Researching the person you're going to do business with is just a part of life. It's not just buying snakes or other critters over the Internet. ANYtime you're going to either a.) fork over a significant amount of money for a product or service OR b.) involve a living creature in the transaction....you need to be willing and able to make sure the person you're doing business with is on the up-and-up. That's the world we live in and there's no getting around it.

Sometimes, we're fortunate enough to "know someone that knows someone" and we can get around that task of researching on our own....but if you're unwilling to confirm the legitimacy of the person you're doing business with, in my opinion, you have no one to blame but yourself if you get screwed.

Of course, even with research, there are no guarantees....because lots of "business" people (has nothing to do with snakes or animals in particular) will spend some time building up a respectable reputation...only to run off with everyone's money in the end. BUT...you greatly lessen your own chances of getting ripped off if you do your research first...because for MOST rip-off artists, there IS a trail of evidence that you can find.