... I have been using credit cards online extensively for almost 15 years and never had a problem. Just don't deal with sites you can't trust. After all this is how I make payments for access to GRO records! - moira gordon crooks wrote: > 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 >> >> >> >> > > > >