Hilltop Records review: Rip-Off 1

I chuckled as I read scam reports regarding HillTop Records that were submitted by various, unfortunate victims. I, too, received a letter from them the exact same day that I received one of my copyright certificates from the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. My husband, who, not that it means anything, is an attorney, said that a list of copyrights issued is published, and anyone can access it, so you know that some employee at HillTop's sole job description is to grab the list, and start sending out form letters signed by Tom Hartman, Executive Producer of HillTop Records. Of course I was thrilled, but when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. I even wrote Tom back saying how skeptical I was with his proposal, and asked him how he got my name. He wrote back indicating something to the effect that my work was read by one of three people they rely upon, basically as talent scouts, and that person gave my name to HillTop. I know someone who is a licensed private investigator and I asked him to do a search on both HillTop and Tom Hartman. He called me within an hour and told me I should save the money on his investigator's fee. All I had to do was Google HillTop. Duh, why didn't I think of that first? I often tell me husband that when he is considering representing a potential client (especially for a civil case), he should Google him. The one time my husband got major-league scammed by a client, was because he did not do this. This client walked into my husband's office, beautifully dressed, manicured nails, top-of-the-line attache case and lap top, and was a phenomenally articulate speaker. He was the whole package. But had my husband Googled this person, he would have seen all of the bilking this man has done in his lifetime. A real grifter . There was every possibility that he would scam his attorney, too. Which is exactly what happened. My husband never received all of the money due from this client (he did receive a moderate amount, just to keep the scam continuing - but nowhere near what he was due). Poetic justice . . . this former client is now serving time in prison now that his past has caught up with him and no attorney would represent him. He is strictly a
"white-collar" type of guy who lived in mansions (we had dinner with him in one of them), drove the fanciest cars, ate at the best restaurants, lavished gifts on his wife, etc., so I don't think he feels particularly comfortable sitting in a small prison cell. Anyway, my point is I never got as far as doing any business with HillTop because I was so questionable about them all along, and then approached my investigator, who generously advised me that all I had to do was Google them and I would have my concerns confirmed. To anybody who took the time to read this diatribe, please check out any "pot-of-gold-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow" deals before you get involved. I feel a little silly that I didn't follow my own advice that I gave to my husband, and Google HillTop before I even considered calling my investigator, but now I know what to do if any similar situations arise again. It's as easy as accessing the Google website. Thanks for listening.