WritersWeekly reported on October 1, 2026, that an author client of Stacey Smekofske received a threatening email with language and a book-promotion-related motive that Managing Editor Brian Whiddon said closely resembled an earlier message sent to Angela Hoy. Whiddon wrote that he passed copies and their digital headers to a local detective, who forwarded them to the Atlanta FBI office. The report does not independently establish who sent the messages or whether investigators have formally linked the incidents.
What WritersWeekly reported
In its October 1, 2026 update, WritersWeekly described a second recipient of an email threat similar to one previously sent to Angela Hoy. The new recipient was an author client of Stacey Smekofske. Whiddon characterized the message as almost exactly like the earlier one.
According to the article, the emails included efforts to avoid spam filters and threats tied to the recipients’ online presence and promotion of a book. The report’s central development is the similar reported motive: the recipients were being told to stop using the internet or social media to promote a book.
WritersWeekly did not publish evidence identifying the sender. The report also does not establish that the messages came from the same person or that law enforcement has linked the cases.
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What is known about the investigation—and what is not
Whiddon wrote that he forwarded copies of the messages, including their digital headers, to a local detective, who sent them to the Atlanta FBI office. This account is reported by WritersWeekly; the sources available for this story do not include independent confirmation from law enforcement or a public FBI statement about the case.
Whiddon also reported that investigators told him emails sent to WritersWeekly recipients had gone through seven VPNs. That is an incident-specific detail as he recounted it. It does not establish the sender’s identity or physical location, and it should not be treated as an independently confirmed finding.
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If you receive an electronic threat
The FBI’s general guidance is to preserve the message and its details, avoid deleting it, and notify law enforcement. Its Threat Intimidation Guide says: “If you do receive an electronic threat: Don’t delete the messages.” Read the FBI Threat Intimidation Guide for its evidence-preservation advice.
- Keep the original message and relevant details, including its headers, if available. Do not reply to or engage with the sender.
- Report the threat to local law enforcement. The FBI advises contacting emergency services or local police if there is immediate danger; see its contact information.
- Do not try to identify or track the sender yourself. Leave the examination of digital evidence to investigators.
Why a different FBI email-scam alert is not proof about this case
An FBI Phoenix notice from 2017 concerned a separate pattern: emails threatening recipients unless they paid in virtual currency or prepaid cards. That office said it had determined that pattern to be a scam. WritersWeekly’s update does not describe a payment demand, so the 2017 notice does not establish that the messages in this report were a scam or part of the same activity. The notice is available from the FBI Phoenix field office.
Quick Recap
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What the report does—and does not—establish
- Reported: A second recipient, an author client of Smekofske, received a threat that Whiddon described as closely similar to the one sent to Hoy.
- Reported: Whiddon said he sent the messages and digital headers to a local detective, who forwarded them to the Atlanta FBI office.
- Unresolved: The sender’s identity, whether one sender was responsible for both messages, whether investigators formally connected the incidents, and the investigation’s outcome.
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