Sponsored by..

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Scam: "North American Program Planning and Policy Academy (NAPPPA)"

NOTE: You can find out who was operating NAPPPA here

Fake seminars are an unusual way of scamming money from people, but this one appears to be such a pitch.

Using the domains napppa.org, napppaweb.com, napppanetwork.com, napppanetwork.org and napppa.com the "North American Program Planning and Policy Academy (NAPPPA)" claims to have been around for 50 years, but it only seems to have gotten around to registering its domains in the past two months with anonymous registrations. A Google search comes up with nothing but these recently registered websites and some spam, so it certainly appears that this is a wholly bogus outfit.

In this case the email is routed via 96.43.142.170 in the US, which also hosts napppanetwork.com.

Update: these emails appear to be originating from 173.55.115.38, a Verizon customer in Hacienda Heights, California (near Los Angeles).

From: NAPPPA Announcements <announcements@napppanetwork.com>
Date: 15 February 2011 14:40
Subject: Strategy Session: Academic Research Funding (April 25-26, 2011: Seattle University, Seattle, WA)
Signed by: napppanetwork.com

The North American Program Planning and Policy Academy (NAPPPA) will be sponsoring an Academic Research Funding Strategy Session at Seattle University in Seattle, WA on April 25-26, 2011.  Interested science, technology, and medical professionals, researchers, faculty, and graduate students should register as soon as possible, as demand means that seats will fill up quickly. Please forward, post, and distribute this e-mail to your colleagues and listservs.

For more information call (800) 649-6522 or visit The NAPPPA website at http://www.napppaweb.com.

Please find the program description below:

As a response to increased demand and competition for academic research funding support and training, as well as the high cost of many programs, we offer this two day strategy session through the proposal writing and development process. This strategy features two modules: 1) Practicum I: Focusing on the format and structure of the successful research funding proposal, this module provides attendees with an overview of each part of the research funding proposal, avenues for researching available grant programs, and concludes with fundamental proposal writing techniques. 2) Practicum II: Drawing from practical exercises and techniques developed in Practicum I and the Pre-Session coursework, participants are guided through the completion of a Research Funding Dossier, which acts as the culminating work product of the session.
This session is ideal for the researcher with a targeted program, but is equally effective for those who can identify their research interests. Completion of the Pre-Session Interview and Assignments is essential to program success and value.


Academic Research Funding Strategy Session  will cover the following topics:

* Fundamentals of the Research Funding Proposal Process
* Basic Elements of the Standard Research Proposal
* Essentials of Researching Funding Opportunities
* Types of Research Funding Opportunities
* Online Tools and Traditional Publications for Research
* Successful Proposal Writing Techniques
* The Do's and Don'ts of Proposal Writing
* The Strategic Grant Acquisition Effort

Tuition for this two day strategy session is $398.00.

    Strategy Session Registration

    1. Participants tentatively reserve a seat online at www.napppaweb.com, by calling the Program Office toll-free at (800) 649-6522, or by sending their name and contact information via email to registrar@napppaweb.com.

    2. A confirmation email is sent to registrants that includes session site information, travel information, program description, and details on how to confirm attendance and make payment arrangements. An invoice and agency W9 is also included.

    3. Upon attendance confirmation, registrants will receive (usually via email) a Pre-Session packet that will include 1) a Pre-Session Interview, 2) A Pre-Session Reading Packet, 3) Three exercises to be completed, 4) a Session Agenda and Schedule, and 5) a receipt.



You have received this invitation due to specific educational affiliation. We respect your privacy and want to ensure that interested parties are made aware of NAPPPA strategy sessions and schedules. This is intended to be a one-time announcement. In any event, you should not receive any more announcements unless there is a program next year in your area. To be unlisted from next year's announcement, send an email to remove@napppaweb.com and write "Unlist" in the subject line.

The (800) 649-6522 number comes up on Google quite often, and should probably serve as a warning if you ever see it in an email. Avoid.

Update 17/5/11: there's been a lot of interest in this "Academy", so here are some more details

The napppa.org domain is registered to a presumably rented box at "Mailboxes & More" in Los Angeles.

Registrant Name:Program Director
Registrant Organization:NAPPPA
Registrant Street1:655 S Flower Street
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Los Angeles
Registrant State/Province:CA
Registrant Postal Code:90017
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.7602023597
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:cadiyadvisor@gmail.com


You can see the store here (note the "655" number on the left door)


View Larger Map

Most of the other domains are anonymised, apart from napppa.com which is also registered to what appears to be a box in at Wilshire Mailbox in LA.

Programs, NPPPA  cadiyadvisor@gmail.com
    5042 Wilshire Boulevard Ste 15699
    Los Angeles, CA 90017
    US
    +1.7602023597

There is also a new anonymised domain called napppaprograms.org that is in use.

Update:  two new anonymous domains have emerged, napppanet1.org (212.38.176.159) and napppanet2.org (69.57.166.88). These appear to be used for sending spam mail.

Update:  as of August 2011, these spam emails are still continuing:


From: NAPPPA Announcements idaho@napppanet1.org
Date: 7 August 2011 22:15
Subject: Strategy Session: Program Planning, Evaluation, and Proposals (August 18 - 19, 2011: University of Idaho - Boise)

The North American Program Planning and Policy Academy will be conducting the Program Planning, Evaluation, and Proposals Strategy Session at University of Idaho - Boise in Boise, Idaho on August 18 - 19, 2011.  Interested development professionals, researchers, faculty, and graduate students should register as soon as possible, as demand means that seats will fill up quickly. Please forward, post, and distribute this e-mail to your colleagues and listservs.
For more information call (800) 649-6522 or visit The NAPPPA website at http://napppaPROGRAMS.org. Please find the program description below: 
The Program Planning, Evaluation, and Proposals Strategy Session  is a hands-on, intensive session that leads participants through the entire grant proposal and funding research processes. Through an intense two day practicum, participants will receive an overview of program planning concepts along with advanced writing techniques to develop successful proposals. This results-based session combines individual exercises with group collaboration to allow each participant to leave the session with a Program Planning and Funding Dossier. Exercises leading up to the dossier and organization narrative include a thorough proposal outline, completed worksheets necessary for proposal submissions, and a starting collection of publications and resources to build a development library. Strategy Sessions is designed to provide your organization with the competitive advantage necessary in our modern grants award environment.
This session is ideal for those with a targeted program, but is equally effective for those who can identify their program and funding interests. Completion of the Pre-Session Interview and Assignments is essential to program success and value. Each participant will receive a selection of funding programs tailored to their program and/or areas of interest. Participants without a program will be provided a working example during Pre-Session.

The Program Planning, Evaluation, and Proposals Strategy Session will cover the following during the two day session:

(1) Fundamentals of Program Planning

This session will teach professional program development essentials and program evaluation. While most grantsmanship  "workshops" treat program development and evaluation as separate from the writing of a proposal, this will teach students the relationship between overall program planning and proposal writing.

(2) Strategic Funding Research

At its foundation, this session will address the basics of foundation, corporation, and government grant research. However, this course will emphasize a strategic funding research approach that encourages writers to see research not as something they do before they write a proposal, but as an integrated part of the grant  seeking process. Students will be exposed to online database research tools, as well as publications and directories that contain information about foundation, corporation, and government grant opportunities. Focusing on funding sources and basic social science research, this course teaches students how to use research as part of a strategic grant  acquisition effort.

(3) Professional Proposal Writing

Designed to obtain tangible results, this session will make each student an overall proposal writing   specialist. In addition to teaching the basic components of a grant proposal, successful approaches, and the do's and don'ts of grant writing, this session is infused with expert principles that will lead to a mastery of the process. Strategy resides at the forefront of this session's intent to illustrate grant writing as an integrated, multidimensional, and dynamic endeavor. Each student will learn to stop writing the grant  and to start writing the story. Ultimately, this session will conclude with a completed proposal outline.

Tuition for this two day strategy session is $398.00.

Strategy Session Registration
1. Participants tentatively reserve a seat online at http://napppaPROGRAMS.org, by calling the Program Office toll-free at (800) 649-6522, or by sending their name and contact information via email to registrar@napppaprograms.org.
2. A confirmation email is sent to registrants that includes  session site information, travel information, program description, and details on how to confirm attendance and make payment arrangements. An invoice and agency W9 is also included.
3.Upon attendance confirmation, registrants will receive (usually via email) a Pre-Session packet that will include 1) a Pre-Session Interview, 2) A Pre- Session Reading Packet, 3) Three exercises to be completed, 4) a Session Agenda and Schedule, and 5) a receipt.

You have received this invitation due to specific educational affiliation. We respect your privacy and want to ensure that interested parties are made aware of NAPPPA strategy sessions and schedules. This is intended to be a one-time announcement. In any event, you should not receive any more announcements unless there is a program next year in your area. To be unlisted from next year's announcement, send an email to remove@napppaprograms.org and write "Unlist" in the subject line.

Mail routed via 173.254.208.137, but appears to originate from 173.55.115.38 in Hacienda_Heights, California. This is consistent with the first email

Update: 26th September 2011
ABC15 in Arizona have picked up the story. Text transcript is here, or you can see the video below.


Update: 6th October 2011:
NAPPPA has now renamed itself as NA3PA but is still pumping out the same spam.

Please share your experiences by clicking the "comments" link near the bottom of the post.

NOTE: You can find out who was operating NAPPPA here

35 comments:

Gene Diaz said...

Well,this group is either a sham or a scam. Just returned from one of their "strategy sessions" held at Harvard Law School, a high class address, and the whole group of about 16 scholars revolted and walked out on the poorly prepared and woefully underqualified presenter. She claimed to be a "substitute" for someone with family ills, so it's not clear if she was a dupe or an actress. One participant collected names and email addresses with the proposal of a group response. No word on that yet....ouch, just got stung!

Anonymous said...

Gene, colleagues of mine just attended their LA seminar & had a similar experience with the instructor. Please keep me posted on outcomes maliciav@yahoo.com. I tried Better Business Bureau, but they are not listed as a business or charity.

Anonymous said...

I followed up with a complaint to the Better Business Bureau to seek refund.

Company Information:

North American Program Planning and Policy Academy
5042 Wilshire Boulevard, 15th Floor, Ste. 15699 Los Angeles, CA 90036
Website: napppa.org; napppanetwork.com; napppanetwork.org; napppa.com; napppaweb.com
Phone: (800)649 - 6522

Complaint Text:

The advertisement of the company states that attendees will recieve: (1) Fundamentals of Program Planning, (2) Strategic Funding Research, (3) Professional Proposal Writing. The instructor of the session didn't seem familiar with the material (the order their manual was developed in), was disorganized when leading the group through the manual, and confessed to the group that she had only recieved the material herself less than a week prior. As we were being led through their process it became evident that the material we are asked to prepare in advance of coming to the workshop (our organization's collateral materials) was not going to be used. That part of the seminar was highly marketed as an important tool for success in the workshop. It is very unsettling that prior to the workshop, we were able to talk to someone, however, now that the session is over and we want to address our concerns, we get no answer. Additionally, in further looking into their various websites, it seems clear that they move around the country with their scam. The physical address that is on the invoice does not have a 15th floor, therefore, I question the validity of their business.

LeslieW said...

I am a freelance writer in Minneapolis and was contacted by NAPPA via email about serving as an instructor for one of their "strategy sessions," scheduled at the University of MN Law School in April. The contact person told me that she found my name on an online directory of technical and freelance writers. I have done some grant writing and initially considered serving as a facilitator for the session, although I was quite surprised by NAPPA's willingness to retain me without any further inquiry into my credentials. Then I took a closer look at the NAPPA website and realized it was bereft of any substance and listed no staff names or other contact people, much less anything to suggest expertise of any kind. And THEN i googled the group and found this website, which thoroughly spooked me. I declined the job. While I could probably facilitate a brief, entry-level grantwriting session, I don't know how NAPPA would have known that from the very limited information they had about me. And there's no way I was qualified to conduct a two-day seminar that purported to offer the level of expertise promised in the course description.

Becky said...

I wound up taking the class in Minneapolis. I have taught grant writing workshops for several years, so it wasn't a stretch for me to do it. Looking back, a lot of things didn't add up, but I kept thinking since it was being held at the U, it must be ok. The check they wrote to me bounced, the certificate of insurance they issued to the U was made up, and the address they used on the certificate belongs to an insurance agent who lost his license in 2008. I've filed a report with the California attorney general, as well as with the insurance commission because issuing a false insurance policy is a felony. Fortunately, for the participants in the class, they didn't get ripped off as far as the content goes because I used my own materials for the class, but after all was said and done, it was clear NAPPPA wasn't expecting to have someone qualified to teach the class. Unknowingly, I messed up their plans from that perspective, but what they are doing is just wrong.

Kay said...

I am so sorry I didn't look into this more carefully. I just finished their "2 day" seminar in Anchorage, and it didn't even last that long. It was 6 hours the first day, and 1.5 hours the second day. The instructor was probably a reasonably good grant writer, but she didn't know the material at all and didn't even know what a SWOT analysis was. A total waste.

kpalmer said...

Thanks for posting on this, they just sent us an email and my supervisor was getting very excited about sending me, but with our tight budget, it's good to know we won't be wasting it on this!

Kati Campbell said...

Katherine Campbell

July 15th, 2011
So they've moved up to Canada. I am a professional grant writer, and was approached to teach this. Thank you for alerting me and saving me from a very nasty experience. Actually a job counselor suggested I reply to their add. No wonder when I tried to find them on the net, Google kept sending me connections to auto parts companies! At least I didn't send them a resume as requested.

E. McReynolds said...

A group of us got ripped this past weekend with the instructor having food poisoning. They hung up on one of our group and haven't returned emails or calls. I don't know how they do business if they don't answer their phone. We walked out after no instruction after 11 hours for a 24 day course. We called police but they said it's a civil case. NAPPPA said they would reimburse us but haven't so far.

Anon said...

I am located in Raleigh NC and responded to an ad several days ago on Craigs List requesting a grant writing instructor for an upcoming event. I received a reply from Patty Jones who asked me if I was available to teach the course on July 26th & 27th at NC State University because the instructor had backed out due to "personal issues." She attached the curriculum for the course. I responded that I was indeed available on those dates but expressed concern at mastering such an intensive two day course curriculum in only three days. It seemed wiser to me to postpone the course since students were paying for a prepared professional. Ms. Jones responded attaching a contract (stating I would be paid 2 weeks after the class had been taught) along with a student roster, a confidentiality form and venue information. At this point my radar went up since she was willing to hire me without so much as a phone call much less a reference check. I noticed she was writing from a gmail address rather than a company domain. None of the website addresses listed were functional. I did a Google search and thankfully found this blog!

I then confronted Ms. Jones with the blog post and told her I would sending it to the students on the course roster along with the University. She did not respond but called from a California area code & left a voicemail accusing me of being friends with people commenting on this blog and that she would take legal action if I tried to stop her classes and that she had already started legal action against one of the posters on this blog because she had compensated the person for the bad check and they had not mentioned that fact in their post. She accused me of being friends with this person.

I responded via email telling her that I was not going to "stop" her classes, I was merely going to send people a link to public information and let them decide for themselves. I said that if she was indeed a legitimate business owner that she should not have anything to worry about. I then googled the names on the student roster (no contact info was provided) and found all but one. I sent an email today explaining the situation and providing a link to your blog. Hopefully students will be able to charge back the credit card fees in advance of the class. Students who have already taken the class probably dont have much luck with a chargeback since the company probably argues that the student did indeed take the class.

Anyway, thank you SO much for providing this helpful post and likewise to all those who commented and shared their experience. You saved me and hopefully many others from getting burned. I dont think of myself as naive and would not fall for a phishing scam asking for my password but this company has taken scamming to a new level playing off the credibility of the University name. I see that they have upcoming classes scheduled at Florida State University (my graduate school) and I plan to contact them tomorrow with a warning and link to your blog. Thanks again!

Anon said...

Also, for those of you trying to obtain refunds or take legal action I wanted to provide you with the contact information for Patty Jones. She claimed on the voicemail to be the business owner and I could tell from the background noise that she was calling from her cellphone.
(213) 249-6569
napppaweb@gmail.com

If anyone would like copies of the emails she sent to me which have the course curriculum, contract, confidentiality agreement, etc. please let me know and I will forward those to you.

You may also want to consider sending this blog link to any organization, clubs, groups of which you are a member that consist of your faculty colleagues. You can also post a complaint on www.Ripoffreport.com

I know it isn't much consolation to those of you who have already been burned but at the very least we can spread the word and potentially prevent others from falling prey to this. Good luck!

Becky said...

I am the person to whom Patty is probably referring. The problem with her comment about "compensating" me is that it is yet another one of their lies. The check bounced three times, and they repeatedly ignored my requests to replace it. I even have proof that they signed for a letter I sent by registered mail, but they still failed to respond to it or even acknowledge the demand for payment. I finally did get my money - in spite of them, not because of them. I took the bounced check to US Bank and set up an account to cash it there. It was just a fluke that the account had money in it, because the email I have that I will show everyone upon request, tells me that the payment was "just made on the wrong account", but it also goes on to say that they would be reimbursing me for the money "soon".

Before I was able to cash it at US Bank (the bank the check was written on), I went to the California Attorney General. They blew them off twice, and when the AG's office finally did get somebody to answer the phone, they were lied to twice.

By saying they will pay you two weeks later, they make it clear they have no intention of paying you at all.

Their domain nappppa.org was originally hosted by Quicken. I went to Quicken and showed them the documentation I have, and you will notice Quicken shut them down.

Keep reporting them to the California AG's office. I have been sending info to the LA Times, as well as US Bank (they write their checks on a US Bank account).

Another thing to do is when you find out the venue, contact the venue and let them know it is a scam. I have information I can send the venue, too.

Anon said...

Becky
Thanks for the follow up information. I can't imagine how she can possibly stay in business with these sort of ethics and behaviors. It's a house of cards and eventually it will catch up with her. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Please call me if you get a chance,I would like to discuss any venues you have notified and the attorney general reporting procedures so that I can pass along the applicable information to those who are interested. (919) 397-2976

Carol said...

I had the same experience as many of you. I have a management consulting firm that specializes in nonprofits. In the past, I have taught grantwriting, so I was not surprised to get a call asking me to teach this class. The curriculum was a mess, and very disorganized. That should have tipped me off! At the last minute, they changed the venue of the class to the Embassy Suites hotel in Phoenix. This was marketed as professional development, and being taught on the ASU campus. They have never paid the instructor's bill, which they promised to pay within 7 days after the class. When I found this blog, I knew I had been right all along. We had been dupped! The worst part was that the poor students paid for this class, thinking it was something it was not! I contacted the President's office at ASU, the Arizona Attorney General's office, and I will be in contact with the California Attorney General's office, as well. I ALSO CONTACTED an investigative reporter, Joe Ducey, at ABC Channel 15 here in Phoenix. He will be arriving with a camera to tape information on this organization, and it will appear on the evening news! The more we do, the sooner we get these people where they belong! We have to get the word out! Thanks for your blog!!!

Anon said...

Thanks Carol for sharing this, what a great idea to contact an investigative reporter. I just received a call from a woman in Chicago who said she was registered for the class scheduled for next week at Loyola University. Thanks to this blog post and all the comments she called her credit card company and charge back the $597 class fee and also said she would be calling the University as well. So just speaking up really can make a difference. Based on the class roster for Raleigh, NAPPPA is making about $14,000 per class...and yet they are not even paying the $1,000 fee promised to the instructor for two days of work! All I can hope is that someone will shut these people down before they can do too much more damage.

Becky said...

Patty and her band of thieves should not be able to ge away with this crap. EVERYONE should be reporting them. Even if you don't end up taking the class, the site should be notified, as well as the California Attorney general and the AG of the state where the workshop is scheduled.

NAPPPA doesn't put the sites on their website any more because I started contacting them all. However, when anyone knows of a site, please notify the site and tell the site to verify that the certificate of insurance is legitimate.

Here's the link to the California Attorney General's office

http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general.php

When the AG's office or any other person involved in law enforcement gets the urge to pat you on the head and make it about being your responsibility to get your money back, remind them that whether or not you get your money back, it's still supposed to be against the law to rip people off.

Send a note to Governor Brown, too, and ask him why it is ok for these people to do business this way.
http://gov.ca.gov/

Then go after the companies that are supporting them:

Tell the office of the comptroller of the currency that US Bank is complicit in this fraud. I have reported them to US Bank (where NAPPPPA has their account), and I have a voicemail from some manager that they don't care how a company does business. However, when they know fraud is taking place and they don't address it, in my opinion, they are helping the fraud to continue.
http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/complaints/index-file-a-bank-complaint.html

If you want to fax anything to anyone, www.faxzero.com will let you fax for free over the internet

Becky said...

I just checked all of the websites listed here and none of them are active any more.

While that's good news because it means someone with the ability to do something has noticed.

However, it likely means they aren't going to give up that easily. It's been their history that when they have been caught in one lie, they make up another.

So, in all reality, they will continue, but probably use a different name.

Unknown said...

Hi,
They have moved up into Canada to continue their scam - I know because I am one of the latest dummies. I facilitated a session at the University of BC in July and haven't been paid. Patty is no longer taking my calls. I will be calling on the RCMP fraud squad for help and email to Califonis Attorney General...but have resigned myself to the fact that I just have donated a week of hard work to a band of thieves. I am diappointed in myself that I didn't spot this blog when I did my initial research, allowed myself to overlook some obvious irregularities, and got suckered in even though the retainer I had requested never arrived (afterall how could I walk out the class on the morning of day two when the were waiting?). I did try to post warnings on the Ottawa and Boise Craiglist positngs that I spotted, but they were removed the next day. I guess Craislist doesn't care about fraud.

desofb said...

I received an email from them on 8/13 for a "seminar" that will be held at the University of Utah 8/25-26. They are still out there.

Kati Campbell said...

I was contacted to teach the course in July at UBC in Vancouver, Canada; after I found Dynamo's blog site on the company, I declined further communication with them. I posted here about my experience. I am so very sorry to hear now that the course went ahead and took place with another person duped into teaching the course on the same dates I was contacted to teach, with yet another set of students also out their money. Is there no responsibility on the part of universities to check out the legality of 'courses' taught on or through their campuses?

Emily said...

They are scheduled to have a workshop at St. Louis University Aug 30-31. My organization was considering sending a couple of staff members - luckily I stumbled across this blog (probably because when the website wouldn't work I just googled thier name and this came up 1st!)

I contacted the university and forwarded them the link to this blog and the orginal email that we recieved from NAPPPA.

Thank you to everyone who posted information - you saved us from getting burned by these guys!

sally said...

i too was scammed at the end of June in Australia - i was the trainer and was not paid and now have lost all contact with them. however i did make some great contacts with my participants in the course and i am now planning to run more courses like this - but this time the profits will go to me!

Citygal said...

I received one of their emails today. It was the second... Unfortunately I opened it. But I decided to look into the organization before biting. Whew.

Thank you for blogging about this group.

I am sorry you got taken, but have you-all gone to the reputable groups (Foundation Center, etc) and asked them to post warnings about scams? I don't think there is enough on the web about them.

Becky said...

http://napppaprograms.org/

They're back....

Becky said...

webmail@da.lacounty.gov

Here's the email address to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Send them an email outlining your experiences, and then be sure to ask them why it is ok with them that NAPPPA is still in business?

Kory.Vossoughi@ActiveNetwork.com is another one everyone should contact. He is the VP for business development and legal counsel for Active Network. Active Network provides the registration piece on NAPPPA's website. The ironic thing is that in order to work for Active Network, you have to sign an ethics agreement that says all business transactions must be above board and ethical. They even have an internal whistleblowing system for their own employees to report each other. Ask him why, if their own company has an ethics policy, they take money from a company that clearly has no ethics or morals.

robert said...

Hello, I've read the comments involving NAPPPA. I'm a writer working a story involving them and would appreciate any information you have. I'm most interested in talking with teachers or hotel managers who did not get paid. I'm trying to find where the seminars took place in the various cities and if anybody knows more about their whereabouts. Thanks, Robert
robertjoseph@yahoo.com

a.m.t. said...

I just got an email from them advertising a 2 day seminar ("Master Course") in Portland, OR.

Maria said...

We received an email yesterday for their "Professional Program Development and Funding Certification" in Richmond, VA from October 26-28.

Joe Ducey said...

My name is Joe Ducey. I'm an investigative reporter with ABC15 in Phoenix, Az. I'm working on a story involving NAPPPA. it came to my attention from a teacher who says she didn't get paid. You'll see her comment in a previous entry. I'm trying to find how many of these courses NAPPPA has put on around the country. I count at least 18 with many more planned. Also, who else didn't get paid? Were most of these catered to non-profit groups as happened here? Were locations changed from schools to hotels as happened here? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Joe Ducey jducey@abc15.com

Joe Ducey said...

Becky, I have a post earlier about a story I'm working on for ABC15 in Phoenix. Can you get in touch with me. I have a question about the checks. You can email me at jducey@abc15.com or call me at 602-685-6346. Thanks, Joe

Sally said...

It's time to add my story to all the others. I unexpectedly lost my job in July and was so pleased to see an ad on Craigslist seeking someone to teach a 2-day grant writing class. I replied to the ad, was sent an extensive application & questionnaire which I spent several hours completing. I received a phone call telling me I was hired and was thrilled ... foolish me. I signed a contract and received the materials the day before the class; the materials were rudimentary and unprofessional. I taught the class at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and did the best I could with the poor content I was given. There's more angst and drama to the story, but the bottom line is that after the class Strategy Sessions stopped returning my emails and phone calls, and I have never been paid.

Conrad Longmore said...

I did some research at the end of last year about those people who were running NAPPPA, the information I found is here.

Anon said...

Wow Conrad, I am very impressed with your detailed work. I encourage everyone to read what he discovered about this company and who is behind it. This information definitely needs to be in the hands of victims who can pass it along to law enforcement. Kudos to you for digging so deep and finding out all of this helpful information!

Phoenixgirl said...

I'm the latest sucker who was approached by Patty Jones to teach a class in Philadelphia at the a University of Philadelphia no less. After reading all of this am quite surprised that these people are still in operation in 2014. If anyone wants to contact me (347)225-2290. This has to stop. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I have to be one of the people in the courtroom when this American Greed Ring goes down. I guess they don't watch the show to see how all of this type of activity ends. You can't hurt thousands of people and live happily ever after, it just doesn't go like that. There is a cosmic(universal) debt that has to be paid. I don't know how they sleep at night with all the negative energy they have projected towards them.

Conrad Longmore said...

@Phoenixgirl: my personal opinion is that this is a criminal enterprise. Getting the police involved is a good idea if you can get them interested, however I don't think they ever turn up to any of these seminars themselves. it's very much a "hands-off" affair.