OHATHENS-L Archives

From: "Sandra Quinn" <>
Subject: [OHATHENS ] Genseeker.com Scam artist Arrested in Iowa!
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 08:32:52 -0400

From: Isaiah Harrison <>
Subject: [STATE-COORD] More from Eastman
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2003 21:30:57 -0700


Here is additional information fron Dick Eastman's Online Newsletter. Yopu
are free to forward these articles on non-commercial lists, but please
include the ollowing disclaimer:
The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is
copyright 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the
permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at
http://www.eogn.com.

I highly recommend subscribing o this newsletter.

-Isaiah
Isaiah Harrison
National Coordinator
The USGenWeb Project
An Unincorporated Non-Profit Association


- Genealogy Scam Operator Arrested!
Life just got more interesting for genealogy scam operator Elias Abodeely.
Four weeks ago I wrote a lengthy article about the scam best known as
GenSeekers.com and identified the owner as Elias Abodeely of Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. You can read that article at
http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0327.htm. This week the Cedar Rapids
police department arrested Abodeely and charged him with a variety of
crimes, including three felonies. If convicted, Elias Abodeely could serve
up to 47 years in prison for bilking genealogists.
Using the name GenSeekers.com as well as number of other Web site names,
Abodeely would send out thousands of "spam mail" messages claiming to have
access to millions of genealogy records. The hapless victim would pay about
$60 for this "service" and then be given access to a password-protected Web
site that simply listed links pointing to free genealogy Web sites.
GenSeekers.com and its other Web sites had no records of their own. Even
more upsetting, subscribers who tried to cancel and receive a refund found
that their e-mails bounced back as undeliverable.
According to police reports, Elias Abodeely II, age 22, of 340 Owen St. NW,
Cedar Rapids, was arrested on August 1 on suspicion of identity theft and
three felonies: first-degree theft, money laundering, and ongoing criminal
conduct. Police investigators claim Abodeely masterminded a 3-year
genealogy scam that netted at least $14,000 and between 220 and 260 victims
-- a handful of them from overseas. The total could be higher, but
investigators haven't added up everything yet, according to Cedar Rapids
Police Investigator Greg Koenighain. Abodeely was booked and released from
the Linn County Jail.
Abodeely's operation originally collected money via a PayPal account, but
PayPal soon shut him out after they received complaints. Abodeely then used
a variety of other methods of collecting payments by credit cards. When the
credit card companies shut him down, Abodeely switched to payment by
electronic checks. That worked well for the young swindler, as checks do
not enjoy the same protection as credit cards. Victims who paid by credit
card could obtain refunds from the credit card companies, if they asked.
However, those who paid by check had no recourse.
Abodeely and associates then reportedly conducted other crimes. The same
electronic checks were cashed time and again, with each new occurrence
using a new check number. The identity theft charge stems from an
accusation that Abodeely stole four women's Social Security numbers and
then used the numbers to establish new merchant accounts to process credit
card payments.
Elias Abodeely has been involved in other online scams, not involving
genealogy. He has promoted "get rich quick" business opportunities
promoting porno sites. Click here to see examples.
At least one of Abodeely's Web sites -- Genseekers.com -- is still
operating as these words are written, but officials expect to shut it down
soon.
In addition, the investigation is not yet complete. This week's arrest and
arraignment was by the local police department. The federal government also
has an interest in this case for possible income tax evasion, violation of
interstate commerce laws and more. Mr. Abodeely's legal problems are only
beginning. In addition, two of his accomplices are also facing possible
arrest, according to Investigator Koenighain.
You can read a bit more about this story at KWWL Television's news site at
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=1386145 as well as at the Des Moines
Register's news site at:
http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/21905604.html. The Cedar
Rapids Gazette has a longer story written by Public Safety Reporter
Christoph Trappe. However, you have to purchase a subscription before you
can read that article at: http://www.gazetteonline.com
What Do You Think? Comments and discussion are available on this
newsletter's Discussion Boards.

- Comment about Genealogy Scams
For reasons that are not clear to me, genealogy seems to attract more than
its fair share of fast buck artists. The article about GenSeekers is
probably the most flagrant example I have heard of, complete with identity
theft and money laundering. However, we all have seen plenty of other
charlatans who peddle goods and services of questionable value. The late
and unlamented Halberts of Bath, Ohio, quickly pops to mind. They folded up
a few years ago, hounded by court actions and competition from the
Internet. However, Halberts' imitators are still in business in Colorado,
Ontario, and elsewhere. In many shopping malls you can also find pushcart
"businesses" claiming to sell "authentic" family coats of arms and other
such schlock on paper, t-shirts, coffee cups and key chains. Most of their
materials are bogus, not worth the paper (or key chain) that they are
printed on.
Then there is the Internet. Did you ever stop to think that there are
similarities between the World Wide Web and the Wild, Wild West? Not only
do the two phrases sound a lot alike, but they both are also full of fake
medicine men, snake oil salesmen, and other fast-buck characters of
disrepute. Simply look at the spam mail that you receive, claiming to sell
"medical cures and solutions" to make various parts of your body bigger or
smaller or to make you wealthy by using your computer to make money while
you sleep. Their ads seem to have been written by ex-carnival barkers. I
have a mental image of these people selling their products from the back
end of a horse-drawn wagon.
How do you protect yourself from these scam artists? The best advice hasn't
changed in centuries: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Be
suspicious.
Luckily, today's World Wide Web gives you more power than you ever had
before. If a company's claims are questionable, do a search on the Web to
see what the company's customers have said about it. If it is a
genealogy-related product or service, go to this newsletter's Web site at
http://www.eogn.com and search past newsletters. You can quickly find any
articles I have ever written about the company. Next, post a message on the
newsletter's Discussion Board at the same Web site and ask about the
company there. Chances are that someone knows about the company and will
respond to your query.
Finally, pay only by credit card. Never purchase by check, money order, or
cash. Credit cards are fully insured against fraud by the credit card
companies themselves. If you are scammed, the credit card companies will
issue a refund to you; then they will pursue the offending company for
reimbursement. Sadly, payments by check, money order, or cash have no
guarantees at all, as those who paid money to GenSeekers.com found out.
Last year at this time, I wrote similar words about a genealogy conference
in Dearborn, Michigan, that folded and disappeared just a few weeks before
the scheduled start of the conference. The organizers simply took the money
and closed their offices. Here again, those who had used credit cards to
pre-register quickly received 100% refunds from VISA, MasterCard, and
American Express. Those who paid by check, money order, or cash still have
not received a dime.
In short, verify the company's products or services before you spend money.
When you do decide to purchase, make sure that you use a payment method
that has fraud guarantees: use a credit card - not a check, money order, or
cash. This is a rule of thumb to follow in genealogy and everywhere else
that I can think of.
What Do You Think? Comments and discussion are available on this
newsletter's Discussion Boards.


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• [OHATHENS ] Genseeker.com Scam artist Arrested in Iowa! by "Sandra Quinn" <>