It is very legitimate to invite people to a conference asking them to speak in one of the symposium's venues based on his or her knowledge of the topic. This know-how should come from education earned in academic institutions and wisdom gained by having published papers of the topics at hand.

Understand. Thanks for your input. I still look forward to verifying the validity of this conference organizer, as I have not been to this one.

Dear Hung King Tiong ,

It depends on your expectation of a conference/congress like this. I am pretty sure that the event will take place and will be visited by a number of well-intended researchers. So, in that respect they are legit. However, if you expect a scientifically sound and relevant event (with experts in the field,state of the art info and possibilities to expand your network) then it is most certainly going to be a disappointing experience. The (scientific) quality will be most likely rather poor.

The point is that these WCFN congresses are linked to/organized by BIT Congress Inc. (see for example https://www.bitcongress.com/wcfn2023-japan/ ) and they are known for being predatory, see for example:

https://www.evscienceconsultant.com/blog/predatory-meetings-and-how-to-avoid-them

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIT_Life_Sciences

Personally, I would say: avoid.

Best regards.

Rob,

Thanks for your input and advice.

The legitimacy of conference speaker invites can vary widely. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating the legitimacy of such invitations:

1. **Known Conference Organizers:** Legitimate conferences are often organized by well-known and reputable institutions, universities, or professional organizations. Check if the conference organizer has a credible reputation.

2. **Conference Website and Details:** Legitimate conferences have official websites with detailed information about the event, including venue, agenda, speakers, and registration details. Verify the information provided matches industry standards.

3. **Contact Information:** Check if the invitation includes valid contact information for the conference organizers. Legitimate conferences provide clear contact details, including email addresses and phone numbers.

4. **Peer Review and Endorsements:** Reputable conferences often undergo a peer-review process for abstracts or presentations. Additionally, they may have endorsements or support from recognized experts or organizations in the field.

5. **Registration Fees:** Be cautious of conferences that ask for high registration fees without clear justifications. Legitimate conferences typically provide a breakdown of fees, including what is covered (e.g., materials, meals, access to sessions).

6. **Speaker Agreement and Terms:** Legitimate invitations usually come with a detailed speaker agreement outlining expectations, responsibilities, and any compensation. Be wary of vague or unprofessional communication.

7. **Online Presence:** Check the online presence of the conference and organizers. Legitimate conferences often have active social media profiles, a professional website, and positive reviews or mentions from previous attendees.

If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a conference speaker invitation, consider reaching out directly to the conference organizers through their official contact channels to verify the invitation. Additionally, seek recommendations or opinions from colleagues or industry peers who may have experience with the conference or organizers in question.

I am not the correct person ma'am. My subject area is Commerce.

Thank you

Useful information, Iyanuoluwa mercy tassy-amuda.

Thank you.

Please get the CV, a complete list of accomplishments, national and international publications, consultancy projects completed, postgraduate programs planned and implemented, and interdisciplinary research programs designed and implemented. Prepare for your needs. You can analyze the speaker based on your needs. Please send an invitation and get acceptance.

Thanks. My area of specialization is International Trade, Labour market, and Development. Sorry I have no research work in food and nutrition

No problem, Rajib. Thanks, Thanikachalam.

Be very cautious of conference invites you have received via email. I have had literally hundreds of fake conference invites via email, they are run by the same people who run predatory journals.

Thanks for your advisory input, Joseph.

Hi Hung, I got the same invite and also wondering how legit it is. I wasn't able to find any conference website so I am guessing it is a scam.

I came here because I had the same fear as you. But, I always think about kidnapping people... fear of getting there and being kidnapped.

spam mail. Leave it@

Scam.

Thanks for your inputs, colleagues. I got another email invite. Please check it out at https://kindcongress.com/event/13th-world-gene-convention-wgc-2024/. The email is below, do you think this is a legit invite?:

Dear Dr. Hung King Tiong,

Hope you receive this letter in a wonderful mood!

I have previously emailed a formal invitation of 13th World Gene Convention, but I have not yet received a reply. To ensure that you do not miss out, I extend my invitation to you again to express my sincere wish for your participation in this convention. Would you please send a reply?

The 13th WGC-2024 will be held during April 22-24, 2024 at Nagoya, Japan. On behalf of organizing committee and based upon your outstanding contribution in this field, we cordially welcome you to deliver a presentation as Speaker regarding your research on Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant Vibrio parahaemolyticusfrom Seafoods Using a Modified, Two-Step Enrichment.

Event Basic Information

Time: April 22-24, 2024

Place: Nagoya Tokyu Hotel, Japan

Program: Keynote Forum, Parallel Sessions, Exhibition, Poster, Paper, Reception, Tour etc.

Contributors: Chair, Oral Speakers, Attendees, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Media Partners, Supporters etc.

Topics: breakthroughs in gene, advances genomics & genetics, new research of DNA and RNA, the frontier research of life sciences, new biotherapy discovery, emerging areas for medicine applications, robust technology development, and cutting-edge Biotechnology, etc.

Located in the center of Japan, Nagoya is the heart of the country’s business and industrial network. The city is filled with cultural heritage. The cityscape’s harmonious mix of historical vestige and modern design composes a uniquely attractive and convenient environment. It is surrounded by mountains and seashores, which provide outdoor and cultural activities all year round. The blend of energetic city and refreshing nature allows guests to enjoy a versatile lifestyle in Nagoya.

We are trying our best to provide all participants a great platform to meet best science. So, we look forward to welcoming you in Nagoya.

Sincerely yours,

Ms. Alma Yang

Organizing Committee of WGC-2024

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Notice: Thanks sponsor, Medicilon, a public CRO company and the pioneer in integrated pharmaceutical R&D preclinical services to support this meeting. To book CRO service from Medicilon, you can enjoy 10% discount. The Promo code is MEDBIT1108. If you are interesting in learning more details about CRO service, please feel free to contact with me!

Leigh O'Brien, I would guess yes, it's not legit. Please check out my question I just posted.

I'm sure it's a scam.

No website, the e-mail is on invalid domain

Ms. Alma Yang

Program Coordinator

Organizing Committee of WCFN

Email: [email protected]

Got the same invitation yesterday. I often get emails like that and don't know if they are legit. Better to ignore them.

I've been invited 2 years ago to WCFN and recently again - don't do this, they ask you loads of money for your contribution and my research doesn't fit the themes they claim to highlight either. It seems they are just sending mass emails to random researchers.

Eline Maria van Hagen Unfortunately, recently "invitations" to "conferences" have appeared in huge numbers. These are often conferences that will take place when a certain minimum number of active participants has paid... So it looks like a group of scientists is organizing the conference itself and paying the organizers at the same time. Others take place quite regularly, but a larger or smaller financial contribution is obligatory. In the past, if I organized a conference in our Department, always inviting guest lecturers, I had to cover the accommodation costs, sometimes we contributed to the travel costs... Of course, no one covered the costs of participation. What is happening now is pure fraud.

Thanks for your experience input, Eline Maria and Grzegorz.

I got the same email after publishing a paper. Seems really dubious.

Hello all,

Please see this one and let me know if it is legit:

Conference Details:

Name: International Congress on Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition 2025 (CAFN 2025)

Date: Jan 9th-11th, 2025

Venue: Holiday Inn Macau

Website: https://cafn2025.lmsii.org/

Thanks for letting us know, David.

They are a f*cking spamers.

Yes, it seems that Ms Alma Young is a very busy conference organizer, and a prolific writer of emails. I get a couple of them every week, if not every day!

She (or whoever wrote this email in reality) refers to one study which we published some 11-12 years ago. Although I am still proud of that particular study, already the fact that "she" is referring to an older study of ours should tell you that this is almost certainly not a real and legit conference! The second piece of evidence is that this person has apparently never once stopped to reflect on why I never have answered "her" emails.

Here is just one example of multiple (hundreds?) emails sent to me by this Ms Alma Young:

Dear Dr. Mathias Wernbom,

It gives us great pleasure to announce that The 13thWorld Gene Convention (Europe Branch) will be held during October 16-18, 2024 at Crowne Plaza Dublin - Blanchardstown, Ireland. On behalf of organizing committee and based upon your outstanding contribution in this field, we cordially welcome you to give a presentation as Oral Speaker regarding your research on Acute low-load resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction increased protein signalling and number of satellite cells in human skeletal muscle... What do you think about it?

Event Basic Information

Time: October 16-18, 2024

Place: Dublin, Ireland

Program: Keynote Forum, Parallel Sessions, Exhibition, Poster, Paper, Reception, Tour etc.

Contributors: Chair, Oral Speakers, Attendees, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Media Partners, Supporters etc.

Topics: basic research, genomics & genetics, DNA and RNA, biotherapy, applications, cutting-edge technology, etc....

Notice: During 2024, besides the Dublin event, the Committee of WGC Conference still have another branch congress in Nagoya, Japan.

WGC aims to provide a platform for all experts from academia and industry to discuss latest researches and achievements. Attendees will hear world-class speakers discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the gene, biotechnology and life sciences field. Attend so you can: present research, network with scientists, attend session and events.

In addition, Dublin is a wonderful and dynamic city to discover, full of history and outstanding heritage. Dublin brings to mind literary giants, Georgian architecture, and Guinness galore. There are enchanting architecture, tucked-away bookstores, and singular museums like the Chester Beatty. Green spaces abound, such as the St Stephens Green or Iveagh Gardens.

Looking forward to your early response, and hope to meet you next year!

Sincerely yours,

Ms. Alma Yang

Program Coordinator

Organizing Committee of WGC-2024

Email: [email protected]

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Thanks for sharing your experience . I am also facing several times fake emails.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Mathias Wernbom.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, these invitations are regular from different organizers

Thanks for sharing your experience.I am also getting several mails for joining the conference as an invited speaker.Moreover, the content in such mails is mainly on similar track. The title of your most cited recent publication will be picked up for framing such mails.

Another version in this series is the invitation to contribute an article.

Conference invites by emails can be legitimate when the person sending them can be verified by telephone number. From there it is the recipients responsibility to verify if that person sending the email is in fact from the research body conducting the invite. I hope this helps.

Thanks for your valuable input, Angelo.

It makes a lot of sense

Gents, it's advisable to check whether any on-line information on these events exixst. I've checked and there's nothing for the topic (Annual Global Congress of Knowledge Economy-2024 (GCKE-2024)) I was invited to contribute to. Not only that there's no description, there's absolutely nothing about the specific conference, nor about the umbrella event - Gala Technology Frontier 2024. I would conclude it's very dodgy approach, most probably a scam.

I received a similar mail from Ms. Alma Yang for The 14th World Gene Convention 2025 (hereinafter called“WGC-2025”). I think they're organizing predatory conferences...

Thank you for your input, Özge Şebnem Çıldır.

I have received a mail as an invited speaker through my Research collaborator from Japan. Could any one please write me (Dr. Subodh Kumar Sarkar, E-mail:[email protected]) whether the 11th Annual World Congress of Food and Nutrition (WCFN_2024) that will be held on November 12-14, 2024 in Singapore is real conference or any questionable.

Thanks in advance.

Dr. Subodh Kumar Sarkar

Associate Professor and Chairman

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Noakhali Science and Technology University

Bangladesh.

E-mail:[email protected]

I received 11th Annual World Congress of Food and Nutrition (WCFN-2024), too. As my field is equine behaviour and cognition, and they mention a paper I co-authored on tool use in horses, I rather doubt it's genuine!