[meteorite-list] New Thread regarding scams

From: Richard Montgomery <rickmont_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 20:22:03 -0700
Message-ID: <6ED3566CF9EF46EDA5889AC90B20BE31_at_bosoheadPC>

Hi List,

It is no debate that scams should be recognized and exposed, and shared on
this List...yet pending un-intended consequences (liable lawsuits and false
accusations) will weigh heavily upon us all if they are in fact ill
conceived and recklessly tossed about.

Our objective is to maintain integrity....and the majority of participants
here have more than a rudimentary knowledge in things meteoritic, and know
already when a sham is under way. This recent suggestion of a blacked-list
of scammers is currently directed at all of us, yet not yet directed to the
un-informed, and therefore really doesn't reach those new to
meteorites...(they are also most likely not members of this List and our
discussions...hence the dillema.)

I suggest that we simply alert the rest of the community when suspect
substitutes or outright fraud appears. Simple as it seems, word of mouth,
or word of List, will alert us. And then we'll investigate it. En route,
keep the culprit at bay.

En route, I don't see an upside to pointing out fraudsters in a
formal-format-published-list, since the potential downside would only
further the fire; also potentially harm an already fragile public opinion.
Remember that most newbie eBayers aren't even aware of this discussion, nor
of the List and this thread.

Yes, this is a big problem if fraudulent eBay listings spawn and infect
collections. What to do, besides writing individual opinions to those
infected?

Some thoughts: Pointing out fraudulent people is much more volitile than
pointing out meteorwongs, and miss-labled true specimens (although, the
Mifflin case may offer a compelling counter to this suggestion) since
meteoritic knowledge speaks volumes on its own.

So, I suggest we follow a true path to a solution to an ongoing issue:
spread knowledge of our meteorites, and avoid getting trapped in the
process.

-Richard Montgomery



 
Received on Thu 12 May 2011 11:22:03 PM PDT