800-669-8064

I am just curious, if Amway is a pyramid scam why are they rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau? Why are Company like Barnes and Nobles or Best Buy doing business with them?

I got this from the mail about a month ago and set it aside. I was going through the junk on my desk and saw it again. I felt bad at first for missing the "free demonstration seminar". Just like the other posters here, I searched for the website to get more information and, lo and behold, it's a scam afterall! My letter was signed by B.Barrett (National Director). On the bottom left corner of the letter was a note "Wealth Builders is a service trademark of Planet Antares, Inc. 5700 Buckingham Parkway, Culver City, CA 90230" The 3 "successful" stories were creatively scripted, would make you want to go. Even the personalized business card was artistic, too good to be true!

Thanks so much for the posts and warnings! God bless us all!

Next time I receive this same mail/call, I will reserve a spot and bring a FBI friend. Hopefully they get these suckers!

Just got and invitation in the mail today for me and a guest. This one is in Sacramento CA the end of April.  I'm sure it is nothing that I am interested in but I was thinking of going with my son to get the 2 free MP3 players.....he just had his stolen and I don't have one. I'm not easily sucked into anything and I certainly don't have thousands of $ to invest in vending machines, which I don't support....EVER! I sure like the idea of a free MP3 player just for attending. Anyone else get an offer for free merchandise like this? I'm only wondering if they will deliver....hmmmmmm

just got an invitation too can you check the one in i got my guest name the address is
walnut creek marriot 2355 n main street walnut creek ca 94596 i just wanna know if it is the same as the automatic merchandising services i got an gift card and business card in the inserted letter i wanna receiv the free mp3 and stuff to try i guess its nto a scam can anyone check it too there adress is same as weath builders same as culver city ca 90230 is the same as above or not the national director is b barrett i think he is a nice guy buy can anyone check who go though i got an offer thanks resmond me back here thanks their meeting is 4 29 10 to 5 1 10 so just checking so how about the rebate check are they gonna send it wow thanks a lot it helps me is said here 1 150 dollars just checking so what kind of business is this gonna be help thanks but is this this true or not checking please thanks

Did u get the mp3 and stuff just checking in thanks a lot how about the rebate check so how u gonna use it in any kind of business

Have you attended the seminar?  What was the result?

They'll be in St. Louis May 20-22.  Free MP3, free lunch, overpriced vending machines (as the Forbes site points out   http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1999/0614/6312322a.html   )  If I wanted information about the business, I might go determined NOT to buy my machines from Wealth Builders.  Asking pointed questions, as one commenter here suggested, could be very fun.  Be ready to be kicked out or treated like a defendent grilled by the prosecution, however.

What did you do with the machines that you bought?  Do you have them placed now or are they setting in your garage?  Let me know, might be interested.
MikeRothweiler@yahoo.com

I jus received a free admission to the Hilton Woodcliff Lake in NJ but my phone # to call is 800-616-1731 with the invitation sighned by B. Barrett. Has anyone received or gone to one of  his functions, as it sounds similar to what you are all talking about?

I just received an invitation to a free dinner at the Hilton Woodcliff Lake in NJ for June 24, 25 or 26th. The phone # I am to call is 800-616-1731 and the invitation is signed by B. Barrett. This sounds similar to your posts with the $1,150 rebate. I am trying to determine if this is one and the same as your posts. Has anyone had an experience here?

I also got an invitation to a free manufacturer's demonstration on June 24th at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton from B Barrett.  Has anyone been successful with this vending machine company?  Is it a scam?

We placed all of the machines now.  Every one of the machines had problems and needed repairs.  We replaced three refrigeration units on one machine and it still isn't fixed.  I feel the units are overpriced and certainly not of high quality.  If your are still interested in the machines let me know.

In Canada they are doing the same..but with this number.1-800-616-1731 Anyone actually knows of someone making money off these vending machines?

This appeared in the Aug. 15, 2010 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Don't let down your guard because of impressive show: The Watchdog gets the boot

Posted Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

By Dave Lieber

watchdog@star-telegram.com

lieber Ours was a love that didn't go beyond a day. Planet Antares, a California company, mailed an invitation to my home urging me to attend a "Home-Based Business and Franchise Conference" at a Fort Worth hotel.

I signed up by phone, even though I had no idea about the nature of the business involved. Received a ticket with my name on it, a conference badge with my name, and a business card with the word "Owner" next to my name and the company's logo.

A day before the conference, Planet Antares sent flowers to my home ("Please accept this flower bouquet as my personal welcome"). Yes, indeed, I did feel welcome.

The next day, in a conference room with 45 others at the Sheraton Fort Worth, I listened to a two-hour presentation. A half-hour into the presentation, I learned that the business opportunity involved buying a vending machine franchise and placing the machines -- "Office Deli Refreshment Centers" -- in office buildings.

When the presenter unveiled the gleaming silver machine, I was impressed enough to take out my camera and snap a photo.

The man assigned as my "financial consultant" rushed over and asked me who I was. When I told him I write for the Star-Telegram and had been invited, he said, "Get your things."

He walked me out the hotel front door and told the valet parking attendant that I was not allowed back in. If he saw me again, he said he would call the police.

Yes, our love was over before it began, especially after a lawyer sent me an e-mail with the subject line: "URGENT -- PUBLICATION WARNING!"

For a long time, I've wanted to attend a hotel seminar where you get offered the business chance of a lifetime, but I wanted one where I was invited. Even though my stay ended prematurely, I learned about how we can research these businesses before investing.

The presenter said that Planet Antares is the "largest, most successful provider of business opportunities" in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, with more than a half-billion dollars in sales.

The company's offer, she said, is "the best business opportunity in the world today." She smiled and added, "It really is all about family."

During her talk, the presenter gave fine-print clues that could point potential customers on where to research before making a final decision.

At one point, for example, she read a disclosure statement that the company had once paid a "$1 million regulatory penalty payment."

"We were quite upset about that," she said.

Another clue: When giving us names and phone numbers to call for referrals from satisfied customers, she said the clients were getting paid to be helpful in the phone calls. She also disclosed that no one related to the company is allowed to make projections about potential income or earnings.

Before making any investment, a first step is to carefully read the contract and share its contents with trusted advisers.

There was more information about the company in its contract. One lengthy paragraph disclosed that the company agreed to pay a total of $300,000 to former customers to settle lawsuits. But many large companies have had lawsuit settlements, so it may be hard to evaluate the significance of that information.

An Internet search may shed more light. The first site I checked, the Better Business Bureau, gives Planet Antares a B- rating with 40 complaints in the past three years. A summary said some distributors complained that the company misled them on the profit potential and the ability to place machines in profitable locations.

Later, on the Federal Trade Commission website -- ftc.gov -- I found more information about the penalty the presenter mentioned. A 1996 news release disclosed that the $1 million penalty paid by the company, then known as Antares Corp., was used by the government to return money to some customers who had complained about the company's tactics.

The 14-year-old fine, the FTC stated, was for "charges of misrepresenting, among other things, the potential earnings of prospective distributors and using shills as references." The federal agency describes shills as phony references, where customers may not realize that they are paid to talk about the financial success.

I remembered that the presenter did disclose to the audience that the references were paid.

Planet Antares, based in Culver City, Calif., is owned by Dana Bashor. I wanted to talk with company representatives, so last week I requested an interview with Bashor. At first, I was told by a company staffer that the only person able to talk with me was a company sales manager, who would not be available until the next week.

Later, Doug Mirell, an attorney representing the company, contacted me to say that no one would talk with me because, he said, I was a trespasser and that the company would have no other comment.

While doing a general search for Planet Antares, I found something unexpected. The company has created many business-related blogs that offer positive advice. Of course, this also allows the company to dominate its search engine rankings with its own content.

Its blogs contain headlines such as "Improving Work Ethics in the Workplace" and "Planet Antares Scam Alert on Vending Machine Frauds."

For example, one post states, "Planet Antares is providing tips and alerts to vending operators for safe vending. Follow them and stay away from scams for profitable vending business."

Amid the company's own postings, I found only two active consumer review websites with feedback about the company.

TrustLink Community, affiliated with the BBB, displays these recent comments from unnamed writers: "We are $28K in debt for two machines that are making nothing like the amount of money we were assured they would make," one writes.

"My poor friend bought five of these machines, Only one of them after six months has been placed," another writes.

A third: "After getting fed up, I wanted to return the machines, and they did not allow me to do so."

On the same post, there were three other comments promoting the company's position. Each was written in a similar style and ended with an upbeat statement:

"We just have to go out and find them and work to open them and enjoy every minute of it."

"This business is the centerpiece around which our family has grown closer together."

"For me, this is my mom's retirement."

On another consumer website -- 800notes, Directory of Unknown Callers -- posters track the company's business conferences at various cities across the U.S. -- from Pennsylvania to Florida, California, Alabama, Indiana, Hawaii and Texas.

In Fort Worth, as I was escorted out of the hotel that day, a Planet Antares employee who wouldn't give his name explained: "We have to be careful. We've got competition. They're out there for our information."

As we should be, too, before making any investments.

The Watchdog column appears Fridays and Sundays.

Dave Lieber, 817-685-3830

Twitter @DaveLieber

This appeared in the Aug. 15, 2010 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Don't let down your guard because of impressive show: The Watchdog gets the boot

Posted Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

By Dave Lieber

watchdog@star-telegram.com

lieber Ours was a love that didn't go beyond a day. Planet Antares, a California company, mailed an invitation to my home urging me to attend a "Home-Based Business and Franchise Conference" at a Fort Worth hotel.

I signed up by phone, even though I had no idea about the nature of the business involved. Received a ticket with my name on it, a conference badge with my name, and a business card with the word "Owner" next to my name and the company's logo.

A day before the conference, Planet Antares sent flowers to my home ("Please accept this flower bouquet as my personal welcome"). Yes, indeed, I did feel welcome.

The next day, in a conference room with 45 others at the Sheraton Fort Worth, I listened to a two-hour presentation. A half-hour into the presentation, I learned that the business opportunity involved buying a vending machine franchise and placing the machines -- "Office Deli Refreshment Centers" -- in office buildings.

When the presenter unveiled the gleaming silver machine, I was impressed enough to take out my camera and snap a photo.

The man assigned as my "financial consultant" rushed over and asked me who I was. When I told him I write for the Star-Telegram and had been invited, he said, "Get your things."

He walked me out the hotel front door and told the valet parking attendant that I was not allowed back in. If he saw me again, he said he would call the police.

Yes, our love was over before it began, especially after a lawyer sent me an e-mail with the subject line: "URGENT -- PUBLICATION WARNING!"

For a long time, I've wanted to attend a hotel seminar where you get offered the business chance of a lifetime, but I wanted one where I was invited. Even though my stay ended prematurely, I learned about how we can research these businesses before investing.

The presenter said that Planet Antares is the "largest, most successful provider of business opportunities" in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, with more than a half-billion dollars in sales.

The company's offer, she said, is "the best business opportunity in the world today." She smiled and added, "It really is all about family."

During her talk, the presenter gave fine-print clues that could point potential customers on where to research before making a final decision.

At one point, for example, she read a disclosure statement that the company had once paid a "$1 million regulatory penalty payment."

"We were quite upset about that," she said.

Another clue: When giving us names and phone numbers to call for referrals from satisfied customers, she said the clients were getting paid to be helpful in the phone calls. She also disclosed that no one related to the company is allowed to make projections about potential income or earnings.

Before making any investment, a first step is to carefully read the contract and share its contents with trusted advisers.

There was more information about the company in its contract. One lengthy paragraph disclosed that the company agreed to pay a total of $300,000 to former customers to settle lawsuits. But many large companies have had lawsuit settlements, so it may be hard to evaluate the significance of that information.

An Internet search may shed more light. The first site I checked, the Better Business Bureau, gives Planet Antares a B- rating with 40 complaints in the past three years. A summary said some distributors complained that the company misled them on the profit potential and the ability to place machines in profitable locations.

Later, on the Federal Trade Commission website -- ftc.gov -- I found more information about the penalty the presenter mentioned. A 1996 news release disclosed that the $1 million penalty paid by the company, then known as Antares Corp., was used by the government to return money to some customers who had complained about the company's tactics.

The 14-year-old fine, the FTC stated, was for "charges of misrepresenting, among other things, the potential earnings of prospective distributors and using shills as references." The federal agency describes shills as phony references, where customers may not realize that they are paid to talk about the financial success.

I remembered that the presenter did disclose to the audience that the references were paid.

Planet Antares, based in Culver City, Calif., is owned by Dana Bashor. I wanted to talk with company representatives, so last week I requested an interview with Bashor. At first, I was told by a company staffer that the only person able to talk with me was a company sales manager, who would not be available until the next week.

Later, Doug Mirell, an attorney representing the company, contacted me to say that no one would talk with me because, he said, I was a trespasser and that the company would have no other comment.

While doing a general search for Planet Antares, I found something unexpected. The company has created many business-related blogs that offer positive advice. Of course, this also allows the company to dominate its search engine rankings with its own content.

Its blogs contain headlines such as "Improving Work Ethics in the Workplace" and "Planet Antares Scam Alert on Vending Machine Frauds."

For example, one post states, "Planet Antares is providing tips and alerts to vending operators for safe vending. Follow them and stay away from scams for profitable vending business."

Amid the company's own postings, I found only two active consumer review websites with feedback about the company.

TrustLink Community, affiliated with the BBB, displays these recent comments from unnamed writers: "We are $28K in debt for two machines that are making nothing like the amount of money we were assured they would make," one writes.

"My poor friend bought five of these machines, Only one of them after six months has been placed," another writes.

A third: "After getting fed up, I wanted to return the machines, and they did not allow me to do so."

On the same post, there were three other comments promoting the company's position. Each was written in a similar style and ended with an upbeat statement:

"We just have to go out and find them and work to open them and enjoy every minute of it."

"This business is the centerpiece around which our family has grown closer together."

"For me, this is my mom's retirement."

On another consumer website -- 800notes, Directory of Unknown Callers -- posters track the company's business conferences at various cities across the U.S. -- from Pennsylvania to Florida, California, Alabama, Indiana, Hawaii and Texas.

In Fort Worth, as I was escorted out of the hotel that day, a Planet Antares employee who wouldn't give his name explained: "We have to be careful. We've got competition. They're out there for our information."

As we should be, too, before making any investments.

The Watchdog column appears Fridays and Sundays.

Dave Lieber, 817-685-3830

Twitter @DaveLieber

This appeared in the Aug. 15, 2010 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Don't let down your guard because of impressive show: The Watchdog gets the boot

Posted Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

By Dave Lieber

watchdog@star-telegram.com

Ours was a love that didn't go beyond a day. Planet Antares, a California company, mailed an invitation to my home urging me to attend a "Home-Based Business and Franchise Conference" at a Fort Worth hotel.

I signed up by phone, even though I had no idea about the nature of the business involved. Received a ticket with my name on it, a conference badge with my name, and a business card with the word "Owner" next to my name and the company's logo.

A day before the conference, Planet Antares sent flowers to my home ("Please accept this flower bouquet as my personal welcome"). Yes, indeed, I did feel welcome.

The next day, in a conference room with 45 others at the Sheraton Fort Worth, I listened to a two-hour presentation. A half-hour into the presentation, I learned that the business opportunity involved buying a vending machine franchise and placing the machines -- "Office Deli Refreshment Centers" -- in office buildings.

When the presenter unveiled the gleaming silver machine, I was impressed enough to take out my camera and snap a photo.

The man assigned as my "financial consultant" rushed over and asked me who I was. When I told him I write for the Star-Telegram and had been invited, he said, "Get your things."

He walked me out the hotel front door and told the valet parking attendant that I was not allowed back in. If he saw me again, he said he would call the police.

Yes, our love was over before it began, especially after a lawyer sent me an e-mail with the subject line: "URGENT -- PUBLICATION WARNING!"

For a long time, I've wanted to attend a hotel seminar where you get offered the business chance of a lifetime, but I wanted one where I was invited. Even though my stay ended prematurely, I learned about how we can research these businesses before investing.

The presenter said that Planet Antares is the "largest, most successful provider of business opportunities" in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, with more than a half-billion dollars in sales.

The company's offer, she said, is "the best business opportunity in the world today." She smiled and added, "It really is all about family."

During her talk, the presenter gave fine-print clues that could point potential customers on where to research before making a final decision.

At one point, for example, she read a disclosure statement that the company had once paid a "$1 million regulatory penalty payment."

"We were quite upset about that," she said.

Another clue: When giving us names and phone numbers to call for referrals from satisfied customers, she said the clients were getting paid to be helpful in the phone calls. She also disclosed that no one related to the company is allowed to make projections about potential income or earnings.

Before making any investment, a first step is to carefully read the contract and share its contents with trusted advisers.

There was more information about the company in its contract. One lengthy paragraph disclosed that the company agreed to pay a total of $300,000 to former customers to settle lawsuits. But many large companies have had lawsuit settlements, so it may be hard to evaluate the significance of that information.

An Internet search may shed more light. The first site I checked, the Better Business Bureau, gives Planet Antares a B- rating with 40 complaints in the past three years. A summary said some distributors complained that the company misled them on the profit potential and the ability to place machines in profitable locations.

Later, on the Federal Trade Commission website -- ftc.gov -- I found more information about the penalty the presenter mentioned. A 1996 news release disclosed that the $1 million penalty paid by the company, then known as Antares Corp., was used by the government to return money to some customers who had complained about the company's tactics.

The 14-year-old fine, the FTC stated, was for "charges of misrepresenting, among other things, the potential earnings of prospective distributors and using shills as references." The federal agency describes shills as phony references, where customers may not realize that they are paid to talk about the financial success.

I remembered that the presenter did disclose to the audience that the references were paid.

Planet Antares, based in Culver City, Calif., is owned by Dana Bashor. I wanted to talk with company representatives, so last week I requested an interview with Bashor. At first, I was told by a company staffer that the only person able to talk with me was a company sales manager, who would not be available until the next week.

Later, Doug Mirell, an attorney representing the company, contacted me to say that no one would talk with me because, he said, I was a trespasser and that the company would have no other comment.

While doing a general search for Planet Antares, I found something unexpected. The company has created many business-related blogs that offer positive advice. Of course, this also allows the company to dominate its search engine rankings with its own content.

Its blogs contain headlines such as "Improving Work Ethics in the Workplace" and "Planet Antares Scam Alert on Vending Machine Frauds."

For example, one post states, "Planet Antares is providing tips and alerts to vending operators for safe vending. Follow them and stay away from scams for profitable vending business."

Amid the company's own postings, I found only two active consumer review websites with feedback about the company.

TrustLink Community, affiliated with the BBB, displays these recent comments from unnamed writers: "We are $28K in debt for two machines that are making nothing like the amount of money we were assured they would make," one writes.

"My poor friend bought five of these machines, Only one of them after six months has been placed," another writes.

A third: "After getting fed up, I wanted to return the machines, and they did not allow me to do so."

On the same post, there were three other comments promoting the company's position. Each was written in a similar style and ended with an upbeat statement:

"We just have to go out and find them and work to open them and enjoy every minute of it."

"This business is the centerpiece around which our family has grown closer together."

"For me, this is my mom's retirement."

On another consumer website -- 800notes, Directory of Unknown Callers -- posters track the company's business conferences at various cities across the U.S. -- from Pennsylvania to Florida, California, Alabama, Indiana, Hawaii and Texas.

In Fort Worth, as I was escorted out of the hotel that day, a Planet Antares employee who wouldn't give his name explained: "We have to be careful. We've got competition. They're out there for our information."

As we should be, too, before making any investments.

The Watchdog column appears Fridays and Sundays.

Dave Lieber, 817-685-3830

Twitter @DaveLieber

This appeared in the Aug. 15, 2010 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Don't let down your guard because of impressive show: The Watchdog gets the boot

Posted Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

By Dave Lieber

watchdog@star-telegram.com

lieber Ours was a love that didn't go beyond a day. Planet Antares, a California company, mailed an invitation to my home urging me to attend a "Home-Based Business and Franchise Conference" at a Fort Worth hotel.

I signed up by phone, even though I had no idea about the nature of the business involved. Received a ticket with my name on it, a conference badge with my name, and a business card with the word "Owner" next to my name and the company's logo.

A day before the conference, Planet Antares sent flowers to my home ("Please accept this flower bouquet as my personal welcome"). Yes, indeed, I did feel welcome.

The next day, in a conference room with 45 others at the Sheraton Fort Worth, I listened to a two-hour presentation. A half-hour into the presentation, I learned that the business opportunity involved buying a vending machine franchise and placing the machines -- "Office Deli Refreshment Centers" -- in office buildings.

When the presenter unveiled the gleaming silver machine, I was impressed enough to take out my camera and snap a photo.

The man assigned as my "financial consultant" rushed over and asked me who I was. When I told him I write for the Star-Telegram and had been invited, he said, "Get your things."

He walked me out the hotel front door and told the valet parking attendant that I was not allowed back in. If he saw me again, he said he would call the police.

Yes, our love was over before it began, especially after a lawyer sent me an e-mail with the subject line: "URGENT -- PUBLICATION WARNING!"

For a long time, I've wanted to attend a hotel seminar where you get offered the business chance of a lifetime, but I wanted one where I was invited. Even though my stay ended prematurely, I learned about how we can research these businesses before investing.

The presenter said that Planet Antares is the "largest, most successful provider of business opportunities" in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, with more than a half-billion dollars in sales.

The company's offer, she said, is "the best business opportunity in the world today." She smiled and added, "It really is all about family."

During her talk, the presenter gave fine-print clues that could point potential customers on where to research before making a final decision.

At one point, for example, she read a disclosure statement that the company had once paid a "$1 million regulatory penalty payment."

"We were quite upset about that," she said.

Another clue: When giving us names and phone numbers to call for referrals from satisfied customers, she said the clients were getting paid to be helpful in the phone calls. She also disclosed that no one related to the company is allowed to make projections about potential income or earnings.

Before making any investment, a first step is to carefully read the contract and share its contents with trusted advisers.

There was more information about the company in its contract. One lengthy paragraph disclosed that the company agreed to pay a total of $300,000 to former customers to settle lawsuits. But many large companies have had lawsuit settlements, so it may be hard to evaluate the significance of that information.

An Internet search may shed more light. The first site I checked, the Better Business Bureau, gives Planet Antares a B- rating with 40 complaints in the past three years. A summary said some distributors complained that the company misled them on the profit potential and the ability to place machines in profitable locations.

Later, on the Federal Trade Commission website -- ftc.gov -- I found more information about the penalty the presenter mentioned. A 1996 news release disclosed that the $1 million penalty paid by the company, then known as Antares Corp., was used by the government to return money to some customers who had complained about the company's tactics.

The 14-year-old fine, the FTC stated, was for "charges of misrepresenting, among other things, the potential earnings of prospective distributors and using shills as references." The federal agency describes shills as phony references, where customers may not realize that they are paid to talk about the financial success.

I remembered that the presenter did disclose to the audience that the references were paid.

Planet Antares, based in Culver City, Calif., is owned by Dana Bashor. I wanted to talk with company representatives, so last week I requested an interview with Bashor. At first, I was told by a company staffer that the only person able to talk with me was a company sales manager, who would not be available until the next week.

Later, Doug Mirell, an attorney representing the company, contacted me to say that no one would talk with me because, he said, I was a trespasser and that the company would have no other comment.

While doing a general search for Planet Antares, I found something unexpected. The company has created many business-related blogs that offer positive advice. Of course, this also allows the company to dominate its search engine rankings with its own content.

Its blogs contain headlines such as "Improving Work Ethics in the Workplace" and "Planet Antares Scam Alert on Vending Machine Frauds."

For example, one post states, "Planet Antares is providing tips and alerts to vending operators for safe vending. Follow them and stay away from scams for profitable vending business."

Amid the company's own postings, I found only two active consumer review websites with feedback about the company.

TrustLink Community, affiliated with the BBB, displays these recent comments from unnamed writers: "We are $28K in debt for two machines that are making nothing like the amount of money we were assured they would make," one writes.

"My poor friend bought five of these machines, Only one of them after six months has been placed," another writes.

A third: "After getting fed up, I wanted to return the machines, and they did not allow me to do so."

On the same post, there were three other comments promoting the company's position. Each was written in a similar style and ended with an upbeat statement:

"We just have to go out and find them and work to open them and enjoy every minute of it."

"This business is the centerpiece around which our family has grown closer together."

"For me, this is my mom's retirement."

On another consumer website -- 800notes, Directory of Unknown Callers -- posters track the company's business conferences at various cities across the U.S. -- from Pennsylvania to Florida, California, Alabama, Indiana, Hawaii and Texas.

In Fort Worth, as I was escorted out of the hotel that day, a Planet Antares employee who wouldn't give his name explained: "We have to be careful. We've got competition. They're out there for our information."

As we should be, too, before making any investments.

The Watchdog column appears Fridays and Sundays.

Dave Lieber, 817-685-3830

Twitter @DaveLieber

Just to let everyone know the company filed for bankruptcy last month.