Question 109: Fraud - REPLY

Reply

It is always good to be skeptical, especially when related to the martial arts and all the martial art “masters.”

As to the organization in question:

• I've never heard of the XXX, but then a new one appears or disappears every day on the Internet.
• There are as many “hall of fames” as there are organizations. The only “halls of fame” that might be considered legitimate are the independent ones, such as those maintained by martial art magazines. In addition, one should not have to pay to be inducted into a hall of fame.
• Anyone can award rank. There are no local, national or international laws governing it. If people are dumb enough to send their money, they can get certified by any group.
• A snake gives birth to baby snakes that grow up and give birth to more baby snakes. A snake may tell you he or she is not really a snake, but that does not change the fact that he or she is a snake. If you have rank issued by a well-established, well-known, and well-respected organization, why would you want your rank “recognized” by some other dippy organization.
• These organizations are usually operated from someone’s home computer. There is no national office. You can see if the person in question is listed on the Alliance web site as a board member or one of their “doctors.” The reason for secrecy is because there is something about you that you do not want anyone to know about, usually because it will compromise your status in some way. Those who conceal where and how they got their rank must be ashamed of it.
• The design and construction of the XXX web site is very simple for this to be a major national and international organization. The site looks as if it was done on a home computer. The web sites of major organizations, such as the WTF, ITF, ATA, etc., are professionally done. Everything in the XXX operates through a box number, no physical address is ever given, even in the registration of their domain name.