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

• Genealogical Web Site Watchdog (only for online scams)

• The National Genealogical Society's Consumer Protection Committee (www.ngsgenealogy.org/comconsumer.htm). This committee is quite active at keeping an eye on the various scams, including both online and offline fraudsters. If you have a question about a particular company’s services, you can contact the NGS Consumer Protection Committee via traditional mail at National Genealogical Society's Consumer Protection Committee, 4527 17th Street North, Arlington, VA 22207-2399. However, those pages do not mention specific companies.

• Cyndi’s List. This site has a section for genealogy myths, hoaxes and, scams.

Specific Companies
I have received e-mail about the following companies; all have been mentioned as having questionable services. I have listed URLs where you can obtain further information:

• Family Discovery.com. An online Web site that claims to have "the Web’s most versatile, award-winning collection of genealogical databases." However, it doesn’t mention the "award" the company received from the Better Business Bureau! The Bureau says, "Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered complaint(s)." Family Discovery.com charges $59.99 for a one-year subscription. Most of the same information is available elsewhere on the Web at no charge. In fact, many of the links on FamilyDiscovery.com simply take you to free Web sites. You can obtain the same information at no cost by using free search engines. Details are available on the Genealogical Web Site Watchdog site.

  There is an Anti-FamilyDiscovery.com newsletter online as well.

• The xxx Family Yearbook. In this case, substitute your last name for the "xxx." For instance, an advertisement sent to a person named Smith would be advertising "The Smith Family Yearbook," while someone named Clark would receive an advertisement for "The Clark Family Yearbook." These "yearbooks" claim to have genealogy information. However, those who purchase the "products" are usually disappointed. The producing company has several business names; for example, you can find them listed as Mountain West News Service or as the Mountain Pacific News Service. They also may appear as an organizational name, such as "The Smith Family Yearbook." However, all these "companies" have the same address: 1181 S. Parker Road, #105, Denver, CO 80231. The Better Business Bureau lists the parent company as MORPHCORP. The News Herald of Panama City, Florida has an article about these "products."

• Family Tree House. I wrote about this company in the 31 October 1998 edition of this newsletter. The company gives an appearance of a Web site that offers genealogy services. In fact, it does not appear to sell anything. However, the same company advertises on another Web site with an offer to sell personal information obtained from genealogists who visit the Family Tree House site. You innocently enter personal information about yourself on Family Tree House, and then operators of the site sell your personal information to bulk mail companies. Information for sale includes name, address, e-mail address, and more.

• The Historical Research Center (HRC) International, Inc. This company sells "family histories" and coats of arms. Information about the true value of these products can be found on the Genealogical Web Site Watchdog site. Keep in mind that this company sells franchises. A few years ago it was listed as one of the top 30 fastest growing franchises in America. You may find its products being sold by other companies who purchase franchises. One such company is Names.com, but apparently there are many others as well.

• The International Hall of Names in Canada. This company also sells "family histories" and coats of arms. It is also mentioned on the Genealogical Web Site Watchdog site.

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.