If you are in North America; I have used the following company many times to send monies to the UK - https://www.xe.com/fx/ it's a clearing house in Canada. Useful if you do a lot of transactions. I was appalled at how much the banks charged. Of course you need to provide ID as a result of new anti terrorist laws but this site is legit. They make most of their money through inter company transfers, their rates are excellent. moira Gil & Sonia Murray wrote: >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 >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > > > >

more and more legit places are taking Paypal, which I use whenever I can. If an organisation uses a secure credit card site such as Worldpay, I will use my credit card, but not otherwise. I would NEVER give a company my credit card details direct, and I would NEVER NEVER use a debit card on the web Liz >From: Moira Bue <mbue@cfl.rr.com> >Reply-To: mbue@bigfoot.com >To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [MLN] Re - Birth records and "Research St Leonards UK" check >credit card bills for unauthorized charges - STEPHENSON >Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:33:18 -0500 > > If you are in North America; > I have used the following company many times to send monies to the UK > - https://www.xe.com/fx/ > it's a clearing house in Canada. Useful if you do a lot of transactions. >I was > appalled at how much the banks charged. Of course you need to provide > ID as a result of new anti terrorist laws but this site is legit. They >make most > of their money through inter company transfers, their rates are >excellent. > moira > >Gil & Sonia Murray wrote: > >>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 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >