This was sent to me by another genealogy researcher and I thought I'd pass along to in case any of you have been tempted to respond to, or do business with, any of the companies/web sites. Be sure to go down to the section "Specific Companies". Regards, SgtGeorge George W. Durman Listowner >There has been some email lately about scams. > >The following is excerpted from Eastman's Online Genealogy > Newsletter and is copyright 2001 by Richard W. Eastman. It is > re-published here with the permission of the author. > >Genealogy scams in general: > > Genealogical Web Site Watchdog (only for online scams) at: > http://www.ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm > > The National Genealogical Society's Consumer Protection > Committee is quite active at keeping an eye on the various > scams, including both online and offline fraudsters. If you > have a question about a particular company's services, you can > contact the NGS Consumer Protection Committee via traditional > mail at: National Genealogical Society's Consumer Protection > Committee, at 4527 17th Street North, Arlington, VA 22207- > 2399. The committee also maintains Web pages at: > http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comconsumer.htm and at: > http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comconsumerpsst.htm. However, > those pages do not mention specific companies. > > Cyndi's List has a section for genealogy myths, hoaxes and > scams at: http://www.cyndislist.com/myths.htm > > >Specific companies: > >I have received e-mail about the following companies; all have >been mentioned as having questionable services. I have listed URLs >where you can obtain further information: > > Family Discovery.com - an online Web site that claims to have > "the Web's most versatile Award Winning collection of > genealogical databases." However, they don't mention the > "award" they received from the Better Business Bureau! The > Bureau says, "Based on BBB files, this company has an > unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered > complaint(s)." Family Discovery.com charges $59.99 for a one- > year subscription. Most of the same information is available > elsewhere on the Web at no charge. In fact, many of the links > on FamilyDiscovery.com simply take you to free Web sites. You > can obtain the same information at no cost by using one of the > free search engines. Details are available on the Genealogical > Web Site Watchdog site at: > http://www.ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm#Warning. There > is an Anti-FamilyDiscovery.com newsletter at: > http://compuright.dyndns.org/familydiscovery/ > > The xxx Family Yearbook - In this case, substitute your last > name for the "xxx." For instance, an advertisement sent to a > person named Smith would be advertising The Smith Family > Yearbook while someone named Clark would receive an > advertisement for The Clark Family Yearbook. These "yearbooks" > claim to have genealogy information. However, those who > purchase the "products" are usually disappointed. The > producing company has several business names; for example, you > can find them listed as Mountain West News Service or as the > Mountain Pacific News Service. They also may appear as an > organizational name, such as "The Smith Family Yearbook." > However, all these "companies" have the same address: 1181 S. > Parker Road, #105, Denver, CO 80231. The Better Business > Bureau lists the parent company as MORPHCORP. The News Herald > of Panama City, Florida has an article about these "products" > at: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/2000/04/16/tp041600.htm > > Family Tree House - I wrote about this company in the October > 31, 1998 edition of this newsletter. The company gives an > appearance of a Web site that offers genealogy services. In > fact, it does not appear to sell anything. However, the same > company advertises on another Web site with an offer to sell > personal information obtained from genealogists who visit the > Family Tree House site. You innocently enter personal > information about yourself on Family Tree House and then > operators of the site sell your personal information to bulk > mail companies. Information for sale includes name, address, > e-mail address and more. You can read that article at: > http://ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm#sells > > The Historical Research Center (HRC) International, Inc. sells > "family histories" and coats of arms. Information about the > true value of these products can be found on the Genealogical > Web Site Watchdog site at: > http://www.ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm#Coats. Keep > in mind that this company sells franchises. A few years ago > they were listed as one of the top 30 fastest growing > franchises in America. You may find their products being sold > by other companies who purchase franchises. One such company > is Names.com, but apparently there are many others as well. > > The International Hall of Names in Canada also sells "family > histories" and coats of arms. They are also mentioned on the > Genealogical Web Site Watchdog site at: > http://www.ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm#Coats. > >I would caution anyone to be careful about "family coats of arms." >In fact, in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and most of western >Europe, there really is no such thing as a family coat of arms. In >those countries, arms have always been awarded to individuals, not >to families. Displaying a coat of arms that you are not authorized >to use is a form of identity theft, even if you do happen to have >the same last name as the original grantee. Any company offering >to sell you a copy of "your family's coat of arms" is selling a >bogus product. > >If you believe you have been the victim of a genealogy scam, you >can do something about it! If you purchased products or services >from the above companies or any others that you feel did not live >up to advertised claims, demand a refund! If your money is not >returned within 30 days or so from a U.S. company, submit a >complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer >Protection at: >https://rn.ftc.gov/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01. A few >letters of inquiry from the federal government will send a strong >message to the people who produce products or services of >questionable value. If a Canadian company is involved, you can >register a complaint at: >http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ct01250e.html. > >You also might want to warn other genealogists and tell them of >your experiences. You can post a message to others in the "Scams >and Fraud" section of CompuServe's Genealogy Techniques Forum >message board. Go to: >http://forums.compuserve.com/vlforums/default.asp?SRV=GenealogyForum&AREA=Ms >gs&SEC=15&loc=us&access=public