In June 2003 I sent out a warning about a genealogy scam being operated out of Cedar Rapids, IA. The Internet scam was being run under several different names. genealogydevelopments.com familydiscovery.com genealogyfinders.com genealogyfinders.net aboent.com (perhaps Abodeely Enterprises) genlocator.com genseeker.com genseekers.com genealogy-express.com family-express.com GenealogyExperts.com Family genseekers Genealogygiants.com This news item was good news! August 1, 2003 Man Arrested for Internet Genealogy Scams! Elias Abodeely II of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the man behind several genealogy Web site scams, has been arrested and charged with 1st degree theft, identity theft, money laundering, and ongoing criminal conduct according to local NBC affiliate KWWL. Over the past three years, Elias Abodeely has taken advantage of hundreds of unsuspecting genealogists with Web sites such as FamilyDiscovery.com, Genseekers.com, and GenealogyGiants.com. His Web sites not only tried to make money by charging for links to information that had been freely posted on the Web by magnanimous volunteers on sites such as Rootsweb.com, but also billed people's credit cards after not allowing them to cancel their free trial memberships. Investigators claim that Abodeely's three-year genealogy scam netted at least $14,000, according to an article by Christoph Trappe in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. PLEASE: 1) Be very cautious about giving out financial or personal information and credit card numbers on the internet. 2) Obtain, install, activate and update virus screen software for your computer. Joel