Speaking of online and offline genealogy scams, there is an
interesting battle being fought online. The Baronage Press has produced a
respectable online magazine called The Feudal Herald for several
years. The Feudal Herald gives information about heraldry, the study of coats of
arms, and other insignia. This magazine was instrumental in exposing companies
that sold so-called "family coats of arms" and often reported on those
scams. The Feudal Herald exposed several bogus "title merchants." It referred to the purveyors of false family coats of arms as "bucket
shops." I read several editions of The Feudal Herald and was impressed with
the quality of the reporting.
Now a newer Web site called the International Scams
Magazine claims that The Baronage Press itself is a scam. The new Web site
is filled with sensational claims about The Baronage Press as well as other
companies. The Baronage Press has fired back with statements of
"Untrue" and says that a former scammer who was unmasked by The Feudal
Herald created the newer Web site. This former scammer apparently has a grudge
against the company that "blew the whistle" and so has created his own
Web pages filled with false claims about his attacker. In short, The Baronage
Press claims the International Scams Magazine is an act of
revenge.
Who is correct? Is there a real scammer here someplace? I
honestly don’t know. I will say that I have read The Baronage Press for
several years and have always found it to be an excellent publication that
fought for accuracy and honesty. I also find it curious that the
International Scams Magazine talks about "unmasking" the
person or people involved and clearly identifies its enemies by name and even
gives their home addresses. Yet the International Scams Magazine Web
site itself never mentions the names or addresses of its own company or owners.
The e-mail address for International Scams Magazine is a somewhat
anonymous HotMail address. What does it have to hide?
View this online battle at Baronage Press and at International Scams. My advice? Take a grain of salt before reading either Web site.
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Dick Eastman Online
