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Archiver > OHCOLUMB > 2004-01 > 1073657232


From: "Dewayne McCarty" <>
Subject: [OHCOLUMB] Fw: New Year,: Genealogy - Old Scam -- important!
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 09:07:12 -0500


>From Pat McArter an update on Genealogy Scam.
DeWayne McCarty
See the Columbiana Chapter of OGS
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohcolumb/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patricia L. McArtor"

>
> > > Nancy M. Dickinson
> > > Fayette County Rootsweb Webmaster
> > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohfayett
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > One of the top stories in 2003 in this newsletter was the arrest of
> Elias
> > > Abodeely, a 23-year-old in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who ran a string of
> pseudo
> > > genealogy sites. His arrest didn't seem to deter him: 2004 has started
> > > off with a rash of the same advertising.
> > >
> > >
> > > For those who missed it, let's briefly recap this scam. The sites
> > > involved included GenSeeker.com, GenSeekers.com,
> > > genealogydevelopments.com, familydiscovery.com, genealogyfinders.net,
> > > genlocator.com, genealogy-express.com, and probably many others.
> Abodeely
> > > would send out spam mail from one site, then collect money until the
> > > complaints mounted, and his site eventually would be shut down by the
> > > hosting service. A week or two later he would appear with a new name
and
> > > a new site on a different hosting service conducting essentially the
> same
> > > business. To access his sites, the hapless buyer paid $40 to $60 (the
> > > exact amount varied from time to time). None of these sites contained
> any
> > > genealogy information; they simply had pointers to free sites where
> > > information could be found. In other words, the buyer paid $40 to $60
to
> > > access something that was already available free of charge.
> > >
> > >
> > > Abodeely eventually ran into lots of legal difficulties. On August 1,
> > > 2003, he was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on felony charges of
> > > first-degree theft, money laundering, and ongoing criminal activity.
He
> > > was released later that day, and a court appearance on those charges
> > > still has not yet been scheduled.
> > >
> > >
> > > You can read about Abodeely's arrest in my newsletter at:
> > > http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0331.htm, in the Des Moines register
at
> > > http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/21905604.html and at
> > >
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=elias+abodeely+arr
> > > ested&btnG=Google+Search.
> > >
> > >
> > > His arrest did not slow Abodeely very much. A month later he appeared
> > > selling "self-renewing" genealogy CD-ROM disks under the name
> > > GenealogyTechs.com. That site actually was registered to Andrew
> Abodeely.
> > > I obtained one of these "self-renewing" genealogy CD-ROM disks and
wrote
> > > about it in detail in the September 29, 2003 Plus Edition of this
> > > newsletter. GenealogyTechs.com was shut down the day after my article
> was
> > > published.
> > >
> > >
> > > Things have been quiet for the past three months, but on January 2,
> 2004,
> > > a number of newsletter readers reported receiving some fishy-looking
> spam
> > > mail messages. In fact, the messages appear to be word-for-word the
same
> > > as the old ads for "self-renewing" genealogy CD-ROM disks sent earlier
> > > from GenealogyTechs.com - except that the new ads are coming from
> > > GenealogyTechs.net. That's right: the only difference is the
previously
> > > shut down dot-COM is now replaced by a newly-registered dot-NET.
> > >
> > >
> > > A quick check of the WHOIS information shows that Genealogytechs.net
is
> > > registered to the same address as GenealogyTechs.com: 1013 Agate
Street,
> > > Suite B, San Diego, CA 92109, the business address of Andrew Abodeely.
> > > That is also the same address that ships the worthless "self-renewing"
> > > genealogy CD-ROM disks.
> > >
> > >
> > > In short, the Abodeelys seem to have reappeared after a three-month
> > > hiatus. Elias Abodeely's earlier arrest for felonies doesn't seem to
> have
> > > fazed either of the Abodeelys at all. At the time these words are
being
> > > written, http://www.genealogytechs.net is up and running and looks
> almost
> > > identical to the previously shut down http://www.genealogytechs.com.
> > >
> > >
> > > It is also interesting to note that the new site is like the old one
in
> > > several respects, especially in that it cannot handle credit cards.
> > > Instead, the buyer is suckered into paying by an "e-check" that
extracts
> > > money directly from the buyer's checking account with no credit card
> > > involved. Beware! This is one method by which the earlier sites
> allegedly
> > > extracted money time and again from a buyer's checking accounts!
Several
> > > buyers thought they paid once but, after examining their end-of-month
> > > checking account statements, found that they had been charged time and
> > > again without permission. That is one of the actions that led to Elias
> > > Abodeely's arrest.
> > >
> > >
> > > Why would a company not offer payment by credit card? That is
extremely
> > > rare in the online world. The answer is simple: the owner's credit
> rating
> > > is so poor that he cannot obtain the merchant account required to be
> able
> > > to accept credit cards. In this case, he cannot even obtain a PayPal
> > > account, which is easy for mostpeople to obtain. No credit card
service
> > > will give a merchant account to someone awaiting trial on charges of
> > > money laundering by using credit cards! Without access to a credit
card
> > > merchant account, the Web site owner is forced to resort to online
> > > checks, a risky method for any buyer considering an online purchase.
> > >
> > >
> > > Remember that purchases made online with VISA, MasterCard or American
> > > Express are fully insured against fraud by the credit card companies.
If
> > > you get "ripped off" by a shady merchant when using a credit card, the
> > > credit card companies will immediately refund all of your money and
then
> > > will pursue resolution with the merchant. PayPal transactions are also
> > > fully insured in the same manner. However, if you pay by check, you
have
> > > no such protection. That is true both for paper checks as well as for
> > > "e-checks." You receive only whatever insurance your local bank
> provides.
> > > Sadly, most banks provide no protection at all against fraudulent
> > > purchases made with a check or with a debit card.
> > >
> > >
> > > Send a check to a con artist? You lose.
> > >
> > >
> > > Any time you see a Web site offering something for sale and not
> accepting
> > > credit cards, ask yourself, "Why does this merchant not accept credit
> > > cards? Not even via PayPal?" Most of the time, it is because that
> > > merchant has severe financial problems. Then ask yourself if you
really
> > > want to do business with such a merchant.
> > >
> > >
> > > If you receive a spam mail from GenealogyTechs.net or any
> > > similar-sounding scam, please forward it to the Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
> > > Police Department's Financial Crimes Division at
> > > . I suspect they have an interest in the
> > > "business activities" of this person, who is awaiting a court
appearance
> > > after being arrested by that department. Please feel free to also
> enclose
> > > a copy of this article. You can read more about the Cedar Rapids,
Iowa,
> > > Police Department's Financial Crimes Division at
> > > http://www.cedar-rapids.org/police/financial_crimes.asp.
> > >
> > >
> > > Please feel free to also forward this article to other genealogists,
> > > newsgroups, mailing lists, and anywhere else you feel is appropriate.
> > >
> > >
> > > What Do You Think? Comments and discussion are available on this
> > > newsletter's Discussion Board at: http://www.eogn.com/discussionboard
> > >
> > > Michelle
> > >
> > >
> > > ==== CUMBERLAND-RIVER Mailing List ====
> > > America, my friends, is the only country in the world actually founded
> on
> > > liberty-- the only one. People went to America to be free. -- Margaret
> > > Thatcher
> > >
> > > ==============================
> > > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration
> > > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more.
> > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237
> > >
> > > Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)
> > >
> > > ______________________________
> >
>


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