Sonia: I was in the international transportation business for years, its easy to send the exact amount in dollars to equal pounds , marks, guilders whatever. Your bank can quote you say what $50.00 amounts to in any currency. With the hackers and internet thieves we have today I would rather be safe than sorry. Gordon Crooks ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:44 PM Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > We've bought things on the Internet with a credit card many times, and > never > had a problem before. Unfortunately, I can't send a personal check > denominated in dollars to someone in Scotland or England, as their bank > charges to exchange the money would be very high. I once paid the Norfolk > record Office a little under eight pounds for Hearth Tax copies, and got a > money order from my bank denominated in sterling to do it - the money > order > cost me more than thirty dollars, about fourteen pounds! > > All the best, > > Sonia > > -----Original Message----- > From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 1:43 PM > To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check > credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > Sonia: NEVER use a credit card on internet you are asking for trouble and > you got it. Send them a check, so its takes a few days more, but you are > safe from credit card scrams. > > Gordon > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> > To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 10:33 AM > Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check > credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > >> It's a shame that all the records aren't available on line. Years >> ago, I had a company in England, Research St Leonards UK, look up >> birth records at the Lewes registrar's office for my mystery >> G-grandfather, Thomas H. >> Brown, >> and paid by Visa. This month, I was astonished to find a ninety pound >> charge on my Visa bill from them! An advanced Google search for the >> string showed the Sussex police have a growing file on the scam. The >> firm had been sold, and sold again, and at some time over the years >> crooks got hold of old records and are now putting charges on the >> credit cards of people who had ever had them do research. Crooks can >> get hold of the records of any legitimate company with whom we do >> business, so our only defense is to check our bills each month for >> unauthorized charges. If all the records were available on line, this >> could not have happened. And I would be able to trace my Stephenson >> family in Edinburgh so easily! Does anyone in Scotland descend from >> them? >> >> Sonia in the U.S. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: brian ware [mailto:lorconbew@yahoo.co.uk] >> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 4:04 AM >> To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records >> >> Very true,Duncan.Most folk seem to forget the whole system was set up >> at the taxpayerrs expense and still are.The taxpayers pay the staff >> wages and eveything else.We all still pay to register family >> information.It's high time the whole shebang was free to everyone.I >> don't mind paying for certs copies.Regards Brian. >> >> >> Duncan Smith <d.smith.1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >> Robin wrote .... "However there is great concern about personation, >> identity theft and money laundering ... >> So the decision in Scotland that online BMD's indexes are restricted >> is apparently to make it less easy for those with criminal intent to >> get this information on living people .... >> Personal visitors to the search rooms in Edinburgh will all be >> identified so they can access all the indeces. >> Curiously the English and Welsh BMD indexes are available online >> almost up to the present." >> >> The fact that the English & Welsh indexes are available online right >> up to >> 2003 shows that it can be done. Any professional crook who wants to >> 'steal' >> other people's identity (although someone born 90 years ago seems to >> me, to be rather an unlikely sort of target) is bound to be adept at >> producing false identification, and will be just the sort of person >> who will make the effort to go to Edinburgh to use the system at New >> Register House. >> >> It is we poor researchers who can't all get to Edinburgh every day, >> who thus suffer from these online restrictions, while any would be >> crooks can happily exploit the anomalies in the system to their own >> advantage. >> >> I don't believe that restricting access to the more recent online >> records, inhibits the professional fraudsters in any way, but it does >> spoil things for genuine researchers. >> >> Duncan, Dundee >> >> >> >> >> >> Send instant messages to your online friends >> http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com >> >> >> >> > > > > >

Gordon, yes, I can send dollars in cash at the latest exchange rate, but then the recipient has to change it into sterling, and will get hit with charges to do so. I think there is a company in Washington, DC which exchanges money and sends you a money order made out in right currency, for a very low fee - can't recall their name, my mind is going! All the best, Sonia -----Original Message----- From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:48 PM To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON Sonia: I was in the international transportation business for years, its easy to send the exact amount in dollars to equal pounds , marks, guilders whatever. Your bank can quote you say what $50.00 amounts to in any currency. With the hackers and internet thieves we have today I would rather be safe than sorry. Gordon Crooks ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:44 PM Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > We've bought things on the Internet with a credit card many times, and > never had a problem before. Unfortunately, I can't send a personal > check denominated in dollars to someone in Scotland or England, as > their bank charges to exchange the money would be very high. I once > paid the Norfolk record Office a little under eight pounds for Hearth > Tax copies, and got a money order from my bank denominated in sterling > to do it - the money order cost me more than thirty dollars, about > fourteen pounds! > > All the best, > > Sonia > > -----Original Message----- > From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 1:43 PM > To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" > check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > Sonia: NEVER use a credit card on internet you are asking for trouble > and you got it. Send them a check, so its takes a few days more, but > you are safe from credit card scrams. > > Gordon > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gil & Sonia Murray" <happyman70@bellsouth.net> > To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 10:33 AM > Subject: RE: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" > check credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON > > >> It's a shame that all the records aren't available on line. Years >> ago, I had a company in England, Research St Leonards UK, look up >> birth records at the Lewes registrar's office for my mystery >> G-grandfather, Thomas H. >> Brown, >> and paid by Visa. This month, I was astonished to find a ninety >> pound charge on my Visa bill from them! An advanced Google search >> for the string showed the Sussex police have a growing file on the >> scam. The firm had been sold, and sold again, and at some time over >> the years crooks got hold of old records and are now putting charges >> on the credit cards of people who had ever had them do research. >> Crooks can get hold of the records of any legitimate company with >> whom we do business, so our only defense is to check our bills each >> month for unauthorized charges. If all the records were available on >> line, this could not have happened. And I would be able to trace my >> Stephenson family in Edinburgh so easily! Does anyone in Scotland >> descend from them? >> >> Sonia in the U.S. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: brian ware [mailto:lorconbew@yahoo.co.uk] >> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 4:04 AM >> To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records >> >> Very true,Duncan.Most folk seem to forget the whole system was set up >> at the taxpayerrs expense and still are.The taxpayers pay the staff >> wages and eveything else.We all still pay to register family >> information.It's high time the whole shebang was free to everyone.I >> don't mind paying for certs copies.Regards Brian. >> >> >> Duncan Smith <d.smith.1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >> Robin wrote .... "However there is great concern about personation, >> identity theft and money laundering ... >> So the decision in Scotland that online BMD's indexes are restricted >> is apparently to make it less easy for those with criminal intent to >> get this information on living people .... >> Personal visitors to the search rooms in Edinburgh will all be >> identified so they can access all the indeces. >> Curiously the English and Welsh BMD indexes are available online >> almost up to the present." >> >> The fact that the English & Welsh indexes are available online right >> up to >> 2003 shows that it can be done. Any professional crook who wants to >> 'steal' >> other people's identity (although someone born 90 years ago seems to >> me, to be rather an unlikely sort of target) is bound to be adept at >> producing false identification, and will be just the sort of person >> who will make the effort to go to Edinburgh to use the system at New >> Register House. >> >> It is we poor researchers who can't all get to Edinburgh every day, >> who thus suffer from these online restrictions, while any would be >> crooks can happily exploit the anomalies in the system to their own >> advantage. >> >> I don't believe that restricting access to the more recent online >> records, inhibits the professional fraudsters in any way, but it does >> spoil things for genuine researchers. >> >> Duncan, Dundee >> >> >> >> >> >> Send instant messages to your online friends >> http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com >> >> >> >> > > > > >