Dick Eastman Online
Genealogy Scams A few years ago I wrote a number of articles about the infamous Halberts of Bath, Ohio. This company would send an advertisement for a book that claimed to be a "history of your family name." After paying about $40, the hapless purchaser received a cheaply made paperback containing a bit of generic "how to get start tracing your family tree information" accompanied by listings from telephone books. Sadly, similar information was available online at no cost.In August 1998 I even visited the address in Bath, Ohio that Halberts used, and I wrote about my trip in that week’s edition of this newsletter. I found no company named Halberts at that address. In fact, the address was simply a mail drop. All orders sent to that address in Bath, Ohio were actually forwarded to the parent company in nearby Akron. About a year after my on-site visit, Halberts folded. It gave layoff notices to all of its employees, sold the office furniture, and ceased operations. The company blamed "competition from the Internet" for its business failure. In my opinion, the competition was twofold: (1) the same information was available online at no charge, and (2) the Internet provides a great place for tracking such scams. Those who received the advertisements could easily go online to check Halberts’ reputation. All you had to do was to go to any search engine and enter the word "Halberts" to learn of the experiences of others. In fact, you can still do that today. Of course, Halberts was not the only company with questionable business practices in this arena. Some of us still remember Beatrice Bailey. This lady sold products that were somewhat similar to those of Halberts. In her advertisement sent by mail to me, she would sign her name as "Beatrice Eastman Bailey." In a letter sent to someone named Smith, she would sign her name as "Beatrice Smith Bailey," and in an advertisement sent to someone named Williams she would sign as "Beatrice Williams Bailey." Beatrice Bailey apparently was a one-person operation. She was under investigation by postal authorities when she died. Other companies have continued to sell "products" that claim to contain genealogy value, but that, in fact, have little genealogy information in them. The brave new world of the Internet has been a haven for honest entrepreneurs and dishonest scam artists alike. New scams have arisen, and established scam artists have expanded into online operations. As always, spending money is a case of caveat emptor"Let the buyer beware!" There are several Web sites that track companies that sell questionable genealogy products and services. If you have any questions about an advertisement you receive, either in regular mail or by e-mail, I would suggest that you check the following. Genealogy Scams in General
Specific Companies
I would caution anyone to be careful about "family coats of arms." In fact, in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and most of western Europe, there really is no such thing as a family coat of arms. In those countries, arms have always been awarded to individuals, not to families. Displaying a coat of arms that you are not authorized to use is a form of identity theft, even if you do happen to have the same last name as the original grantee. Any company offering to sell you a copy of "your family’s coat of arms" is selling a bogus product. If you believe you have been the victim of a genealogy scam, you can do something about it! If you purchased products or services from the above companies or any others that you feel did not live up to advertised claims, demand a refund! If your money is not returned within 30 days or so from a U.S. company, submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection. A few letters of inquiry from the federal government will send a strong message to the people who produce products or services of questionable value. If a Canadian company is involved, you can register a complaint online by clicking here. You also might want to warn other genealogists and tell them of your experiences. You can post a message to others in the "Scams and Fraud" section of CompuServe’s Genealogy Techniques Forum message board.
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