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Showing posts with label NAPPPA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NAPPPA. Show all posts

Monday 23 January 2017

WARNING: pmacademyusa.org / "Project Management Academy USA"

For the past six years I have been following the exploits of Patchree "Patty" Patchrint and Anthony Christopher Jones who claim to run a series of seminars on project management and grant writing. Umm.. and failed restaurants in Los Angeles. I'm not going to repeat all of the information in this post, I advise you to read the whole story.

This latest scheme is a quite snazzy-looking website at  www.pmacademyusa.org called "Project Management Academy USA".

The website may look professional, but it is simply done using the WIX website builder:


You'll notice that the site supplies no information at all about who runs it. However a useful tip alerted me to the site, which is basically a more glitzy version of the Institute of Project Management America from a few years back, including this lazy example of copypasta:

About Project Management Academy USA
At Project Management Academy USA, our programs are led by practitioners-working professionals who are experts in the process of maximizing results using professional project management practices. Modern industry needs results driven professionals who are focused on a disciplined dedication to effective project management from initiation to closing. We strive to combine real-world scenarios, actual case-studies, with the knowledge provided by PMI and academic foundations to create certified project managers who are prepared for further certification and credential. Our programs are ultra-foundational, meaning they ensure attainment of the universal basics of project management, prepare participants for certification exams, and provide the advantage of our mastery components, which are unique to our programs and are followed by a Masters designation.
They currently advertise courses running in the following locations:
January 17-20, 2017
University of Southern California
8:00am to 5:00pm

February 21-24, 2017
University of Miami
8:00am to 5:00pm

February 28 - March 3, 2017
University of Texas at Austin
8:00am to 5:00pm

March 21-24, 2017
University of California Berkeley
8:00am to 5:00pm

March 28-31, 2017
University of Chicago
8:00am to 5:00pm
Funnily enough, the venue seems to be changed at the last minute from the prestigious university it was advertised at to some other location in the rough vicinity. And also, at the last moment the person who was meant to be teaching the course is substituted at the last moment for someone who has to fill in and mysteriously seems to have problems getting paid (if this is you then please add a comment below).

If you have doubts about the quality of these causes, I urge you to read the posts and especially the comments that go with them. Those are not my words, but the words of the people unfortunate enough to either pay for a course or who turn up to teach.


Saturday 7 May 2016

WARNING: projmanagementintl.org / "Project Management International" aka Patty Patchrint and Anthony Christopher Jones

I blogged about "Project Management International" last year, an outfit running (in my personal opinion) fake or low-quality seminars, at that time using the domain projectmanagementinternational.org.

This outfit is run by Anthony Christopher Jones and Patchree "Patty" Patchrint (aka Patty Jones) from California. I've written about this oufit several times in the past five years, but it turns out that Jones and Patchrint have been running similar schemes since 2008.

In 2011 ABC15 news in Arizona investigated a previous incarnation of these scheme, named "NAPPPA"...


These Jones / Patchrint operations seem to pop up from time to time and then disappear, usually after being exposed for what they are. This latest iteration of the fake "Project Management International" organisation uses the domain projmanagementintl.org. It's a flashy-looking site, but really it is just made from a standard template.


The "Registration" page lists some prestigious universities as hosting these courses.


From what I can tell, the usual thing that happens is that at the last minute the location is changed to a nearby hotel or conference centre, and it seems that no booking are ever made with the university. All feedback on the courses seems to indicate that they are all of very poor quality. There are numerous reports that the people hired to teach these courses are also not paid as promised.

The courses themselves are advertised through spam email (example here)

The Project Management Fundamentals Course  will be offered May 25-27, 2016 at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Project management professionals, business and technology professionals, students, and educators are invited to register at the Project Management International website here .

May 25-27, 2016
Salt Lake City, Utah
8:00am - 5:00pm
The Project Management Fundamentals Course  is designed for those seeking professional project management certification. It serves as a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of project management. Those seeking additional credentials such as the PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® will benefit from this dynamic and interactive work session, while those currently holding credentials will find the certification to be an enhancement as well as the most up to date advanced professional development.  

Project Management Fundamentals Course provides 24 hours of project management education hours for both PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. Additionally, the Master Certification provides 24 Professional Development Units (PDUs) for current holders of PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® credentials. Additionally, the program awards 2.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon request. 

Program Description

Our certificate program teaches technical and business professionals how to master the critical skills of project management techniques as part of their technical career development.

The skills developed in the Project Management Fundamentals Course apply to large and small projects, product design and development efforts, construction projects, IT projects, software development, and any project with critical performance, time, and budget targets.  

Our approach to project management education offers proven, results-focused learning.

Courses are developed and facilitated by professional subject experts with extensive industrial experience. Course emphasis is on providing practical skills and tools supported by relevant case examples.

Tuition

Tuition for the three-day Project Management Fundamentals Course is $595.00

Program Schedule and Content
1. Project Initiation, Costing, and Selection, Day 1
2. Project Organization and Leadership, Day 1 
3. Detailed Project Planning, Day 2 
4. Project Monitoring and Control, Day 2
5. Project Risk and Stakeholder Management, Day 3

Benefits
·   A Project Management International Certificate of Accomplishment is awarded upon completion of the three day program. ·    Our instructors have extensive industrial experience. They focus on providing you with practical skills and tools using relevant case examples.·   Each class is highly focused and promotes maximum interaction.·   You can network with other project management professionals from a variety of industries.·   Earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) for maintenance of certification under the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Program.·    Applicants for PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will receive 24 project management education hours towards the requirements for eligibility.

Registration

Participants may reserve a seat online at the Project Management International website , by calling the Program Office toll-free at (888) 201-6372, or by sending their name and contact information via email to the Program Registrar .

Upon receiving your registration, a confirmation email is sent to registrants that include session site information, travel information, program description, and details on how to confirm attendance and make payment arrangements.



To unsubscribe from this mailing list, simply reply to this message and write EXCLUDE to be removed from future notices.



Contact numbers listed on the spamvertised site are:

Toll Free: (888) 201-6372
Phone: (213) 222-6855
Fax:   (855) 420-6217


If you see these telephone numbers on other seminar sites, then it will be the same operation. The site quotes a PO box as a contact address but reveals no other information about this so-called corporation.

Project Management International
PO BOX 812112
Los Angeles, California 90081


If you feel you have been scammed by this operation then I urge you to report it to the police, FBI, FTC or your local AG's Office. If you would like to share your experiences (positive or negative) then please feel free to use the Comments section below.

Sunday 30 August 2015

WARNING: projectmanagementinternational.org / "Project Management International" aka Patty Jones and Anthony Christopher Jones

"Project Management International" (projectmanagementinternational.org) appears to be another website run by Patty Jones (aka Patchree Patchrint) and Anthony Christopher Jones of California.

These so-called training courses run by the Joneses are promoted through spam and have a terrible reputation. One BBB report for a previous incarnation of this scheme sums up many of the complaints that I have seen:

Grant Funding USA advertised a 3-day grant writing workshop for non-profit professionals to be held November 12-14 at the Georgetown Law School campus in Washington DC. The course was described as an overview of the grant writing process and concluding with a certificate in professional grant writing. The cost was $495. My organization paid the fee, I received a confirmation email. I received a credit card authorization letter requesting authorization; we completed and submitted it. I spoke with an individual over the phone confirming my registration. I received a registration packet (about 15 pages) with suggestions for preparation and materials to bring to the course. On the first day, November 12, I arrived at Georgetown Law at 8 AM. The guard was unaware of our course and was working on figuring out where we needed to be (there were 7 other students). After about 45 minutes, we all received an email from the organization Grant Funding USA that said our instructor had fallen ill and they were working on securing a substitute instructor to start the class by the afternoon.At 1pm, we received an email from the same email address saying that they were unable to secure a substitute for Wednesday, but class would begin promptly at 8am on Thursday. I called the number for the organization multiple times and continually got their voicemail. On Thursday, November 13 at 8AM, I arrived at Georgetown again, and found the other students in the lobby upset and confused. The guard was unaware of the course and said he had no information for us. He directed me to the Georgetown Student Life office (who would have been responsible for securing the space). They informed me that Georgetown has never heard of Grant Funding USA nor has a relationship with them. There was no workshop scheduled to be held on their campus. Grant Funding USA has not answered my numerous calls or emails. Other participants fooled by this scam were from Smithsonian Institute and State Gov't of New Jersey.
This story seems to be echoed over and over again. A venue is booked at a prestigious location, but changed at the last minute. The person taking the course very often seems to be ill and doesn't turn up. Sometimes an ill-prepared substitute teacher is found, but has difficulty being paid. Calls to the so-called institute are either not answered or met with hostility. Read the comments for more stories such as this.

On to this particular scheme called "Project Management International" which should not be confused with many reputable organisations of a similar name, using the domain projectmanagementinternational.org which just frames another site at ipmam862026.sitebuilder.name.com. The "ipma" part of the name is significant as I will mention later. The site is promoted through spam email such as the one found here:

Project Management Certification Course (July 28-31, 2015: University of Southern California)

The Project Management Certification Course will be offered July 28 - 31, 2015 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA . Project management professionals, business and technology professionals, students, and educators are invited to register at the Project Management International website here .

July 28 - 31, 2015
University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

The PMCC is designed for those seeking professional project management certification. It serves as both a thorough professional education and recognized certification. Those seeking additional credentials such as the PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® will benefit from this dynamic and interactive work session, while those currently holding credentials will find the certification to be an enhancement as well as the most up to date advanced professional development. 

Project Management Masters Certification program provides 36 hours of project management education, meeting education requirements for both PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. Additionally, the Master Certification provides 36 Professional Development Units (PDUs) for current holders of PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® credentials.

The program meets the education requirement for all professional designations through the Project Management Institute and other professional agencies. Additionally, the program awards 3.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon request.

Program Description

Our certificate program teaches technical and business professionals how to master the critical skills of project management techniques as part of their technical career development.

The skills developed in the Project Management Masters Certification program apply to large and small projects, product design and development efforts, construction projects, IT projects, software development, and any project with critical performance, time, and budget targets. 

Our approach to project management education offers proven, results-focused learning.

Courses are developed and facilitated by professional subject experts with extensive industrial experience. Course emphasis is on providing practical skills and tools supported by relevant case examples.

Tuition

Tuition for the four-day Project Management Certification Course is $995.00

Program Schedule and Content
1. Project Initiation, Costing, and Selection, Day 1
2. Project Organization and Leadership, Day 2
3. Detailed Project Planning, Day 2 and 3
4. Project Monitoring and Control, Day 3 and 4
5. Project Risk and Stakeholder Management, Day 4 

Benefits
·   A Project Management International Certificate of Accomplishment is awarded upon completion of the four day program of five courses. Completion letters are given for each course.
·   Our instructors have extensive industrial experience. They focus on providing you with practical skills and tools using relevant case examples.
·   Each class is highly focused and promotes maximum interaction.
·   You can network with other project management professionals from a variety of industries.
·   Earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) for maintenance of certification under the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Program.
·    Applicants for PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will have met all education requirements for eligibility.

Registration

Participants may reserve a seat online at the Project Management International website, by calling the Program Office toll-free at (800) 288-8387, or by sending their name and contact information via email to the Program Registrar .

Upon receiving your registration, a confirmation email is sent to registrants that include session site information, travel information, program description, and details on how to confirm attendance and make payment arrangements.

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, simply reply to this message and write EXCLUDE to be removed from future notices.

The site is generic looking but fairly smart:


It lists some upcoming courses:
August 25 - 28, 2015: University of Houston
September 22- 25, 2015: University of Miami
October 6-9, 2015: University of Southern California  

The domain was registered on May 20th 2015 to an anonymous registrant. The site itself lists no contact details on the Contact page:


It appears to be using an email address of "info@projectmanagementinternational.org" for correspondence, but a look at the underlying HTML tells a different story:
<h4> If you have any additional questions, simply email us directly at  <a href="mailto:info@grantfundingusa.org?subject=ContactUS"> </a> <a href="mailto:grantfundingusa@gmail.com?subject=Contact+Us" target="_self" title="info@thefundinginstitute.org">info@projectmanagementinternational.org </a>  and our coordinators will respond to you directly.  </h4>
The underlying code references both info@grantfundingusa.org and grantfundingusa@gmail.com (the organisation mentioned in the BBB report I mentioned earlier) and which is the same site I warned about a year ago. The only other contact details on the site are a telephone number of 800-288-8387.

The "About Project Management page" features some generic text about Project Management:


The text is almost identical to the defunct website Institute of Program Management America (IPMA) that I mentioned last year. If you remember, this new website also uses "IPMA" in its underlying URL (ipmam862026.sitebuilder.name.com) which also links the two schemes. A RipOffReport for IPMA also shows the same pattern as before.

There is little doubt that this is the same scheme as mentioned in all my previous posts on the activities of Jones and Patchrint. My personal recommendation is that you give this "Project Management International" a very wide berth, and if you feel that you have been defrauded then you would be doing a lot of people a favour if your pursued them aggressively. Also, if you have any positive (or negative) experiences then sharing them in the Comments would be appreciated.

Thursday 6 August 2015

Spam: "The Funding Institute" / thefundinginstitute.org and fundinginstitute.org, Patchree Patchrint and Anthony Christopher Jones (yet again)

"The Funding Institute" (using the domains thefundinginstitute.org and fundinginstitute.org) is yet another highly questionable site set up by Patchree (Patty) Patchrint and Anthony Christopher Jones of California, who I have covered on this blog several times before (tip: the comments for many of those posts are very interesting if you are doing research).

A tip from "Jimmy" in this post reveals a new name for the scheme, simply called "The Funding Institute" and although apparently using the domain thefundinginstitute.org, it is actually hosted on a crappy free website at fundinginstitute.myfreesites.net.



I haven't personally received spam about this one, but it is not hard to find examples [1] [2] [3] [4] and the one from discard.email is the most interesting (I copy it here in its entirety):

The Funding Institute is offering the Grant Funding and  Proposal Writing Essentials Course
 to be held in New York, New York on the campus of The State University of New York from July 15-17, 2015. 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.

All participants will receive certification in professional Grant writing. For more information call (213) 347-4899 or visit The Funding Institute website.

Please find the program description below:

The Funding Institute's
Grant Funding and  Proposal Writing Essentials Course will be held in New York, New Yorkon the campus of the The State University of New YorkJuly 15-17, 20158:00 AM - 5:00 PM
 The Grant Funding and  Proposal Writing Essentials Course
 is an intensive and detailed introduction to the process, structure, and skill of professional proposal writing. This course is characterized by its ability to act as a thorough overview, introduction, and refresher at the same time. In this course, participants will learn the entire proposal writing process and complete the course with a solid understanding of not only the ideal proposal structure, but a holistic understanding of the essential factors, which determine whether or not a
program gets funded. Through the completion of interactive exercises and activities, participants will complement expert lectures by putting proven techniques into practice. This course is designed for both the beginner looking for a thorough introduction and the intermediate looking for a refresher course that will strengthen their grant acquisition skills. This class, simply put, is designed to get results by creating professional grant proposal writers.

Participants will become competent program planning and proposal writing professionals after successful completion of the Grant Funding and  Proposal Writing Essentials Course.  In three active and informative days, students will be exposed to the art of successful grant writing practices, and led on a journey that ends with a masterful grant proposal.


The Grant Funding and  Proposal Writing Essentials Course consists of three (3) subject areas that will be completed during the three-day workshop.

(1) Fundamentals of Program Planning

This session is centered on the belief that "it's all about the program." This intensive session will teach professional program development essentials and program evaluation. While most grant writing "workshops" treat program development and evaluation as separate from the writing of a proposal, this class will teach students the relationship between overall program planning and grant writing.


(2) Proposal Writing Essentials


Designed for both the novice and experienced grant writer, this component 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 course is infused with expert principles that will lead to a mastery of the process. Strategy resides at the forefront of this course'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 class will illustrate how each component of the grant proposal represents an opportunity to use proven techniques for generating support.

(3) Funding Research


At its foundation, this course will address the basics of foundation, corporation, and government grant research. However, this course will teach a strategic funding research approach that encourages students 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 and 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.

Registration
$495.00 tuition includes all materials and certificates.

Each student will receive:
*The Funding Institute's Certificate in Professional Grant Writing
*The Guide to Successful Grant Writing
*The Grant Writer's Workbook with sample proposals, forms, and outlines

Registration Methods

1) On-Line - Complete the online registration form here and we'll send your confirmation by e-mail.

2) By Phone - Call (213) 347-4899 to register by phone. Our friendly Program Coordinators will be happy to assist you and answer your questions.

3) By E-mail - Reply to this e-mail with your name, organization, and basic contact information  and we will reserve your slot and send your Confirmation Packet.

We respect your privacy and want to ensure that interested parties are made aware of  The Funding  Institute's  programs 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 excluded  from next year's announcement, reply to this e-mail  and write "Exclude" in the subject line.

That site also lists some partly redacted email headers, I highlight the most interesting ones:

Return-Path: newyXXX@Xpma11.org
X-Original-To: ronaldwhXXXXX@Xpambog.com
Received: from raptor.ipma11.org (unknown [107.179.95.116])
by mx.discard.email (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3lMjVB6cp4z1yVV
for ronaldwhXXXXX@Xpambog.com; Thu, 9 Apr 2015 02:08:02 +0200 (CEST)
Received: (qmail 32427 invoked by uid 0); 9 Apr 2015 00:05:27 -0000
Comment: DomainKeys? See http://antispam.yahoo.com/domainkeys
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws;
s=private; d=ipma11.org;
b=UvQsXfni3YL14EmWF9UY0bAUcpMT4H6jxUsnnNCEF2C9ZYEGuzlmhre4JQ7Klssu;
Received: from pool-173-55-54-221.lsanca.fios.verizon.net (HELO ipma11.org) (newyXXX@Xpma11.org@173.55.54.221)
by 107.179.95.116 with ESMTPA; 9 Apr 2015 00:05:27 -0000
From: The Funding Institute newyXXX@Xpma11.org
To: ronaldwhXXXXX@Xpambog.com
Subject: Grant Funding Essentials Course (July 15-17, 2015: The State University of New York)
Date: 08 Apr 2015 16:47:50 -0700
Message-ID: 20150408164749.086B4XXXXXXXXXXX@Xpma11.org
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 
 In those headers, the server identifies itself as "ipma11.org" which is related to this scam site operating last year. You can read a RipOffReport complaint about that scheme here, which explains what I understand of the business operation quite thoroughly. The server IP address of 107.179.95.116 (RaptorNode, Los Angeles) is also the same IP as used for the following nameservers:

ns1.ipma11.org
ns2.ipma11.org

This indicates that the email really did originate from the owners of ipma11.org (Jones and Patchrint) rather than it being a forgery. If we go further back in the email headers, we can see another IP address of 173.55.54.221 which (according to DomainTools) is in La Puente, California. According to WhitePages.com that location is consistent with the Hacienda Heights address of Patchree Patchrint.


It link her with a cellphone number of (626) 330-1793 and a potential home address of 16008 Shadybend Dr Hacienda Hts, CA 91745-2229, an address which was previously mentioned in the comments of this post.

Although their website lists a contact address of "info@thefundinginstitute.org" the underlying HTML tells a different story..
<u><a href="mailto:grantfundingusa@gmail.com" data-attached-link="{"type":"Email","url":"grantfundingusa@gmail.com","title":"grantfundingusa@gmail.com"}" class="wz-link"> info@thefundinginstitute.org</a></u>
"grantfundingusa" again connects to this post for the scammy "Institute of Project Management America" scheme. The other contact details listed on the site are a telephone number of 213-347-4899  and a fax number of 877-538-3831.

As a side note, that fax number also appears on a very similar looking but defunct site using the domain projectmanagementinternational.org  (just a forwarder to another crappy free web host at projectmanagementinternational.zohosites.com) which also lists a couple of other contact numbers of 323-813-8387 and 800-288-8387 the latter of which can be seen in this spam which is almost identical to "The Funding Institute" spam.

Another point of comparison is the similarity in design elements and wording between "The Funding Institute" and "Grant Funding USA", which uses a similar compass logo and almost exactly the same wording.

Overall, there are so many similarities between "The Funding Institute" and other schemes run by Jones and Patchrint. The complaints against these two (apart from a string of failed LA restaurants) are of courses that abruptly change locations from prestigious venues to much shabbier ones, of tutors who are recruited at the last minute and are often under-prepared (some of whom claim not to have been paid) leading to low-quality courses, and of course endless spam to promote the ever-changing names of these schemes which have an awful reputation.

I would not recommend doing business with this pair, and if you think you have been treated unfairly then I suggest you take legal advice or approach law enforcement, the BBB or regulatory authorities.


Wednesday 24 September 2014

More spam from the "Institute of Project Management America" (instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org)

I've been on the case of the individuals spamming for IPMA (and before that NAPPPA) for some time, but it is disappointing to see that they are still pushing their fake seminars such as this one..

From:     Institute of Project Management America [announcements@ipma8.org]
Date:     24 September 2014 06:36
Subject:     Project Management Masters Certification Program (October 28-31, 2014: University of Portland)
The Project Management Masters Certification Program will be offered October 28-31, 2014 in Portland, Oregon. Project management professionals, business and technology professionals, students, and educators are invited to register at the  Institute of Project Management America website here.

October 28-31, 2014
University of Portland
Portland, Oregon
 
The PMMC is designed for those seeking professional project management certification. It serves as both a thorough professional education and recognized certification. Those seeking additional credentials such as the PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® will benefit from this dynamic and interactive work session, while those currently holding credentials will find the certification to be an enhancement as well as the most up to date advanced professional development.  

Project Management Masters Certification program provides 36 hours of project management education, meeting education requirements for both PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. Additionally, the Master Certification provides 36 Professional Development Units (PDUs) for current holders of PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® credentials.

The program meets the education requirement for all professional designations through the Project Management Institute and other professional agencies. Additionally, the program awards 3.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon request. 

Program Description
Our certificate program teaches technical and business professionals how to master the critical skills of project management techniques as part of their technical career development.

The skills developed in the Project Management Masters Certification program apply to large and small projects, product design and development efforts, construction projects, IT projects, software development, and any project with critical performance, time, and budget targets.  

Our approach to project management education offers proven, results-focused learning.

Courses are developed and facilitated by professional subject experts with extensive industrial experience. Course emphasis is on providing practical skills and tools supported by relevant case examples.

Tuition

Tuition for the four-day Project Management Masters Certification program is $995.00

Program Schedule and Content
1. Project Initiation, Costing, and Selection, Day 1
2. Project Organization and Leadership, Day 2 
3. Detailed Project Planning, Day 2 and 3 
4. Project Monitoring and Control, Day 3 and 4 
5. Project Risk Management, Day 4  

Benefits
·   A PMMC certificate of accomplishment is awarded upon completion of the four day program of five courses. Completion letters are given for each course.
·   Our instructors have extensive industrial experience. They focus on providing you with practical skills and tools using relevant case examples.
·   Each class is highly focused and promotes maximum interaction.
·   You can network with other project management professionals from a variety of industries.
·   Earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) for maintenance of certification under the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Program.
·    Applicants for PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will have met all education requirements for eligibility.

Registration

Participants may reserve a seat online at the Institute of Project Management America website, by calling the Program Office toll-free at (888) 859-5659, or by sending their name and contact information via email the Program Registrar .

Upon receiving your registration, a confirmation email is sent to registrants that include session site information, travel information, program description, and details on how to confirm attendance and make payment arrangements.

Click HERE to unsubscribe from this mailing list. 

 
The people who run this have a very poor reputation for both the quality of the courses and not paying monies owed. Often they claim that the course is being run at a prestigious location, but at the last moment the venue changes to somewhere a lot cheaper. The last spam I received advertising a course at Seattle Public Library in August attracted this comment:
As the person who helps run the calendar at Seattle Public Library, I can assure you that they do not have space secured here for their "training". They never returned the contract or payment.
In this case the spam originates from 173.55.195.165 (a Verizon customer in Hacienda Heights, California) using a "from" address of announcements@ipma8.org and spamvertising the domain instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org

The following IPs and domains are all connected to this spam run:
91.236.75.132
104.128.224.126
104.128.225.55
172.245.33.189
grantfundingusa.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org
ipma2014.org
projectmanagementusa.org
ipma2.org
ipma3.org
ipma5.org
ipma6.org
ipma7.org
ipma8.org
ipma9.org
ipma10.org
ipma11.org
ipma12.org

My personal belief is that this so-called Institute is a complete scam and it should be avoided.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

WARNING: "Grant Funding USA" (grantfundingusa.org)

If you are tempted by the offer of a course from an organisation called Grant Funding USA with a website grantfundingusa.org then read this first.

Grant Funding USA is run by Anthony Christoper Jones and Patchree Patchrint (aka Patty Patchrint or Patty Jones). Previous ventures by this pair include the North American Program Planning and Policy Academy (NAPPPA), Institute of Project Management America (IPMA) (aka DDGLA American Project Management LLC), the Institute for Communication Improvement, LLC, The Grant Institute, and the LA restaurants Mother Road, the Royale on Wilshire and Mode.

Their website makes all sorts of claims, including this one on their "About Us" page:
Established in 2004, Grant Funding USA is a network of independent consultants, nonprofit professionals, and fund raising executives dedicated to sharing their knowledge and expertise in the field of grantsmanship and program development. Our program instructors have over ten years of real world experience in the nonprofit and for profit arena which allows them to effortlessly weave theory and practice into a results oriented program for all participants. The goal of our program is to equip our graduates with the skills and tools they need to succeed in the competitive world of fund raising.
The website was created in March 2014, and certainly this network (of two people, basically) has not been in operation under this name for that long, although there have been warnings about its predecessor called "The Grant Institute" for several years.

Before dealing with this company, I urge you to do your own research on the companies that they have run before.

Saturday 2 August 2014

Warning: ipma2014.org (Institute of Project Management America)

Just a quick note to say that if you see an email referring to the site ipma2014.org then this is a new domain for the so-called Institute of Project Management America. Beware.

It is NOT related to the 28th IPMA World Congress which uses the domain ipma2014.com or any other legitimate professional organisation. You can read my research on the activities of the people behind this outfit here.

Monday 14 July 2014

Spam from Institute of Project Management America (instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org)

I wrote about the so-called Institute of Project Management America last month along with their principals Anthony Christopher Jones (aka Tony Jones) and Patchree Patchchrint (aka Patty Jones), who have been running what I personally consider to be fake seminars for the best part of a decade. Previous versions of this same outfit were called The Grant Institute and the North American Program Planning and Policy Academy [NAPPPA] (just Google 'em).

This spam is advertising a course in Seattle. In my opinion I would give this a very wide berth indeed.
From:     Institute of Project Management America
Date:     12 July 2014 10:48
Subject:     Project Management Masters Certification Program (August 5 - 8, 2014: Seattle, WA)


The Project Management Masters Certification Program will be offered August 5-8, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Project management professionals, business and technology professionals, students, and educators are invited to register online at the Institute of Project Management America website.

August 5-8, 2014
Seattle Public Library

Seattle, Washington
 
The PMMC is designed for those seeking professional project management certification. It serves as both a thorough professional education and recognized certification. Those seeking additional credentials such as the PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® will benefit from this dynamic and interactive work session, while those currently holding credentials will find the certification to be an enhancement as well as the most up to date advanced professional development.  

Project Management Masters Certification program provides 36 hours of project management education, meeting education requirements for both PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. Additionally, the Master Certification provides 36 Professional Development Units (PDUs) for current holders of PMP®/PgMP®, PMI-SP®, and PMI-RMP® credentials.

The program meets the education requirement for all professional designations through the Project Management Institute and other professional agencies. Additionally, the program awards 3.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon request. 

Program Description

Our certificate program teaches technical and business professionals how to master the critical skills of project management techniques as part of their technical career development.

The skills developed in the Project Management Masters Certification program apply to large and small projects, product design and development efforts, construction projects, IT projects, software development, and any project with critical performance, time, and budget targets.  

Our approach to project management education offers proven, results-focused learning.

Courses are developed and facilitated by professional subject experts with extensive industrial experience. Course emphasis is on providing practical skills and tools supported by relevant case examples.

Tuition

Tuition for the four-day Project Management Masters Certification program is $995.00

Program Schedule and Content
1. Project Initiation, Costing, and Selection, Day 1
2. Project Organization and Leadership, Day 2 
3. Detailed Project Planning, Day 2 and 3 
4. Project Monitoring and Control, Day 3 and 4 
5. Project Risk Management, Day 4  

Benefits
·   A PMMC certificate of accomplishment is awarded upon completion of the four day program of five courses. Completion letters are given for each course.
·   Our instructors have extensive industrial experience. They focus on providing you with practical skills and tools using relevant case examples.
·   Each class is highly focused and promotes maximum interaction.
·   You can network with other project management professionals from a variety of industries.
·   Earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) for maintenance of certification under the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Program.
·    Applicants for PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will have met all education requirements for eligibility.

Registration

Participants may reserve a seat online at the Institute of Project Management America website, by calling the Program Office toll-free at (888) 859-5659, or by sending their name and contact information via email to the Program Registrar .

Upon receiving your registration, 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.
 
Click Here to be removed from this mailing list.
The email originated from a Verizon IP 173.55.195.165 which is in Los Angeles. Previous research has shown that Jones and Patchrint are strongly associated with LA in general and the Hacienda Heights area in particular. The SMTP server was at 167.160.94.170 (Corey Manshack, Texas). The spamvertised site is instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org (as discussed here)

I advise you to research the so-called Institute of Project Management America (along with The Grant Institute and the North American Program Planning and Policy Academy [NAPPPA) yourself. In particular, I would personally recommend not booking a course with them, and not accepting a job offer as a trainer.

Saturday 7 June 2014

Institute of Project Management America (instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org). Is this a scam?


Three years ago I was spammed by an organisation called the North American Program Planning and Policy Academy (NAPPPA) which was attempting to get me to sign up for some seminars. It looked like a scam at the time, and it still looks like a scam now.

It took me a year of sporadic research to come up with the names of the people running the scam. Anthony Christopher Jones (known sometimes as "Tony Jones") and Patchree Patchrint (known as "Patty Patchrint"). After exposing them and detailing some of the evidence against them, NAPPPA, Jones and Patchrint dropped out of view. I assumed that this was the cockroach effect.. switch the lights on, and those roaches scurry for cover.

It looks like I was wrong.

A unexpected comment on my blog post opened up a new line of investigation.
Lem said...

I wish I would have found this blog prior to teaching a course for the Institute of Project Management America (IPMA). www.instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org
The student certificates were signed by none other than Anthony C. Jones. Needless to say, I have not been paid nor the facility that hosted the training. I plan to sue them. In addition, there is a Patty Jones serving as the administrator/front person for IPMA. Perhaps his spouse. If anyone has any additional information about them, please share.
6 June 2014 22:25 
Could this be the same Anthony C Jones and Patty Jones (or Patchree Patchrint) that ran NAPPPA?

A look at instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org shows an unremarkable site, but one which is carefully devoid of any contact details. The WHOIS records for the domain are hidden, and the only contact data that can be found are the telephone numbers  888-859-5659 and 866-959-3543.


The logo on the website has been recycled from elsewhere  and otherwise the template is bland, professional looking but completely anonymous.

A close look at the hosting history shows a number of related sites, either which are direct clones of instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org or are previous versions. A full list is at the end of the post in Appendex 1, but principle domain names in use are:
americanprojectmanagementusa.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica2.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica3.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica4.org
ipma5.org
ipma6.org
ipma7.org
mastercoursedevelopment.org
projectmanagementusa.org
projectmanagementusa1.org
projectmanagementusa2.org
projectmanagementusa3.org
The ones in the format projectmanagementusa3.org go all the way up to projectmanagementusa212.org. Who needs 212 copies of the same website? Well, spammers use these techniques to evade blacklisting.

The domains americanprojectmanagementusa.org  and projectmanagementusa.org are rather interesting as it is an older generation of the "Institute of Project Management America" spam site entitled "American Project Management" (you can see them at the Internet Archive).




A quick search against the phone number listed on that site (213-293-7410, 877-359-1110 and 888-739-0821) lead us to a BBB report with an alert to say the business has ceased trading.






The BBB indicates that this is a Colorado business, but a search of State records shows that there is no such business of that name registered in that state.

But a further Google search of the phone numbers also brings up this document at Scribd outlining the so-called American Project Management outfit and its activities [pdf copy here]. And who uploaded the document? A user called ppatchrint. That is undoubtedly Patchree Patchrint.


This document gives a California address rather than a Colorado one:
American Project Management
645 W. 9th Street
Unit 110-603
Los Angeles, CA 90015



So this gives us a clue to search the state records in California. An LLC search for "Institute of Project Management America" comes up blank, but a search for "American Project Management" comes up with a hit for "DDGLA AMERICAN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, LLC"


Now, I know that "DDGLA American Project Mangement LLC" is not quite the same thing  as "America Project Management", but the "645 WEST 9TH ST STE 110-603" address is the same as "645 W. 9th Street, Unit 110-603" as seen in the Scribd document. So there's a high likelihood that this is a match.. but there's no real contact information for this company.

But what does DDGLA actually stand for? I've been down this particular path with the NAPPPA investigation, so I know that DDGLA actually stands for "DOSS Development Group Los Angeles". A search for DOSS DEVELOPMENT GROUP at the California secretary of state reveals a name behind that company. And you've probably already guessed that it is Patchree Patchrint aka Patty Jones.


So, between the blog comments, the Scribd document and data held by the California Secretary of State, there are now three points of evidence linking the "Institute of Project Management America" and "American Project Management" with Patchree Patchrint aka Patty Jones and Anthony Christopher Jones.

So, is it a scam?

I haven't personally seen any spam promoting this so-called institute, but that was the basic approach with NAPPPA. Millions of credible-looking spam emails were sent out to universities and other organisations, that were published in good faith (such as this one).

Project Management Masters Certification Program

June 10-13, 2014
Association of Research and Enlightenment of New York
The PMMC is designed for those seeking professional project management certification.
PMMC program provides 36 hours of project management education, meeting education requirements for both PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. The program meets the education requirement for all professional designations through the Project Management Institute and other professional agencies. Additionally, the program awards 3.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon request. Tuition for the four-day Project Management Masters Certification program is $995.00

Participants may reserve a seat online at the website, or by calling the Program Office toll-free at (888) 859-5659

Go to: http://www.instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org/
What happened with NAPPPA is that these courses appeared to be booked at universities throughout the US, presumably to give them an air of authenticity. But at the last moment the venue for the course got moved to somewhere off-campus, people drafted in to teach the course never got paid and many students complained that the courses were of low quality. I don't doubt that the same is happening here.

In fact, this scam has been going on for a long time. Before the Institute of Project Management America, American Project Management and North American Program Planning and Policy Academy there were another similar scammy outfits.

The "Institute for Communication Improvement, LLC" (aka "The Grant Institute") seems to be the best known. For example:
The evidence seems to show that in one form or another the business has been running since 2005 or 2006, only now it is charging victims nearly a thousand dollars a pop for a course of questionable value.

Given the history of this pair, it is my personal opinion that the Institute of Project Management America is a scam. Indeed, DDGLA American Project Management LLC have already been successfully sued in California over their unethical operations.

Who are Anthony Christopher Jones and Patchree Patchrint (Patty Jones)?

I coverered this pair before, a California-based husband-and-wife team with links to Hacienda Heights and Los Angeles. In addition to the programs listed above, they have run a number of (mostly failed) LA based restaurants such as Mother Road, Mode, and the Royale on Wilshire.

DDGLA is also associated with the following (apparently defunct) websites:
  • ddglacommercial.com
  • pettycashadvance.com
  • bankddgla.com
  • ddglafinancial.com

What should you do if you are unhappy with the Institute of Project Management America?

I don't live in the US so I'm not 100% familiar with the processes that you can use. But if you think you have been ripped-off then complaining the the BBB, your local Attorney General, law enforcment or the courts seem to be a way to go. I don't have a current address for this pair however, if you manage to turn one up then I can share it if you send me an email.

Appendix 1:
These are a selection of the domains and IPs used. There are hundreds of other ones, especially in in the format projectmanagementusa111.org .

americanprojectmanagementusa.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica2.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica3.org
instituteofprojectmanagementamerica4.org
ipma5.org
ipma6.org
ipma7.org
mastercoursedevelopment.org
projectmanagementusa.org
projectmanagementusa1.org
projectmanagementusa2.org
projectmanagementusa3.org
projectmanagementusa4.org
projectmanagementusa5.org
projectmanagementusa6.org
projectmanagementusa7.org
projectmanagementusa8.org
projectmanagementusa9.org
projectmanagementusa10.org
projectmanagementusa11.org
projectmanagementusa12.org
projectmanagementusa13.org
projectmanagementusa14.org
projectmanagementusa15.org
projectmanagementusa16.org
projectmanagementusa17.org
projectmanagementusa18.org
projectmanagementusa19.org
projectmanagementusa20.org
projectmanagementusa22.org
projectmanagementusa28.org
projectmanagementusa31.org
projectmanagementusa32.org
projectmanagementusa36.org
projectmanagementusa37.org
projectmanagementusa38.org
projectmanagementusa39.org
projectmanagementusa41.org
projectmanagementusa43.org
projectmanagementusa44.org
projectmanagementusa46.org
projectmanagementusa77.org
projectmanagementusa92.org
projectmanagementusa99.org
projectmanagementusa100.org
projectmanagementusa111.org
projectmanagementusa114.org
projectmanagementusa143.org
projectmanagementusa157.org
projectmanagementusa210.org
projectmanagementusa212.org
23.94.13.183
23.249.165.7
37.59.255.192
50.2.193.25
63.223.125.56
63.223.125.58
64.37.51.2
64.37.51.10
64.37.51.19
64.37.51.45
64.37.51.80
64.37.51.107
64.37.51.110
64.37.51.112
67.23.232.6
67.23.238.35
67.23.238.36
67.23.242.154
67.23.242.181
67.222.130.43
75.127.3.76
96.44.146.44
96.44.189.189
107.155.68.39
107.158.160.92
107.161.114.135
107.161.158.57
107.178.105.133
108.160.156.59
108.174.54.119
109.169.37.185
109.169.56.251
109.169.58.167
109.169.63.171
109.169.64.155
109.169.64.158
109.169.64.184
109.169.64.196
109.169.64.211
109.169.87.169
142.0.39.203
142.0.42.156
162.221.176.120
162.244.77.138
162.248.211.236
172.245.33.189
172.245.44.90
172.245.44.144
172.245.44.189
172.245.136.161
173.232.104.208
192.3.1.155
192.3.121.202
192.3.161.123
192.3.161.130
192.40.57.130
192.198.90.160
192.210.137.134
192.210.138.205
192.210.142.101
192.210.211.112
192.227.166.167
192.227.182.169
198.23.167.152
198.23.242.196
198.49.73.17
198.143.0.171
198.143.1.71
199.168.142.113
199.204.23.35
199.204.23.129
199.204.23.151
199.204.184.164
199.233.232.177
199.241.191.215
209.105.248.47