Who's Who scam

While there are many legitimate Who's Who biographical directories, some individuals have created Who's Who scams that involve the selling of "memberships" in Who's Who directories that are created online and through instant publishing services. [ "What Price Fame? Be a Very Important Person - all it takes is money," David Vernon, "The Skeptic", 2007, vol 27, No 2, p16 ] These are essentially thinly veiled scams designed to get individuals to part with their money.

Often the companies that "own" these registries are recently incorporated and the few individuals listed in them (who often post that on their web sites) are people who are having themselves listed as a marketing tactic and the publication in these directories is just a form of vanity publishing.

Often blogs or forum posts that discuss these scams have entries by someone who is stating that they used the directory to make valuable business contacts, but these posts cannot be verified and are like other online reviews that provide no verification of the consumer or user's identity.

ee also

* American Biographical Institute
* International Biographical Centre
* Diploma mill

References

External links

* [http://www.shawnolson.net/a/1142/scams-to-make-you-feel-cool.html Who's Who Scammers sue blogger]
* [http://everything2.net/index.pl?node_id=1763385 Who's Who Scam on everything2]
* [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=who's%20who Discussing Who's Who scam] (also see next two links which are 2005/2006 versus this dated piece of 2000)
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D11F7395A0C708DDDA80994DD404482 See The New York Times review on Marquis, 2005] , which called them an "authoritative tool and valid portrait of [American] society".
* [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/11/06women_Indra-Nooyi_1S5D.html Forbes 2006 lists refers to Marquis]
* [http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?A=2066&Q=292366 Conn. State Attorney General warning]