"Evert Meulie esq." <evert@meulie.net> wrote: > Some days ago I came across an Internet company that researches/ > sells Coats of Arms via the 'no cure, no pay' principle. Since my > last name, Meulie, is very rare (only 4 living people in the whole > world) I thought it was worth the 'risk'. Great was my surprise when > I received an email, with attached to it the coat of arms of the > Meulie family, or so they say... > > Is there any way I can verify that the coat of arms I received is > actually that of the Meulie family, and not something that has been > made by some random coat of arms generator program? ;) I would be very surprised if this was genuine. Most of these companies blanket-sell the arms of one family to everyone of that name, which is about on the same level as saying that your house or car belongs to everyone who shares your surname. The polite term is scam. >From your name, I am guessing that you are dutch, in which case if you really want it verified, contact the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie in den Haag (the repository for dutch heraldry) - http://www.cbg.nl/ If you are flemish or afrikaans, you should still be able to find links to their sites from the CBG one, or they should be able to advise. Lesley Robertson Lesley Robertson <l.a.robertson@tnw.tudelft.nl>