HEY, WANNA BUY A
BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHED BY...MOTHER TERESA?
"Operation Bullpen" Slam Dunks Sports/Celebrity Memorabilia Fraud
07/22/05
We're
delighted to showcase yesterday's press conference in San Diego that
updates you
on our ongoing, national investigation of forgers and counterfeiters
who specially prey on fans. All told,
63 persons charged and convicted; 18 forgery rings dismantled; tens of
thousands
of forged baseballs, basketballs, you
name it seized.
And we're equally
delighted to announce that, with our partners in law enforcement, sports,
and business, thousands of contraband baseballs, bats, and basketballs--scrubbed
clean of the forgeries--were
presented at the press conference to kids in organizations like the Boys
and Girls Clubs, Special Olympics, Crime Victims Fund, and the It's All
About the Kids Foundation.
It's a classic win-win
situation. But we want to spread the word well beyond San Diego on how
YOU can keep from getting cheated.
Try
to get the signatures in person--either at an event where they're
performing or at an event where they're signing.
Buy from companies
that get witnessed-based signings and that document the authenticity.
Major League Baseball, for example, has a program that uses Deloitte
and Touche as the witnessing agent with tamper-proof holograms affixed
to items that are uniquely numbered and tracked in a database. The point
is that these programs establish a chain of custody that ensures you're
getting what you want...and guarantees its value. Many companies offer
this program, you just have to ask.
If options one and
two are not possible, aggressively question the seller about the exact
history of the item you want to buy...and be completely comfortable that
you are dealing with an honest broker. We've talked to a lot of convicted
forgers and they say that they really don't like being asked to explain
the provenance of their forgeries. ALWAYS ASK FOR A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
AND A RECEIPT.
Get your items evaluated
by professional authenticators. And we don't mean the bogus authenticators
that convicted forgers set up to hide behind. Even independent, legitimate
authenticators can be fooled from time to time, but they are your best
bet to keep from being cheated.
Last
but not least--and you know this: If the price
is too good to be true, your treasure is
probably a forgery. Like those three baseballs
we found "autographed" by
Mother Teresa....
Links: Protect
yourself from scams | More on BullPen | Related "FBI, This Week" Radio Show story: Part 1 and Part 2.
