Recently, I received a full-text request on ResearchGate from a user (let's call them XXX). I sent the requested text via ResearchGate, although I noticed that the document was already publicly available on the platform.
A few hours later, I received the following message from XXX:
“Dear Professor, I hope all is well with you. I would like to follow up on the previous message. Your comments are invaluable to my research. Thank you for considering this request. XXX: WhatsApp ………….”
This message raised some concerns for me, so I decided to check XXX’s ResearchGate profile. I found that XXX was listed as a co-author on several articles. However, upon examining the actual documents, I noticed that XXX’s name did not appear among the listed authors in any of them. This discrepancy suggests possible misconduct, though I’m not entirely sure of XXX’s intentions in reaching out.
I’m curious to know if others have encountered similar situations. What are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced anything like it?
Thank you!
Most probably, this is a typical fake account. I recommend to block and to report it (https://help.researchgate.net/hc/en-us/articles/14295799327505-How-to-unfollow-block-or-report-another-researcher). Unfortunately, these fake users cause a lot of trouble. At the time it was still possible, they sent direct messages to other users; then ResearchGate reduced the possibility for messaging. Later, they used comments to research items, until ResearchGate abolished comments totally. These scammers also use the full-text request function and the recommendation function. See https://www.researchgate.net/post/New_type_of_scam_New_approach_using_fake_accounts/1 and https://www.researchgate.net/post/RG_discontinued_Comments_on_research_items/1 for more on this.
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