me know if this is something you might be interested in.

    The summit website and brochure are available at https://conferences.spg.ltd/eahs/ .



    May I send you a copy of the preliminary program?

    Sincerely,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.

    European Annual Health Summit

    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12

    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048

    ReplyDelete




  67. Despite blocking email addresses for E Padron for the last couple of years I continue to get various types of requestes from E Padron , the latest below...

    Dear **************,
    I hope your August is off to a good start. We are still searching for a couple more people to speak at the European Annual Health Summit in December. If you could find the time to participate it would be greatly appreciated by myself and the summit committee.
    It is possible to get a reduced registration fee, in addition to hotel accommodation and the option to apply for travel reimbursement. If you need an invitation letter please let me know.
    The preliminary program is available at https://conferences.spg.ltd/eahs/EAHS_Preliminary_Program.pdf

    Please get back to me about this as soon as you can.

    Sincerely,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    European Annual Health Summit
    ________________________________________
    From: Editorial Board [BioMed] (epadron1@euoffice.spgb.email)
    Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2019
    To: **********************
    Subject: Speaking as EAHS session?
    Dear ***************,
    I'm hoping talk to you about speaking at the European Annual Health Summit (EAHS), which is held in Rome this year on December 14. From your web pages it looks like you have been doing some work which would be of interest to the summit. It would be great if we could discuss your research and think about where it might fit best within the EAHS program.
    The summit will consist of keynote presentations followed by eight sessions arranged in two tracks. We are still in need of a couple more session chairs so please let me know if this is something you might be interested in.
    The summit website and brochure are available at https://conferences.spg.ltd/eahs/

    May I send you a copy of the preliminary program?

    Sincerely,

    E. Padron, Ph.D.
    European Annual Health Summit
    Eugen-Huber Strasse 12
    Zurich, Switzerland, 8048

    ReplyDelete
  68. SPG.ltd has the hallmarks of Dylan Fazel's scams... the same fake signatories to the spam, the same wheedling smarmy tone as found in invitations to contribute to 'Internal Medicine Review' and 'Archives of Psychology' and AOAMJ and the rest of Knowledge Enterprises, Inc.

    So it turns out that all these grifts are hosted on the same IP server: https://domainbigdata.com/91.121.0.101

    There I was informed that "Websites using this ip : 91.121.0.101" include the following (Esmed.org and europeansocietyofmedicine.org are also hosted on that IP, but haven't shown up yet on the Domainbigdata site)...
    spg.ltd
    aoamj.org
    copernicus.ltd
    archivesofpsychology.org
    ke-i.org
    internalmedicinereview.org
    copernicuspublishing.com

    All the same scammer.

    ReplyDelete