# Fraudbusting Policy



## jks9199 (Oct 13, 2009)

OK, folks, we keep seeing questions about the fraudbusting policy.  Rather than have answers scattered across several threads in different forums, I'm opening this thread up to address the topic.

Let's start with what the policies say:


> *4.16 Official Policy on Fraud Busting and Credential Verification.
> 
> *
> *4.16.1 Fraud Busting*
> ...



and



> *Revised Policy*
> =========
> Our goal is not to be a site for witch hunts, fraud busting, and inquisition. There are other sites who enjoy those games and view themselves at guardians of the arts, when it's often little more than "if they like you you're ok, if they don't they will say whatever to defame your character". We hold to a higher standard. In the same vein however, being one of the largest general arts communities on the Internet, brings with it some responsibility to a higher standard of being, and to allow our members the ability to ask consumer oriented questions and report on misadventures. With that, we announce the following policy changes and clarifications:
> 
> ...



The Horror Stories Forum is a place to discuss "both the sad and the funny. Like the "Darwin Awards", you will both laugh and be shocked by some of these. Tales of training gone awry, and instructors gone bad."   The fraudbusting policies are slightly relaxed there.  The new Investigations sub-forum is a place to post information about consumer fraud, which _may _include people selling instruction that they aren't qualified to do.  However, in neither place will MT or its staff conduct any sort of "official" board investigation.  

Fraudbusting is kind of hard to define, but you know it when you see it.  Hallmarks are things like following a poster from thread to thread, demanding they prove themselves, or direct accusations.  There's room to ask qualifications -- but the person questioned has no obligation to respond.  In other words, it's one thing to ask a person "where did you train?" or "what certification do you have in...", but a completely different case to demand "POST YOUR CERTIFICATES!!" or "Prove you studied..."  Similarly, you can talk about questionable training practices, but you're crossing the line when you say that "Sifu Sensei isn't real because he doesn't extend his pinky properly..."

You can always use the Report to Moderator button to notify the staff that you believe some meets the Non-desirables policy, but understand that any action we take will generally remain between that member and the staff, and that burden of proof is on the accuser.  You can also RTM any post you feel is fraudbusting -- or contact any Senior Moderator or higher member of the staff (including the MT Admin username) for guidance before posting something you're afraid might cross the line.  As always, the challenged person has no obligation to respond to comments from board members.


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