Preface

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="043a45a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Art Fraud Virus </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> | </B></FONT><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Art Fraud Virus "><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Table of Contents"><U>Table of Contents</U></A>   |   <B>Preface </B>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Authors"><U>The Authors</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Book Sellers Page"><U>The Book Seller's Page</U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="044d2b03.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Preface </I></div> <bR> <div> Viruses cause a variety of diseases among all groups of living organisms. We all know the flu, common cold, and chicken pox only too well. Once you become ill with a virus, antibiotics are not effective. On the other hand, preventive care and vaccination offer some protection for uninfected individuals. </div> <bR> <div>      Viruses don’t move by themselves: they lie in wait for their next victim. So do the viruses of the art world. Lying, stealing, forging, illegal investment schemes and many more ways to separate you from your money all lie in wait — for you!</div> <bR> <div>      Art frauds are like emergent viruses, new frauds are built upon the old tried-and-true frauds. </div> <bR> <div>      How much art fraud exists? It might be possible to develop estimates, but to the people who are victims, who cares? After all, how many other people were defrauded is not important when you are the victim. When you have been defrauded, there is only one important number — that is number one: You.</div> <bR> <div>      This book is dedicated to the honest world of art lovers, artists, collectors, investors and viewers, with the hope that the scammers will be caught and properly punished. Regrettably, that hope fades when the victim reports the scam to police authorities and finds that the police can offer little or no real help. Too little, too late.</div> <bR> <div>      No one cares as much about protecting you as do you. And nobody else should. In this book we show how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of the art fraud virus.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>