PRIVACY DIGEST

[anonymous-remailer@shell.portal.com]

Sat, 26 Nov 94 17:47:51 NetSurfer <jdwilson@gold.chem.hawaii.edu> wrote:

[ commenting on the Privacy Digest post by Gary Jeffers ]
        The prices they were listing were comparable to shareware. This 
        looks to fall under the "if it seems to good (cheap?) to be true,
        it probably is" category, based on price alone.
[ end ]
     
The copied sheets put out by Williams in Costa Rica falls into that group.
I have read many xeroxes from lots of sources in my time and some most 
useful information have even been given to me anonymously.  The problem 
with the entire list of what Williams is selling (and I have some 90+ per-
cent of his crap) is that his very homespun assessment of U.S.A. law and 
case law is inventive, to say the least.  He seems to be influenced by 
some of the kooky writers in the tax revolt movement.

Thus, it really matters little if he is a sting or not.  As a rule, I am
always cautious when entering into a new relationship and that has kept
me out of serious trouble so far.  When going offshore, I always assume
the worst until I have grounds for believing otherwise.  And like Sandy
Sandfort, I - too - have been to Costa Rica. Lots of small time villains
from the States call that country their home, full- or part-time.  Best 
to be careful about who you confide in.

Getting back to NetSurfer's post: 
I agree that inexpensive information is often too cheap.  The best way to
learn the ropes are not books, reports nor newsletters and the reason for
that seems to be that the best information never finds its way into print.
In the world of private placements, few of the big players feel a need to
spend their weekends putting out newsletters.  Even if they do, they will
never incriminate themselves.  This is because most either live in the 
U.S.A. or do at least visit the U.S.A. often.  
In ten years, if PGP is still legal and if PGP and remailers become easier 
to use (embedded in wordprocessors) this may change - not the part about 
them going stateside often, of course, but the part about their willing-
ness to speak up about how to use the tools of their trade.

Meanwhile, 
I have found one source to be consistent, reliable and surprisingly alert
throughout its several decades of publication.  It is a little green news-
letter called 'The Harry Schultz Letter', published by Harry D Schultz, a
libertarian privacy-advocate / gold bug in Monaco.  It runs around $300 a 
year, however, and so proves NetSurfer's point.  No free samples either.

For books, get yourself a free catalog with page after page of informative
summaries of the books put out by a U.K. firm called Scope Int'l Ltd. They
also publish a newsletter every other month or so, free for the asking, 
even if you never buy a book.  Their newsletter deals with international
cooperation agreements, offshore and privacy, second passports legally.
A useful part is a 3-page long section of small classified ads from all
over the globe.  Sorry, I have no e-mail address for these people, but
be sure to ask them when you call (/fax/write), then post the address to
the list.  They are: Scope, Forestside House, Forestside, Rowlands Castle,
Hampshire PO9 6EE, England, Tel: +44 705 631751, Fax: +44 705 631322.

There is also the 'Money Laundering Alert' newsletter put out by a Florida
lawyer, ostensibly so that banks can stay on top of what is happening on
the legal scene all over the world, where regulations are tightening and
so on.  Most readers seem to be of the Spanish-speaking variety, however.
Well, I guess they have banks in Spain, too... Dadum...

For now, I prefer to post anonymously.
I would be interested in getting a pseudonymous account of the kind described
by 'Nobody' on Friday but would want a better place than mg5n to set it up.


"Capt'n Bob"


P.S. to Sandy Sandfort -

Sorry that I can't quite place you, I am a latecomer to the list. But I seem
to recall your name from somewhere in the real world.  I have even seen your
C.V. somewhere a couple of years ago (sent to Europe, I think).  If memory
serves you are a journalist with financial experience and have written for 
something in Florida and for the Tico Times, too?  Quite an extensive list,
mostly trade magazines/newsletters.  You were with some interesting guys
in the late 80's, but that is all I remember from the list.  Sorry.

No offense meant by the P.S. above, but I am getting older and my brain is
rotting, also I never keep physical files of any kind.


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--bob--