Dishonest postings on some USENET groups are a serious problem. Perhaps the most dynamic, extensive medium for reaching people around the planet, USENET (or newsgroups) seems to be attracting its fill of sleazy con-artists preying on the good-heartedness and gullibility of others. Because of its diversity, popularity, and "lawless" atmosphere, USENET is a perfect hunting ground for those who want to take advantage of many of us. Yes, I said us, because I've been a victim of one of these schemes.

A very popular use of these groups is finding, acquiring, trading, buying and selling various types of merchandise, from collectibles to throwaways. If you've ever wondered what that old book or record is worth, there's probably a newsgroup out there where you can post the query and get several reasonable responses. I've known people who have traded books, videos, records, and who've sold everything from computers to movie posters via these newsgroups. The problem common to all of this is the point of exchange. We're in an electronic medium folks, and the person at the other end of that offer to swap books or tapes or whatever with you may be someone other than whom he or she appears to be.

Let me give you a scenario similar (but not identical) to my own experience. You're looking for a hard-to-find book called "Tales from Chappaqua". It's out of print, and the wonderful book store that handles such items either can't get it, or wants a fortune for it. You find that there's a newsgroup called "alt.rec.books.trade" [not a real group as far as I know], so you start poking through some of the postings. To your amazement, a certain person from Spud State University in Potato Flats, Idaho has posted a list of books for sale or trade, and there is your "Tales from Chappaqua"! You email the guy, and he seems quite reasonable, willing to trade for any hardcover books by Grisham. Hell, you've got all of Grisham's books, and since you've read them all, you're willing to trade whichever one he wants. You agree on "The Client" for "Tales of Chappaqua". Now for the tricky part. You're obviously not going to meet on a bridge somewhere halfway between your hometown and Potato Flats, so the US Mail service is going to have to be the middle man. However, the post office (UPS and FedEx as well) will not accept a package as payment for a delivery. In other words, no swapping. So, do you wait to receive "Tales of Chappaqua" before sending "The Client"? What if he's waiting for you? You'll just trust in the kindness of strangers, you decide, so away goes "The Client".

I'm sure you've guessed that "Tales of Chappaqua" never arrives. Six weeks pass, and no book, no email, no nothing. Your repeated email queries go unanswered. The guy may be stocking a bookstore with this scheme, for all you know. What are your remedies? Few, if any. Postings to the same newsgroup warning others to beware may prevent others from sending anything to the guy. Flaming him is juvenile, but it may help let off some steam. You may have some legal recourse by contacting the authorities in Potato Flats, or the administrators of his site, but it would probably come down to your word against his ("I did send him "Tales of Chappaqua"', he states.) The fact is you're simply not likely to get "The Client" back.

Similar situations can occur with purchases (check clearing or merchandise first?). While some laws may exist to address this type of chicanery, it would be difficult, time-consuming, and probably costly to pursue any kind of legal remedy. Certainly not all postings on the USENET represent rip-off schemes; I'd like to think that most people are honest and trustworthy, and that you really can conduct reasonable commerce using this medium. However, my advice is to be wary at least, and work out an exchange plan that somehow guarantees that you'll get what you've agreed upon for your merchandise or money.

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