Every turning point of the Internet has cozenage artist , and the on-line genealogy world is no exception . There are a number of genealogygriftersout there , quick to take your money for shoddy products , unneeded religious service and dubious testing . Here ’s our quick guide to key some of the most common scams and how to guide clear of them .
The " family story book " con is one of the old genealogy scams out there . Maybe you ’ve get wind it : You get a letter or an email from an organization that ’s selling your " complete family account . " The transmitter often seems to be a minor , class - run ship’s company , maybe with the same surname as the addressee . The family history , so the pitch goes , check a comprehensive family Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and relative ' savoir-faire , and sometimes family floor and recipes . One of the longest - running cozenage was invented by a company call Morphcorp . The letters were from " Maxwell and Christina [ insert surname here ] , " and the class histories ( as is the case with all of these cons ) were cheap - look volume fill with generic , useless information . The state of Colorado process Morphcorp in 2005 , claim they ’d fleeced 150,000 people — mostly senior citizens — out of $ 49.95 each . Morphcorp settled out of court the next yr .
The " coat of arms " offering is a interchangeable cozenage . The missive , email or ad claims that , for a fee , they ’ll mail you your family ’s coat of arms , to which they somehow have exclusive access . There are many crimson flag waving around this proposition , the great being a full lack of understanding about how coats of arms work . It ’s a common misconception that there ’s one official coat of arms for each surname , but that ’s not the case . Coats of arms are actually design for individuals , not certain surnames . So , if you ever see this fling , you know right off the squash racket that it ’s not legit .
Another common scam hail from companies that ask for money in exchange for access to online genetic information . In many face , the single sites they advertise are actually free and uncommitted to anyone . Many of these society yield for gamy Google placement and patronise links , reeling in gullible customers .
Some lay claim thatgenetic testing , even from the most popular , purportedly reputable companies , is a big scam . In 2010 , the manager of the Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) testified before a congressional committee that these heavily advertised test were " of little or no practical use of goods and services to consumers " and noted legion questionable and unethical pattern in the diligence [ source : Hutchison ] . It ’s worth noting , though , that there are several kinds of tests , and the " genetic risk " variety that the GAO seemingly rivet on is known to be not quite as precise as the others .
You do need to take your research severely , though . Before you give your information to or compensate for any kind of genealogical service , do a background hindrance . receive out precisely what form of testing the company does and what kind of consumer inspection they get .
