Apparently, the ALA thinks I'm a gullible idiot and will sell my name and address to scam artists who are counting on me being a gullible idiot. Perhaps they're doing the same to you.
Yesterday I received in the mail a letter from Cambridge Who's Who, telling me how accomplished I am and offering to put me in their registry. I am pretty accomplished, and an offer like this certainly comes as no surprise. I was pretty excited, and you'll be able to see why when you read the letter. Oddly enough, the letter was addressed to exactly the person the American Library Association has on file, with my full name listed in a way I rarely use. Let us say for hypothesis sake that I usually go by AL or A. Librarian, and this letter came addressed to The Very Annoyed Librarian. Thus, as far as I can tell, considering the name and address and the fact that I'm identified as a professional librarian, the ALA sold or gave my name and address to Cambrige Who's Who. But perhaps I'm wrong. Did any of you receive the same letter?
Let us consider the letter in full.
"Dear The Very Annoyed Librarian,
It is my pleasure to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2006/2007 Cambridge Who's Who Among Professional Librarians and Library Administrators "Honors Edition" of the Registry."
Yes, it really had the title in both bold and italics, and "honors edition" just in italics, but with quote marks around it. This reminds me of the typical illiteracy one finds in this country regarding the use of quotation marks in public signs. ("Live" bait for sale.) Are they mistakenly using quotation marks for emphasis, or are those scare quotes? Are they mocking their own publication? Are they sitting around chuckling to themselves and making quote marks in the air when they say "Honors Edition"? Maybe they even say it in that Dr. Evil voice.
And I'm only being considered for inclusion! So I'm not even included, but at least they're thinking of me, and that's very comforting. And in the "honors edition" no less, not just that regular edition that anyone can be in.
"The 2006/2007 edition of the Registry will include biographies of our country's most accomplished professionals. Recognition of this kind is an honor shared by thousands of executives and professionals throughout America each year."
Really, how big an honor could it be if it's shared by thousands?
"Inclusion is considered by many as the single highest mark of achievement."
I find that sad. Or at least I would if I believed it.
"Upon final confirmation, you will be listed among thousands of accomplished professionals in the Cambridge Who's Who Registry."
This time the title is nether in bold nor italics. They could at least have put it in scare quotes. I wonder what "upon final confirmation" means.
"For accuracy and publicaton deadlines please return to us your application form within five business days from receipt of this letter. There is no cost to be included."
You bet I'll return it within five days! Sign me up, baby! And no cost to be included, but I bet there'll be a cost involved somewhere.
"On behalf of the Managing Director, we wish you continued success.
Sincerely,
Jennifer A. Gonzalez
Editor in Chief"
I really appreciate the semiliterate Jennifer A. Gonzalez and the Managing Director wishing me such continuing success. On behalf of the Annoyed Librarian, I with them continuing success scamming idiots into buying their ludicrous book.
At the very bottom of the letter is this little gem:
Cambridge Who's Who is proudly not associated or affiliated with any other Who's Who Publication or Organization
You read that right. Proudly NOT associated! I have a feeling we're supposed to misread that NOT and think they are proudly associated with Who's Who. Who in the Who's Who business wouldn't want to be associated with the real Who's Who? No one, that's who!
I checked out the website, because I was really curious about the pathetic swine the ALA was giving my name and address to. See, it's free to give the Cambridge folks your information, but I'm not sure it's really free to be included. I'm pretty sure you have to become a "member" of their little organization to actually have your name included, but I couldn't find anywhere on the site exactly how much I was expected to pay for the dubious honor of being included in the "Idiot's Who's Who." I bet I'd have to actually talk to someone to find out that information, or at least give them my credit card number. But what would I get for joining and paying to have my name in their list of pathetic morons? Let's start with this:
"COMMEMORATIVE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION and WALL PLAQUE
All members of Cambridge Who’s Who automatically receive an official Certificate of Recognition to identify them as active and participating members of this elite community. This elegant, personalized document is specially designed for maximum impact and features the prestigious Cambridge seal of authenticity. These certificates can be beautifully matted and framed to enhance your décor while also commemorating this important highlight in a member’s career. Our membership is proud to prominently display this distinguished document in either their homes or offices.
An optional benefit for members is the Cambridge Who’s Who wall plaque. Our wall plaques are crafted of the finest materials and are personalized with laser engraving as a personal tribute to honor our members’ success. The wall plaque is a tasteful way to further validate one’s status within a profession and add special emphasis to unique achievements. "
Wow! That certificate of recognition would be official, not some scam! I'd be part of an elite community of dopes, and I could prove it with my "prestigious Cambridge seal of authenticity." I'd sure be proud to prominently display that document in my homes or offices. I could display that document and say "I am a pathetic loser" at the same time. Maybe I could beautifully matte and frame it and put it up on the wall next to my ordination as a minister of the Universal Life Church. How sad and pathetic does a person have to be to think this is anything other than a scam to exploit sad and pathetic people? Please don't answer that. It's too depressing. But what else would I get?
"Hard Cover Registry
Cambridge Who’s Who hardcover registry is an impressive and beautifully bound publication that contains the biographical profiles of thousands of accomplished individuals throughout the world who have attained levels of professionalism in their respected industries. This substantial volume is a testimony to a person’s personal and professional achievements and can be used for researching business opportunities and effortless networking. Imagine the impact of having your own personal biographical profile featured with the rest of the Cambridge Who’s Who community. This placement clearly demonstrates the level of achievement for our members and validates their varied individual accomplishments."
Ahh, that's right. I'd get my own "beautifully bound publication" with my name right inside! Nothing says success like having your name in a book, right? And I could use it for networking! So, for example, if I wanted to find some other pathetic loser in the field of librarianship, I'd just have to look in the book! Saves the trouble of going to the conference and looking around the exhibits floor. At least they're being honest about one thing, being in this book would definitely clearly demonstrate your level of achievement, especially your low level of intellectual achievement.
I did a little more checking on this, and found entries for them on a couple of scam sites:
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?p=231969
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff203539.htm
It appears they have also been know as Manchester Who's Who and Empire Who's Who. They certainly have improved with the Cambridge Who's Who. Cambridge is a name associated with two of the finest universities in the world. Manchester, well, isn't. They know how to lay on the "prestige," and they know how to peddle it to simpletons who are so pathetic they think being in this scam book "validates" them somehow. It certainly validates their gullibility and ridiculousness.
And to think, these scam artists must have gotten my name from the American Library Association. It's the only thing that makes sense. Well, thanks a lot, ALA. I don't mind getting my mailbox glutted with all those flyers just before the ALA conference. Many of them make fine impromptu bookmarks and paper airplanes and such. But it's annoying to have my professional association selling my name to scam artists who make their money on stupidity and gullibility. On the other hand, maybe the ALA thought I'd be the perfect audience for Cambridge Who's Who. After all, I'm already stupid and gullible enough to join their organization.
About Me
- AL
- The Annoyed Librarian is possibly the most successful, respected, and desirable librarian of her generation. She has no other interest than to bring her wit and wisdom to the huddled librarian masses yearning to breathe free. The Annoyed Librarian is a free spirit and you are lucky to have her.
163 comments:
It's possible ALA sold you out, but it's rpobably more likely that somebody at Cambridge's Who's Who just paid for an ALA membership and then went digging through the ALA member lists. I'm not an ALA member, so I'm not sure how easy that would be. I do know you could do that pretty easily on the SLA site.
Dear Annoyed Librarian,
I find your cynicism depressing. I would be honored to be included in such a "prestigious" tome. I might even rejoin ALA in the hopes of being contacted. I'd buy a copy of Cambridges's Who's Who just knowing you are in it and I could discover your secret identity. I, myself, only have a star named after me by the International Star Registry and my name is included in a copyrighted, hardcover book in the Library of Congress. It fills me with pride knowing that astronomers all over the world are looking through telescopes and saying things like "wow, Mack's star really looks brighter tonight."
I suppose it's possible that someone joined ALA and went through the membership directory, but that is a huge list, since I think there's about 30,000 ALA members. I also don't think it's possible to get an electronic list, since the ALA website seems to just let you search the directory, and for that you need a name. So Cambridge would have had to go through the print directory. Again, possible, but it sure makes mass mailing slower.
I'm assuming that they bought the list from ALA because they are a "vendor." I could, however, be wrong about the whole thing.
And, Mack, I don't blame you. I find my own cynicism depressing. I don't think I'm in a book in the LoC, but I am in the Library Literature index. That's pretty exciting.
I thought it was a little strange that I received one of these "invitations" since, as the computer tech person at my local library, I'm not considered a professional. Yet the mailing insisted that I would be listed as such. Take that, library director, I AM a professional! See, it says so RIGHT HERE!!!!
I used to get these addressed to "Ms. Vet Library" from various mailing lists, but worse is the faculty member who brings in the order for the book (in their specialty) and wants you to buy it for the library. Try telling them they've fallen for a scam.
Your name and address may not be secure with ALA, but it's virtually impossible to back out of your blog! I may be here forever.
I think it's something that's sent to recent MLS grads, and I got one a while ago (sometime in the last century). I promptly deposited it in the recycling bin (of course).
It's a bit mysterious, since I've never been an ALA member.
Possibly. I'm not a recent library school graduate, though. Perhaps my library school gave them my name. That would also be strange, though.
Yeah, it would be very strange if your school did that.
They must have gotten your name from somewhere: email lists, blogs, whatever...
I got one of these in the mail today. Having already read your post about this, I was able to toss it directly into the trash! Hooray!
Dear A.L.,
I, too, received exactly the same letter. I loved your explication!
They had my full and rarely used name also. I am an ALA member; my MLS is about 15 years old; I am in the several editions of the real Who's Who -- could this be the source?
I'm so glad I checked this out. I hate it when I get fooled, especially because of an appeal to my vanity.
Carol
I got the same letter from Cambridge's Who's Who. Don't know how they got my name, but I am a member of ALA. I went as far as being interviewed via phone by "Josephine." At the end of the questionning, I was congratulated and told that I had merited membership into the organization. Here's the kicker: I was informed that I could purchased different levels of member ranging in price from $698 to $99. Different levels offer varyng perks. I immediately went to the Internet and found this discussion. So glad I did. I declined their offer.
I, too, was specially selected for the rare honor of being able to buy a 600 plus dollar platinum menbership from Cambridge Who's Who. It would have immortalized my name forever!
Sorry, no dice.
JH
I too received the very same letter. I am not a member of the ALA, nor do I feel that I have done anything in my career that would make me stand out enough to be in a Who's Who directory of any sort. I am accomplished, but I can still walk down the street without anyone stopping me.
They sent the invitation to my previous employer that I haven't been with in almost 2 years. That employer forwarded it to me thinking this was a great honor.
I would like to think that because I am such an accomplished professional women I knew what a load of cr*p this was. I am just glad they recognized me for it LOL
I also recieved a cery similar letter, and in reasearching came across this blog, very interesting. I, however, am not an ALA member, I work for an EMS service. I was offered a spot in the "Firefighter's, Officers and EMS Proffesionals 'honors edition'". I assume my name and info were gathered through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, of which I am a member, sounds somewhat familiar, don't you think??
K-
If you work at McDonalds do they put you in the fast food edition? Sounds like they have an edition for whatever you may do, but they probably just print one big alphabetical book of idiots! I enjoy how grammatically incorrect their letter is, and how prestigious they make being included.
P.S. MADISON WHOS WHO IS THE SAME SCAM WITH A DIFFERENT NAME!
I don't know if someone already said this, but I talked to someone today at the Cambridge place for the "healthcare" prestigious membership. The platinum membership for that was over "$800" and the gold was only "$500". When I told her she was nuts, she offered me a very special offer for only "$389". I told her that I needed to first get verification from my mother who helps out with credit card payments, which of course I wouldn't do anyway because at this point I knew it was totally ridiculous. She then told me that I should find an old receipt lying around with the credit card number on it and give it to her, if my mother was in custody of the card. That is when I promptly hung up on her. These people are totally crazy.
Thank you for posting about this scam! I'm a pharmacy student, and I received an invitation to be in the "Honors Edition" of the Pharmaceutical Industry version. First off - I'm not in the pharmaceutical industry, secondly - I haven't even graduated or done anything noteworthy! So when I went to their website, which is convincingly professional looking, all I kept asking myself was why in the world would they want ME? They can't possibly be THAT exclusive! That's when I decided to google them. Thank goodness for yourself and others who are warning others - I almost fell for it figuring it was free and harmless.
hah, I just received their invitation to be in their "Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women." So I looked up their site, and amazingly, everywhere on their home page where there's a reference to Professional Women, it's spelled "Perfessional." Good grief.
I received the same letter but for my profession and received a call saying I had been chosen and for $789 and $199 I could be a memeber and receive all the things you mentioned (plaque, etc.)also two round trip airline tickets. When I said no she kept going lower and lower in price each time I said I couldn't afford it until she made it down to $199 for a basic membership and when I refused again she said you could go to WWW.cambridge.com/basiclisting to see my name and hung up. WHAT A SCAM!!!
i'M A DISABILITY RETIRED PRINCIPAL WHO WOULD HAVE FALLEN FOR THIS IF NOT FOR THE INTERNET. tHE INTERVIEWER WAS QUITE AN ACTRESS. i THOUGHT i WAS SPECIAL. nOW i'M SAD. iT WOULD HAVE ONLY COST ME OVER $800 BUT i WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A FULL HALF-PAGE PICTORIAL BLURB IN THE FRONT! AND YOU ALL TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME. i WAS EVEN GOING TO INCLUDE IT ON MY RESUME.
rOY
Ok Ok I am "THE IDIOT"! I filled out the paper and two weeks later (today) I received a call from "them". They asked me all types of "accomplishment" questions and then congradulated me on my accomplishment. Then proceeded to offer me the different options: Platinum for $789+$199, Gold for $589+$199, and kept lowering and lowering the price when I was refusing to pay with my CREDIT CARD OVER THE PHONE! I asked for them to bill me at home or to pay online and they said they dont work that way. Mr "Julie Ogrady" was very convincing and persuasive. Luckly I did not agree and hung up the phone, 20 minutes into the conversation. Thank you for making this blog. It was a relief to know I did not get caught!
Here is more of the truth! One of the owners of EMPIRE WHOS WHO, parted ways and created MANCHESTER WHOS WHO. Then one of these companies changed their name to METROPOLITAN WHOS WHO. Then an employee of EMPIRE WHOS WHO, left and created MADISON WHOS WHO. Then EMPIRE WHOS WHO and MANCHESTER WHOS WHO made up and created CAMBRIDGE WHOS WHO. Then an employee of MADISON WHOS WHO parted and created EMERALD WHOS WHO.
How do I know this? I worked there and the owners brag about how much money they steal and try and sue each other for copying each others scam!!!
thanks 4 saving me time, money and most important self respect :)
I too listened to the phone written essay that was presented to me. When I said I didn't have my credit card with me, I was told to find a receipt in my purse with the number on it. When I asked what would happen if I did not become a member, she said that just my name would appear in the book with no other info. I would have been in the "teacher" section of exceptional people. Isn't there any way for attorney generals to stop this junk! She called me 3 times in the span of 45 minutes (with a number that could not be redialed on my phone!)
One thing that’s funny is that I received a letter from Cambridge Who’s Who among Executive and Professionals but I am still a graduate student. I have not worked professionally in my field yet. Hmmm??
I am glad I found this post. I just received a letter at my WORK address. I'm not sure how ruddy ol' Cambridge could've gotten my name and address, but I think it's from my mail-order prescription company.
Wow.
I think we should start our own registry of people who were "smart" and "internet savvy" enough to avoid this scam!
boy, ain't the internet great???!! haha. i just got a letter in the mail today &, out of curiosity, decided to do a little investigating. i, too, am a firefighter/paramedic, & i find it interesting that they would come across my name. Wow. What a crock of hooey!
I am an esthetician who also got a letter. To be in the Professional Estheticians "Honors Edition". I have to say my ego got the best of me and I sent in that stupid form. Uggg! Something about it kept bothering me so tonight I "googled" it....and found your blog. So now I wait for the phone to ring....I can't decide if I want to tell them how horrible they are....just mess with them and take up as much of their time as possible...or to just tell them To Go to h-ll! Or do I go into hiding and change my number because I feel like such an idiot. I thought it would be something nice to have on a resume'. Now I can write on it "Accomplished in research of ego-driven scams"
Thank you all for sharing your stories!
I am very glad I found this website. I was very excited abouth this recognition, until she told me about the fee. A fee? Why would there be a fee for such an exceptional professional in nursing? I told her I was not sure about the membership, and I would get back to her in 24 hours. I am glad i read this first!
I'm not a librarian; I kant spel vary gud. I received this letter today and laughed so hard at the first paragraph that I didn't finish the rest, although I skimmed to the fine print and noticed the 'not associated or affiliated with' part; lol. The first thing I did was to go to Google and search '"Cambridge Who's Who" scam' and sure enough - a scam.
People, the kind of people who buy warez, pills, and other goods from scam emails are usually the type that would fall for this; the prideful and haughty too. It doesn't take much to create an organization, make some plaques and print some books, then self-accredit yourself and start telling other people they're awesome.
This reminds me of when I took a very beautiful picture and had it up on some photography sites. Weeks later I received a letter with a thumbnail of the picture saying that I was awesome and I deserved to be in a published book... for a fee. I did a little research and found out that they do in fact publish the book (you can find it in Barnes and Noble) but every book (even with the same ISBN) is different and they only put your picture in the book that would be found in stores within a certain radius of your residence; lol.
Lesson to be learned: it's great to be distinguished, though some would argue the opposite but that tis the question is it not? If you receive a letter like this pat yourself and the back, say thanks to YHWH, and throw the letter away.
Run for the hills! I just got off the phone with a representative named "Linda" who also asked for my credit card information and some other particular details regarding my accomplishments.. She wanted $789 and then in five years $199 for the lifetime membership then I would receive a gift from them -- 2 round trip airline tickets that could be used to go to 30 destinations.. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.. People guard your credit card information and your personal information.. there is identity theft as well as people trying to scam you.
I got one of these letters... I am in engineering. The red flag for me was that they wanted a signature. I don't trust it a bit. I have a feeling that I know where they got my info.
Hello everyone, I recieved this letter as well, they sound very convincing and say they are well known..truth be told i havent ever heard of them until now, They offer member ship at 1017.-- for the life time and like 817.-- for 5 years.
.
thank god for some one who shocked me back to reality. I can now shred the letter that I have been carrying around thinking who's who huh.
Along with offers of spurious classified directories I have been chucking these scam letters away or referring them to our Trading Standards departments for over thirty years.
How refreshing it is in a way that people are still gullible but how sad that librarians of all people should pause for a second over the possibility that such publications mean anything. Don't library schools or experienced members of staff in libraries talk to new librarians anymore about book selection values and criteria?
Just got my letter...I am a small business owner and got the letter because of a special "Women's" edition....yeah right!
Thanks for the research!
Thanks for your brilliant post. I myself received a CWW "Executive and Professional Women" letter today. It's going in the garbage after being faxed to writerbeware and the NY State AG's office in the morning!
I got my letter today! Thank you so much for posting this scam alert. I thought, for a brief second, that I was important enough to be on the prestigious Who's Who list. But then, reality set in after reading your post and I realized I am not special. I'm still just a corporate drone. At least, thanks to you, I'm not a dumb and gullible one!
JUST RECEIVED MY PHONE CALL FROM THE CAMBRIDGE "WHO'S wHO" REGISTRY. NORMALLY, I DON'T PICK UP BLOCKED CALLS, BUT I'M TRYING TO SEARCH DOWN FRIENDS IN GREECE.......BACK TO THE SUBJECT....OOOOPS! THAT WAS A MISTAKE. YOU BETCHA THEY WANT $$$$. I WAS PRESSURED FOR MY VISA/MC OR DISCOVER CARD EVEN AFTER TELLING HER I WAS RUNNING FOR AN APPOINTMENT. PLATINUM IS $789 W AN AIRLINE VOUCHER, GOLD IS $589 W/O AIRLINE VOUCHER...BUT WHEN YOU START TO BACK OFF THEY'LL INCLUDE IT........THEN WHEN YOU GET READY TO HANG UP, THEY COME UP WITH A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP FOR $389.......WHOOPEE!
I too felt honored to have received a letter from the Cambridge Who's Who registry. I feel very underappreciated in my office, and so some extra appreciation was gladly accepted. I filled out the "application" and sent it back. A week or so later I received a call from a gentelman conducting an over the phone "interview" to see if i was qualified to appear in the book. I should have picked up on it right away when he said the phone conversation was going to be recorded, but I let him continue. From the questions that he asked it became apparent to me that I was not the type of person that SHOULD appear in this type of publication, however, to my astonishment I made it through! Then of course came the speeches about the costs of membership, starting at ONLY $789!! Obviously not interested, I let him talk himself all the way down to a 1 yr program for only $99. Still not interested.
I'm sure that the Donald Trumps of the world never signed up for membership to one of these organizations, and everyone knows who they are.
I also wonder what organization sold/gave my name to this one. I have reason to believe that it was sold/given away by the SKILLPATH SEMINARS. They are the only business that I have given my work address to in the 2 years that I have worked here. Cambridge also had my name listed with a middle initial, which I absolutely never use professionally or in my personal life, but was required to give when I signed up for the Skillpath Seminar.
Today is Monday, Sept. 10, 2007. I'm glad I read these posts. I was just contacted by this organization and was also offered memberships priced from $700 down to $99. They should be paying me for the honor of being listed in their "special" book!
I feel so dumb for sending it in. I thought "it's too good to be true" but what the heck. The guy called and it was so obvious he was just buttering me up. I stopped hiim early on to ask about fees and he insisited that there was no fee but there was a membership. idiot! I started to B. S. my answers just to see what he would say and I could have told him I was going to be a bum on the beach and the guy would have told me "i feel that you are an accomplished, goal oriented woman" or "Wow! that's wonderful". uugghh i wanted to throw up - i was so annoyed. He then had the nerve to yell at me and say "Do you not know who we are??" Like I'm such a moron for not knowing who they are. I wish I would have read this site first, mailed the letter and slammed them with some of the obvious comments you guys posted! that would have given me much more pleasure. oh well still holding my head up high - I know I'm accomplished and special and I bet all of you are too! : )
I have just received my letter. The date is Oct. 2, 2007. They are still looking for people to buy into their illusions. I am glad I saw this site. I tried to look them up on the BBB website for New York and all that was stated was that the site was being updated...check back in four to six weeks. Do you think Cambridge knew this?
What about the poor souls who get sucked in out of a mistaken sense that the "honor" would give their affiliated institution some fame, as well as the chosen field. A friend of mine just recently fell victim to this scam. I am also wondering if the Attorney General's Office ought to be involved.
You know, you can 'rent' a mailing list of ALA members directly from the ALA site:
http://www.ala.org/ala/ProductsandPublications/Products_and_Publications.htm
The owner of Cambridge Who's Who appears to have been in trouble before.
The owner of Cambridge Who's Who, Randy Narod, arranged to have an impostor take the Series 7 and 63 exams on his behalf
Randy Harris Narod (Registered Representative, Oceanside, New York) submitted an Offer of Settlement pursuant to which he was censured, fined $50,000, barred from association with any NASD member in any capacity, and required to disgorge all monies earned by him while associated or otherwise employed in the securities industry after September 11, 1995, in the amount of at least $1,000. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Narod consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that he arranged to have an impostor take the Series 7 and 63 exams on his behalf. Narod also failed to respond to NASD requests to appear for an on-the record interview.
I found your posts after receiving an invitation to the Executive and Professional Women Registry for 2007/2008. I found your comments on the text of the letter very amusing and right on. I don't belong to any professional organizations so I have no idea how they acquired my name, except maybe at a trade show? I hope everyone receiving this scam will see through it!
I also was invited to join the Cambridge Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women "Honors Edition."
Interestingly, on the registration card, it is the Executive and Professional Registry -- evidently not gender specific. They also listed in my address the name of a community college where I am an adjunct faculty member. However, the capitalization of the college's name is incorrect, which leads me to believe that the college is not the source. Perhaps they troll for recent publications. My master's thesis was recently "published" in the library. (Apologies, Annoyed Librarian. I could not resist.)
Thanks for the information and the laughs.
Bemused Director
I received a letter also from Cambridge Whos who. I am a grad student who did not achieve remarkable thing yet. I googled the, and this is what I found! thanks folks.
Just got the letter at work today. I think I'm going to fill it out - tell them I am in the entertainment industry, that I'd like to be in the Who's Who Among Professionals in Massage Parlors" directory. Honors Edition, of course. That is the only industry that I can think of that would actually benefit from such a directory. Maybe I'll fill in my sister's phone number. Hee.
What a SCAM!!!!
Cambridge Who's Who is a joke. You can do better just meeting people at seminars. Who goes online for that stuff anyway?
I got the letter. Thought it was free. Sent it in. Got a couple calls from a high pressure sales man. Said yes, I'll pay $800, since it included 2 free plane tickets. My company would have paid for it, if I asked for reimbursement. But I never got the plane tickets or information package. I called and called. NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE!!! I had to leave a message. A message! What kind of company is this? And no one called me back. When I contacted my credit card company about the scam, they instantly withdrew the charges. The very next day, I got a call from Cambridge! The woman was IRATE! She called me unprofessional and told me she would only credit me half the amount. I let her go on. I couldn't plead my case to her because she didn't care. She just wanted the money. Her name was LISA GOODMAN. She started calling me names, it was ugly. She said that I was going to pay it! or else! Or else what? My credit card company will stand behing me. I'm a good customer. I'm not worried about her threats.
But I WARN EVERYONE;
ITS A SCAM!
WE ARE ALL SUCCESSFUL,
WE DON'T NEED CAMBRIDGE TO PROVE IT
Today is 11/19/07 and I've just received the same letter as AL for the 2007/2008 edition. I don't belong to ALA, but to their sister org, AALL. I wonder if it's the conference registration service company selling our info? Who knows. I want to be on the "who's who" of people who dumped this offer in the recycling bin.
11/21/2007 i got a phone call at work saying the same things about the pricing, tickets everything. I was like you guys heard the conversation. I was not going to pay money for this, it was bs. she went down to 99 bucks and ya she told me about the website "basiclisting" which i cant find.
Thanks for the posts, i feel better about not paying
This may or may not be of comfort: librarians are not the only targets to receive this invitations. Maybe it is an alphabetically organized scam. I am a landscape architect. My invitation arrived yesterday. I googled the name and found this. Thanks.
This was the first link I found when I Googled "cambridge whos who honors edition". The reason I did the search was that my 14-year-old daughter just received this offer. She certainly isn't a member of the ALA, nor, to my my knowledge, is she an accomplished businesswoman. Good grades, sure, and pretty handy with a basketball, but no corporate experience other than "take your kid to work day."
Yeh, it's a scam. Read the bottom of the letter: "Cambridge Who's Who is proudly not associated or affiliated with any other (read: legitimate) Who's Who Publication or Organization."
Hmmm. Wonder why? Because they're targeting anyone with a name for their mailing list mills?
Interesting that one of you mentioned "LISA GOODMAN".
The guy I spoke to was named "LEE GOODMAN".
Their inquiry on me was supposedly for my "accomplishments" in the entertainment field...funny since I do direct-to-video "B" horror films.
Anyway...beware!!
...and if any of you get a call from a guy claiming to be "Lee Goodman", call him "Lisa" to get him to pitch a fit. ;)
I recieved one of these letters and was surprised to receive a letter of invitation vs. a personal call. After being contacted, they try to sell you different package levels. The dollar amount decreases with every no answer you give. They also attempt to throw in airline tix for 2. I soon hung up after becoming perturbed with their persistance in buying a package to their database of names. Thanks for sharing my thoughts about them on your blog
The Queen of Utterly Meaningless Awards must surely be Rose Schwab, a woman whose psychic abilities didn't stopping her falling from the scam operated by Manchester/Cambridge and similar crooks:
http://badpsychics.com/thefraudfiles/modules/news/article.php?storyid=634
Schwab seems to be a perfect example of the person these 'awards' are tailored for - credulous, vain and without a sense of the ridiculous...
Dear Professional Women of ALL TYPES: I am not a Librarian, but I also got this letter just a few days ago. and questioned it's ligitamacy. I think you have hit the nail on the head here.!
I am an Photographic Artist and TRUE i would love to believe this scam would benefit me. I rather doubt it, especially after reading all your posts. THANK YOU for Your time. I am throwing the letter to the shredder. Keep up the good job.
I am not a Librarian but recieved this letter today. I thought it was a scam because I don't exactly see myself in an Executive or Professional job and I wasn't quite sure how they got my name and address either. I called my aunt who works for our local college and asked her if she had ever heard of it. She informed me that it can be something you recieve if you attend college and get good grades. Well I am not currently in college and don't see my job as being Executive at all. I work as an agent for Alltel. Although it is a wonderful job, Executive would not be how I describe it. I googled it and found this website. Luckily I read it before filling out and returning this bogus letter. Thanks for everyone who took the time to warn us about this scam! Your words of wisdom are kindly appreciated!
I received a letter from Cambridge and immediately knew it was a scam. For one thing, they say it won't cost me anything to be included in the Registry. But, if I am included in the book, you can bet I will want to buy a copy or two. (that is where they make their money) If you fill out the paperwork, they have your home phone and cell phone which will cost you money just to answer their spam calls.
There are thousands of unscrupulous people out there going through phone books and mailing lists of all kinds to sell to these lowlifes. Just as there are pondscum selling your email addresses. Plain and simple, don't give them any info about yourself to anyone except reputable businesses.
To give you an idea what a great candidate I would be for "Executive and Professional Woman", at last look, I am a MAN.
I actually was thinking of joining for grins and giggles. But now I just feel used...hahahaha.
Wow. I almost fell for this. Ego is a powerful thing, but the canned enthusiasm over my accomplishments by the 'actress' on the other end of the phone certainly made my inner voice speak up. I was flabbergasted at the membership fees...and the overwillingness of What'sHerName to continue to lower it until she thought she had me. I informed her that I did not have a credit card with me. She asked me where it was and I told her it was at home. She actually asked me to call someone to get the information from my house! Whaaaa???? She is calling me back in two days. I can't WAIT to tell her to p*ss off. Thank you SO much for this post. It validated my apprehension and saved my from my ego. :-)
'...saved ME from my ego...'
Well, I have to say, this was so entertaining I read it to the last response posted. Hilarious! I'm tempted to fill the card in so I can screw with them on the phone when they call...
"Helloooo, Lisa (or Lee, if it's the woman) how are you and your fellow scam meisters doing today? Have you weaseled any money from honorable professionals lately?"
OK, I probably won't...Hey- I just thought of putting my work number down. My coworkers (professional, of course) could have an absolute blast with this thanks to the wonders of speakerphone. Hmmmmmmmm.......
Approximately one week ago, I received an invitation to join the Cambridge Who's Who Executive and Professional Registry. I am neither a librarian, executive nor professional; I am a homemaker and have been for over 18 years. While shredding junk mail today, I came across the invitation and did a Google search. Scam? You betcha! My heart goes out to all who have fallen for this and are now attempting to recoup this money from these crooks. Buyer beware!!
They called this morning. I immediately googled it. I receive this in my box at my school (I'm a teacher). A bunch of other people also took the initial bait. I think I might do this - leave them on hold while I "look" for my credit card and then forget they are on hold. Eventually they have to hang up.
For 2008 the editor is a M. Foster. Sales must have been down for 2007.
Today is 2/18/2008. I was involved with the owner of Cambridge Who's who for a totally different reason. Let's just say that he scammed me out of my business, causing it to shut down. I had the opportunity to visit his place of business. it is enormous with about 600 worker bees, all in little cubicles, with headphones on scamming people all day everyday. he boasts about owning a 50 million dollar business, and he seemed to enjoy taking mine from me. I guess sharks don't care how small the fish is, they just want to prove to themselves that they can take what they want. I am now in bankruptcy. all i can say is, the bigger they think they are, the harder they fall in the end...I can't wait to see him fall!!thanks for listening, it feels good to vent.
I am a lawyer, received the invite to be listed in the Executive and Professionals registry, and googled to confirm my suspicions. I was amused to find another "perfect example of the person these 'awards' are tailored for" in the person of one "Sharon L. Kellogg, emergency response planner for the University of Maryland Medical Center, [who] has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for showing leadership and excellence in all aspects of emergency and disaster preparedness," and who actually appears to have issued a release regarding this recognition. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/88799.php.
Wow!
I, too, for no good reason I know of, received the dubious honor of being included in the Cambridge's Who's Who. I am a co-owner of a business that is not yet 1 year old.
However, having been a proofreader for years, I couldn't help but notice while Annoyed Librarian was railing about their misuse of quotes, she made two typos. The first was just after the end of the Who's Who letter where she wrote,
"On behalf of the Annoyed Librarian, I with (sic) them continuing success." Of course she meant "wish".
And again,
"Maybe, I could beautifully matte (sic) and frame it." The word "matte" refers to a flat, non-glossy finish. When one is framing a picture, you "mat" it.
It is heartening to see, however, so many not buying into such scams. They are everywhere, and more so with the internet. The beauty of the internet, though, is it is easy to check if something is a scam or urban legend. As a research tool, it is wonderful.
Linéa
I thought it would be pretty cool to be recognized, but then when they asked for upwards of $890, then kept lowering it "throwing in" the free two airplane vouchers I could smell the stench of scam through the phone. Totally bogus! I'm glad my husband is in sales and I know a bad close when I hear one!!!!!
To all reading this please beware they are out to get your money,,do not fall for it..I was recently published in my local newspaper and nowhere did they ask for money more importantly it was for my accomplishments...all of this is a scam DO NOT FALL FOR IT!!! everything I have read is the same story....
just got one today 03/28/08
I feel so honored I am going for it. The Chance to get my name in a book of Cambridge Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals Is a great thing.......
No wait......
THE NEW PHONE BOOK IS HERE! THE NEW PHONE BOOK IS HERE!!!!
The Cambridge WW letter to me came with a very nice, (free!) first class/postage paid reply card that I plan on putting to good use in supporting our postal service. I could paste it on an envelope stuffed with all kinds of things that would otherwise end up in a landfill. All the photos of my cousin's vacation in her new motor home? Maybe send M. Foster last year's phone book since, as someone mentioned previously, the new one is out now with my name in it!
Great blog to keep on top of the list. Use those postage paid cards and get the scammers where it hurts!
AL - love your sense of style and wit- Thanks,
Lil Cindy Lou Who
Have no idea where they got my name - I work as an engineer in a factory - 24/7. I have no professional affiliations - it must be a web surfing thing. Great blogs - I will have to think awhile to respond. Sometimes the wheels grind slow, but they grind fine. I love turning things around on this type of bottom feeder.
I received a note from cambridge - maybe I'll frame the invitation - it will fool some of the people some of the time. I "googled" it and linked here. It's addressed to my nickname and I don't belong to any organizations or blogs. Even my Library card is in my surname. Hmm....
If it is any consolation to anyone, my dog got one of these. I have used his name on seveal web sites where I do not want to disclose my name. So now, Mr. Chase R is getting solicitations not only from Cambridge Who's Who but also the NRA (they arrived on the same day). I am almost tempted to sign him up to see if they even question his greatest accomplishment as being able to sleep upside-down on the couch.
I also received such a letter and knew to investigate because I am not an accomplished executive. LOL! Really though, I use a particular variation of my real name whenever asked to fill out a form on the internet. This provides me a hint of who sold my name and address to the potential corporate crooks. Now I know WHO'S WHO AMONGST THE CONNS. I wonder if they know they're on my list for FREE.
Yep, I got one too. I'm pretty sure the Association of Professional Women sold my name but then again I'm not sure how they got my name to begin with. I believe I have just joined the viscious cycle and shall be bought and sold time and time again from here to eternity. Hey, can we be sold as a commondity future on the stock exchange....?
Just got off the phone with "Lisa", she received my application and was happy to include me in their program. Then she started asking for money. My response to her was, "I thought that there is a free edition of this". She began lowering the price. I did not give her time to ask for a credit card. Thank God I did not give her any info. I too decided to google the company and found this blog. Thanks a bunch.
This letter seemed more like a practical joke and pointed at a scam, mine stated inclusion for the 2008/2009 edition. Glad I did the research. Do I think you are cynical?, Not at all. I laughed at the illusion of prestige that inclusion to the "Honors Edition" registry would bring.
Folks I gotta say, falling for this is like like taking candy from the stranger in the van... you know, the one with a cute little puppy inside that would love to play if only you would get in. I'm not trying to be insulting, but come on, it has Bull$#!T written all over it, literally. No where does it say what it is you really do, what position you hold, or what record they have of your "accomplishments," i.e. that which would make you stand out from anyone else. It's adorably ambiguous, patronizingly flattering, and makes a point to say it is affiliated with nothing official - it merely utilizes a buzz word that relates to an educational institution, in my case Harvard or MIT... but even then neglects to mention any affiliation, or site links, or anything even remotely related to Cambridge.
I too laughed my @$$ off from the first sentence on. A poetry site once tried a similar scam on me when I was a teenager, asserting that a poem I'd submitted (a mediocre one at best) was as inspiring as it was memorable, and that for a small fee they would send me a copy of that years book of prestigious poets (some 1200 or so). I did not fall for it, but oddly enough they sent me a copy of the book anyway - still scratchin' my head tryin' to figure out how that scam works in the end. I probably shouldn't mention the name of the site, I'd prefer not to get sued... but in case you are curious, it's a .com, and I'm hoping you might be able to figure out the prefix to that - that is to say that it's so very obscure you couldn't possibly come up with it on your own (cough cough).
anyway, my major gripe is how they got my name in the first place. I'm not a librarian, I'm a body worker, and the only organizations that have me on file are my insurance, my clients and the state, and I can't imagine any of them giving it up. However, I am an EMT student, but I haven't taken the exam yet and definitely have not registered... so I'm baffled, and pissed. If I were randomly picked out of a hat then I could deal with it, but that's not what happened, someone is making a profit by selling out our privacy, and that is illegal. If anyone knows of a way to find out who's selling our names please let me know, I'd be more than happy to go after them with my lawyer.
The scam pisses me off too of course, but I'm inclined to think that they circumnavigate legal problems by actually providing some lame documentation and plaque and whatnot, leaving us with the sad case of the ridiculous price tag - courts don't favor people who pay too much for big piles of $#!T, even though we all know its wrong and they should be stopped. But so should crooked car dealers, chiropractors, politicians, AMWAY pushers, vegas casino's - you name it, scams are everywhere, it's the nature, or loophole maybe, of a capitalist economy. But let's face it, the alternative is far less attractive.
People have to learn to be honest with themselves... if you can do that, a scam artist doesn't have a prayer because they will have nothing to prey upon, no delusions or unrealistic desires.
What might be an interesting experiment would be to try to scam the scammers, in a sense. Maybe copy their registration letter, and insert random fake names and addresses... make hundreds or thousands of them, and inundate them with overwhelming piles of junk. Or better still, just have a buttload of us walk on up to their address and hang out, maybe carry a picket or 2 - just something to get a little media coverage and expose them. I can think of all sorts of ways to annoy the hell out of em, but I imagine the only people who'd want to join me are some of ya'll, as I'm sure you hate them as much or more than I - anyone up for it?
The previously posted comments say it all. I would add that the giveaway to me was the disclaimer in fine print they were not affiliated in any way with the offical Who's Who organization, and secondly when I was talking to them I heard a phone bank of many voices talking in the background like a telemarking scheme. Finally, the price at the end was unbelievable. I feel sorry as some may be victimized on the basis of low self-esteem or need for recognition. Congrats to the person who posted "we are all successful" and don't need Cambridge to validate us.
AL
You seem to be fairly arrogant in your assumption that anyone who would not instantly spot this as a scam as an idiot. Yes chances are it is a scam, but to place people who have been taken advantage of as idiots when they were in fact just ignorant to a scam, is beyond arrogance and borderline narcissistic.
No offense but you are clearly not as accomplished as you believe. If you were, you probably would not have grammatical errors in your rant about other people's errors.
This time the title is nether in bold nor italics.
Was the title really nether in bold nor italics, or was it neither in bold or italics? Something about spelling and the use of double negatives I think goes against everything my third grade english teacher taught me.
But then again maybe you are so accomplished you skipped third grade, and thus became arrogant enough to dismiss any lessons from that grade as well. Could be that or it could be that you just made a mistake. I don't know because in my opinon anyone who showcases their accomplishments, or posts them on the internet for anyone to see must be fairly arrogant or must just have an empty life.
Maybe you should not focus so much on criticizing other's incorrect grammar, and read through your post instead of just using the lazy mans spell check. Maybe you should also not just assume everyone else is an idiot, and think about how you yourself may be seen as an idiot, and thus improve those areas of your life, instead of crying through blogs over the internet.
No one cares, and if they do, they are even sadder and more pathetic than those you attack.
I am guessing that you will take none of what I have written here with much stock, and will dismiss it all shortly after you close this page, thinking to yourself how you are not an arrogant little twirp. So now I ask you if this is true, how can you claim not to be arrogant if you won't even listen to and consider the validity of criticisms towards yourself?
You know what don't even bother thinking about it, or even replying to this. Chances are you are just like most other bloggers/brain-dead liberals, who somehow believe that man is good by nature yet everything in this world is wrong or corrupt.
carol@carolmagid.com said..
wish I saw this website before I stupidly gave them my credit card # before researching. After speaking to several professional friends that day, they said it was a scam and cancel. I called and left message that night and called mastercard to cancel. I received a call from Tara who said she would review tape and if rep didn't say 'all sales final', which she didn't say, she would consider cancelling. She never called back - mastercard took it off temporarily pending a 90 day dispute period. I tried to e-mail Cambridge but they don't give E-mail address, just website. Does anyone know their e-mail? If I can send letter, I'll forward to anyone who writes me. I'm insisting they delete my info and credit mastercard charge. Argument is it's specialized personal and work has been done -in a few hours? Tara called me,said she'd review tape and if rep didn't say all sales final she would consider my request but never called back. She said mailing had already gone out - that was May 21st and postage date on envelope was May 29th - a lie - she could have stopped it. Does anyone have their e-mail? I am going to refer this web page to mastercard when I have to fill out dispute documents they will send. What else do you suggest? I now realize instead of praise, I would lose respect of my professional friends who knew it was a scam and my family will worry I can be victimized which would cause me problems with trustees of mom's estate - I have control now cause I've always been financially responsible but this one mistake can change their minds. I will stick to I do not want publicity or exposure, have too much work now, won't pay for this; need peace and privacy to take care of personal business I've had no time for because trying to please clients - I don't need any more clients to interfere. I need the money to pay a large dental bill - more important than an organization I don't want to be part of.
Here's another note of interest... When you call their number listed on the website for customer service, it states that their office hours are M-Th 9:00-5:30 EST and F 9-5 pm. I got a call from them around 8 am HST which makes it 1 p.m. on a SATURDAY! Just goes to show you how bogus this company really is!
The other take they try on folks now is that they can really help get your website known on the internet, especially if you don't fall for the prestige... I think they are trying to change their tactics now as all of these blogs are coming out against them.
Has anyone every noticed that they are not even listed on the NY BBB site either despite all of the complaints against them? I have yet to get any reply for the BBB regarding my complaint against their business practices. I say anyone who has been approached by this business should file a complaint with the FTC, IC3, NY Attorney General's office, and the BBB to help protect others from this kind of scheme.
If you have been scammed by this organization, here are some tips to fight back and get your money back when dealing with them:
1) When you call your rep back, ask them if they can be recorded. As soon as you say that, you will hear his/her tone of voice change suddenly.
2) Ask them how are they related to Empire Who's Who. They will state that they don't know. Then tell your rep, funny because when I type in that domain, Cambridge's site comes up. You mean to tell me you don't quite know about your company's history and possibly the product you are trying to sell!
3) If they give you excuses as to why your membership and refund has not been processed, start jotting down time lines and dates, especially ask them about the dates they have in your file. They ignore emails for requests but print them out. You can really catch them screwing up this way big time. One rep told me that it was too late to cancel since I'm only notifying them now. I said to her, funny, because you told me that a rep tried to call on several occasions on these specific dates and now you're saying you don't know. That doesn't make sense. The mumble jumble they give you will get them all messed up and catch them on it.
3) If they try to give you the line that they couldn't send anything because of a wrong address, get them to confirm the address first because they indeed have the right address on file.
4) Ask they if they are such a prestigious organization and so reputable, why in the heck are they not affiliated with the BBB?
5) If you get a call on a Saturday, question them since their greeting tells you that the hours listed state that they are only open M-F. Your rep will likely tell you that they have to work on Sat. to meet a publishing deadline. They ask them when is that deadline. You will get a very vague answer like I don't know. If they have a deadline, wouldn't you think their bosses would give them a definite date?
Lastly, remind them that they are being recorded. You will no longer get a savvy, over praising and pleasant rep as the one that sold you the membership.
Burn them with the tactics they use and EMPOWER yourself against scammers. Beat them at their own game!!!
i got the letter also. but was duped any suggestion on how to get my money back!!!!!!!!
Contact your credit card company, hopefully you did that. Then contact the BBB and the NY attorney general's office under the consumer complaint section. Search the Ripoffreport.com for other helpful info to get your money back. Email them and keep track of your emails as documentation against them and their poor follow ups.
Another thing to note about this company is that you can infiltrate their website. Put in any number in the application code similar to the one you receive and you will be able to apply for membership. You'll get an automated reply. Then if you fill out the form as someone really important like a CEO, you'll even get a call and possibly another follow up email! Goes to show how desperate they are for money as they don't even verify the accuracy of the information provided!
Sad, Not Annoyed,
I just got one of these letters today and really thought I was something special. I had heard of who's who back in the 80's and knew someone with their name in one of those books. I was kind of excited and thought my 20 year military career and college honors was the reason for receiving this letter. I did notice the statement at the bottom saying they were not associated with other who's who, but just thought they were trying to distinguish themselves from others out there. I was excited because I am in the process of resume writing for a big position and thought "WOW" I could use this as a status symbol. I went to the very believable website and almost began with the registration process. I kept seeing things that made me stop, like they would contact me for an interview. If I didn't hate for businesses to call me, I would have fallen for it. That was enough to make me stop and conduct a search on yahoo. I didn't even type in scam, but got bombarded with the word "SCAM" all over the place. I certainly would have been duped all the way up until they asked for money. By that point they would have had enough information for an "identity theft" scam. I'm not sure whether to call it a scam or a very aggressive marketing tactic. Thank you for the post.
Thank you all sooooo much for sharing your stories on this blog. I received the same letter in the mail a few days ago and decided to look into it. I noticed that, in contrast to some of the others who posted replies, they did NOT use my full name...they used my nickname. (If my full name was Mariposa Librarian, they used Mari Librarian). I'm a member of ALA, but ALA has my full name. I just graduated from library school, but they also use my full name. I'm curious as to how they got my nickname. Furthermore, I'm not even in my career yet, so I hardly consider myself a professional yet. I was listed in the *real* Who's Who in college and graduate school, so I felt a little leery when I got this letter because I'd never heard of "Cambridge" Who's Who. Anyway...thank you all for saving me the time and frustration that likely would've ensued had I submitted the application.
BTW, AL, I love your blog!
How hot is the online tour guide for Cambridge's "Who's Who" membership benefits!? Ow Ow!
What a brilliant compnay for appealing to the attention whore in all of us.
The PLATINUM Membership costs $800 +. The GOLD Membership $500+. BUt if you tell them you're not interested they'll offer you a "special" rate (usually reserved for non-profits) of $400+. Such a deal!
This is what a representative from CWW had to say about their affiliation with other Who's Who... From Beth Johnston herself...
"Empire Who's Who and Manchester Who's Who merged approx. 2 years ago forming Cambridge Who's Who. Cambridge Who's Who is, in fact, not affiliated with any other Who's Who."
Funny how she can say they are merged yet not affiliated... What a bunch of crap!!!
Regarding paid memberships this is what she has said to me...
"Cambridge informed you there would be no cost or obligation to be listed. Memberships, in this case, a fully published membership
could never be free."
Hmm... Why is it that their letters state it is free, yet she confirms, it is not free... How about their business practices being so similar to telemarking scams according to the FTC website and the USPS mail fraud website... Here's what she said to me...
"As to telemarketing companies, I cannot express an informed opinion as I have never worked with, for, or as a telemarketer."
Some nonsense answers huh??? This is confirmation that it is a SCAM!!!
Im a medical assistant I received a phone call from them today and they totally wanted money Im glad I did not give in. I kept telling that I needed to consult with my husband first and they just kept lowering the price. When I asked for a phone number where I could call them back they told me that ther is not a number available. what kind of legit organization has no phone number where they can get called back. They are such scam artist. I hope no one else falls for them. What honor can a person feel
when they have an award they have to pay for?
My wife got a similar letter to honor her as the "Executive and Professional Women" to represent our county. Obviously their data mining program was not able to find out the correct profession of my wife. At least they got the gender correct.
They even provide a online code to reply online. They are really on top of the latest technology.
Still Scamming. I just got off of the phone with the very annoyed person trying to talk me into paying $889+$199 platinum or $689+$199 Gold membership. Like all of you, the more I sad "nah" the lower the price went.. along with the tone in her voice! Does anyone actually go for this crap? I would love to know what idiot is actually a MEMBER?!? I'm guessing one that is NOT accomplished and wants to feel that they are! What a scam! Thanks for this post!
My letter of August 21, 2008 that I just received yesterday, September 11, 2008, states that I have been appointed as a biographical candidate to represent Sacramento, CA (where I live) in the 2008/2009 online Cambridge Who's Who Registry Among Executive and Professional Women. My prompt response is needed by September 18, 2008 -- the shortest possible time to reply so I wouldn't have much time to research them, which is why they waited two and a half weeks to mail it after it was typed -- and it is signed by one of many Editors in Chief I'm sure: M. Foster. Then it states I can also reply online at www.cambridgewhoswho.com/onlineapp, and to use an exclusive code only provided to me. I think I WILL reply online and tell them the New York State Attorney General's Internet Fraud Division has been very responsive to my needs in the past, so I will be contacting them with the information in their letter as well as a printout of this long blog so they will finally be shut down. I know they've probably heard that before, but I, for one, follow through with my warnings...
I just visited the Cambridge Who's Who web site to leave some nasty messages on their online forms, then it occurred to me that I could use a similar code as the one printed on my letter and reply card so I could create a member account without giving them my actual information. It worked. My code was CxxxA, the three x's being numbers, so I entered the C with three OTHER numbers then the A, then filled out the following form with fake information. I entered comments that told them I was turning them in to the NY State Attorney General's office, and that I knew they were a scam, and after I submitted the form, I was given a membership number! Now, I realize it will only work until they read my insults then they'll unsubscribe that member number, however, EACH OF YOU can do the same thing and NOT insult them so you can enter various parts of their site and get more information to take them down. You will be able to access other members names and email addresses, and secretly scour their entire site. I'm going to sign in again using yet another number sandwiched between the C and the A, which no doubt refers to each of their prey in California (hard code to break, huh?) and infiltrate their site. Just thought I'd pass this on so many many people will do the same thing until their site is inundated with people messing with them.
I got one too and now I'm wondering if the Who's Who Among America's Teachers is as much of a rip off. I never purchased their book and wont' even respond to this Cambridge Who's Who. How do they get names? Annoyed Librarian, thanks for the info.
I am sad to tell you that I was totally scammed by this company today. I plan to go after them legally and have filed complaints with several consumer agencies as well as the media. Let's expose this fraud as soon as possible before many more of us are effected.
Heartsick......
These posts have been going on for over a year now. Why haven't these Who's Who folks been shut down by now?
I just got one of these Cambridge Who's Who letters also. Thankfully, I am very skeptical by nature. I can see how it is easy to get sucked into believing this crap. They play to your ego in a very clever way. I wonder how much money they are making doing this? Almost makes me wish that I had thought of it.
Anyhoo, I was trying to read every comment until I saw just how many comments there were on this blog. Apparently I'm not the only one getting this "honor". And here I thought I was special... LOL.
Like everyone else, I am proud of my accomplishments. I just graduated from engineering school. The name of my university was at the top of the address label, so I am guessing that is how I was sold out. Apparently graduating from school and working for six months makes me one of Cambridge's Who's Who. Wow. It really doesn't take that much to impress them!
I was never a member of ALA or SLA. I don't even know what those organizations are! However I was a member of ASME, GSPE, SAE, and SEMA, any of which may have sold my name. As a double-whammy, I am guessing that you end up on some nightmarish phone / mailing list from hell, just the kind of thing I try to avoid.
Well, kudos to those of us who were protected by our cynicism and condolences to those of us whose trusting nature and/or ego caused them to be scammed.
Peace,
-A
I just got one of these letters, too, although they're threatening to list me in Cambridge's Who's Who Registry Among Executive and Professional Women. They must have a registry for every possible profession! I have no idea where they got my address since I have been an obscure free-lance writer for the past two years and don't consider myself an executive. Maybe from my alma mater, which did list me as a "journalist" in its directory. It sounded like a scam to me, too. They're just trying to get money by pandering to your ego.
Not a librarian either, mine was also 'Executives and Professionals'. Mine was signed by M. Foster, Editor in Chief and also has the disclaimer on the bottom saying it's proudly not associated with...
Interesting they've been sending this out for so long and thanks to the blogger for putting this out here :) Hopefully the other people receiving this letter thought it was shady as well and did a google search like we have.
I am in Wastewater Treatment and hardly a "Professional". I had my doubts and did an online search (reading these posts) while on the phone for ten minutes before they let me know that the free membership was really over $500. Thanks for the posts. The people that are pulling this scam should be ashamed and tortured!!!
Wow, I'm 16 and don't have a job. So I was pretty much not fooled by their offer of inclusion in the "Executives and Professionals" Who's Who. I think they got my address from http://www.freedomhq.com/ when I got a pair of elephant earrings for Election Day. They just assumed that all Republicans are executives of huge corporations.
Well you all have been very informative. I received a letter today with M. Foster Editor in Cheif on it. So glad there is a website for verifying these kind of things.
Wow. Bookworm (My friend) just sent me a link to this. Don't you just love scams?
I don't find your cynicism depressing at all. Just very funny and well put.
I too received a letter. I'm not a member of the ALA. I do not have a college degree or even any certifications. I was stunned when I received it. So I played along. I filled out the online application and received a bunch of annoying calls saying they wanted to verify my information. I took the call and verified all of the information for them. "Congratulations!" the lady said, we would like to publish you in the latest edition. For a minimal fee or $900. LOL! Who has that kind of cash laying around right now. I said no thanks about 10 times before she offered me a "deal" for $99. I hung up.
If you are truley accomplished, shouldn't things like this be an award - a free award?
I just got it today! I was immediately skeptical and googled it. Lots of BBB reports, videos, blogs, etc. on this tier scam!!!
Of everything I read and saw regarding this whole "Who's Who" scam -- this was the best documentation. Check out this youtube footage catching these scammers redhanded!
I just got a letter today, also from M. Foster, "editor in chief". What a crock of crap. Thank you, Annoyed Librarian and others who posted for sharing here. I think I am going to fill out their online application with some confusing b.s., for my own amusement. :-)
I just received a letter also. I am fairly sure that I have received something from them before or it may have been from the "Manchester Who's Who." In any case, the last time, I also ascertained that this was a scam, in part thanks to other online comments. Thanks so much for providing this one! The you tube video was hilarious.
By the way, I am not a member of the ALA, although I am an associate member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects); however, there is no mention of this in the letter from Cambridge Who's Who. I am not sure how CWW gets our names, but it may well not be the fault of the ALA.
Karin
I have received two of these letters in the last week. First from Strathmores Who's Who and then the one from Cambridge. The Cambridge listed it specfic to MY city too. I am not affiliated with ALA or the AIA, I have no idea where they got my name. Glad I found this site! Thanks!
As i'm sure someone else already pondered, i don't think it's the ALA... I got a letter for the Cambridge Who's Who Registry Among Executive and Professional Women myself and even better, "The Director thinks that I may make an interesting biographical subject, as individual achievement is what Cambridge Who's Who is all about!" Well lucky lucky me... apparently my candidacy has been approved and i didn't even know i was a candidate... boy howdy, talk about an ego stroke... it's almost sad to learn that they really don't think i'm as cool and as much of an up and coming professional as i do. But back to the point, I'm not and never have been, a member of the ALA, i didn't go to library school, I'm just an english geek working in an english geek job. Ah, the dreams of inspiring others and constantly having my vanity stroked have died a cruel painful death... i shall survive though, and thanks to this site, i can proudly say that i hope this cambridge who's who organization does not!
Thanks for the info and the proof that at least i wasn't the only one picked out of the "possible sucker" hat. (No offense of course)
Ya, I'm 16 years old, and i got sent this. i was like "WOOHOO" but then i read the bottom part with the "NOT" part threw me off a bit, but i read it as ""We aren't associated with any other groups, we're a bunch of elitest bastards". I'm not even sure what the hell im supposed to do with this now...
This company is a scam! DO NOT JOIN! I paid $218 for a one-year trial after a 45 minuted interview in which I was told that I would be included and that I would be networked to local school districts (I'm a long-term substitue). After refusing to pay the close to $900 they wanted for membership, I went with the trial. I immediately called back to cancel after feeling. Only after I threatened to have my credit card company investigate, did she refund my money. On top of it, she was rude, sarcastic, and completely unprofessional for someone who supposedly honors those professionals among us who are the complete opposite.
I got my letter this week! Teacher in grad school...i'd bet it came from a mailing list through school. Thanks for all the posts! I almost filled it out online and just ripped it up instead!
Yay, I'm an Executive and Professional for my superior performance as a community college student/video gamer. I'm glad somebody noticed how many levels I've beaten/gained. If only there was an outrageously overpriced membership I could buy with all that money that I make in my professional field of sitting on my butt...oh wait, there is. o_0
Yes, indeed it is a scam. How do I know? What is my proof? They called up all the fake alias put in through their bogus website with fake codes. They even called my dog up and a dead aunt too! They must be really desperate now since more and more folks are not willing to give up their money to them so easily. I'm going to tape these conversations and send it to the Attorney General's office!
I received my letter this afternoon. "Cambridge Who's Who is proudly not associated or affiliated with any other Who's Who Organization." If they don't want to be associated, why don't they change their name to something a little less suspect? I feel like there's got to be some way to lock these people up.
I received a letter. "applied" and got the phone call.
Thankfully, my learned skills as a sales rep has taught me to know when I'm being sold on something. In this case, I was being sold on garbage. I could just imagine the drop-down chart in front of the callers head.
Thanks for posting the blog though. Makes me feel more confidant about the already correct decision.
Thank you for sharing your stories. I went through the phone interview and was going to purchase membership. Thank God, I told them to call me back in a few hours for payment. I had a feeling to check this out on the internet while awaiting their return call. I am so thankful unto God for finding this site!!!
Got the "good news" today from M. Foster about the Cambridge Who's Who Registry among Executive and Professional Women. Because I'm not even in business yet, there are only two places my name is listed. By the way my name is shown on the letter, I can tell it was generated from my membership in the local chamber of commerce. Somebody is mining online lists. Too bad they don't get a real job.
Did a little checking on the phone and address of Cambridge Who's Who. The address shown is Uniondale NY, but the phone number is for Empire Executive & Professional Registry Inc. at 1539 Franklin Ave., Mineola NY. If you check the State of NY business registry, that company's contact address is a personal injury law firm: c/o Lawrence J. Scherer, Ripka Rotter & King, 275 Madison Ave. Suite 700, NYC. Another interesting tidbit, the building in Mineola is also home to another business with a very similar phone number which has two aliases in the state registry. Wonder how many "businesses" these people are running. None of them are in the NY Better Business Bureau system.
I got the letter today putting me in the "Registry among Executive and Professional Women in Religious Services". I don't have a "Religious" profession. I am trying to start a small business so I was a little excited and decided to check it out, but I'm always skeptical about these sort of things, I don't think I really qualify as a "professional", and unfortunately I'm not all that accomplished. so I did a search and found this article and a couple others. I have no idea where they got my info or who may have "sold me out" to them, unless they just randomly picked my name from my city's directory or something, since they did say I was chosen to represent my city. But why religious services? Just picked something random I guess.
thanks for writing about it. I'm going to do that too.
Very interesting reading, this site. I got a letter as well from these folks. I'm a relatively new R.N. without a lot of background experience, so how I possibly could have made a "who's who" list is beyond my comprehension. I'm glad I'm paranoid enough about identity theft and giving out information no one needs to know about me to have done a search before taking this letter seriously. I suppose it's possible to get a list of nurses from some organization or another, but at any rate, I found it extremely odd. Thanks for all your input.
I, too, received a letter from this fine organization. Thanks to all the wonderful warning posts, I can proudly say I resisted their efforts to take my money.
Also, I think I know from where they got my name and address, as I had just recently moved and have only completed one transaction with my new address: a public library card. Not quite the ALA, but the connection is awfully suspicious.
OMG I just got a call about 30min ago from Kris Demonte saying she was program director. When I told her that I'm not near my purse, she said "I'll wait". And when I told that I was "expecting some money on Friday" she quickly said she was gonna "take my name of the list" and "wished me success" and quickly hung up. When she hung up, I quickly googled "Cambridge's Who's Who". As I scrolled to the bottom I saw this blog. AND I KNEW IT!! I asked her before she hung how she got my info, she said "a 'friend' recommended me" from work. THANK GOD FOR THIS BLOG, ANNOYED LIBRARIAN
I got this in the mail too. My first job when I was in a library...20 years ago. Glad I found this site.
I got this in the post yesterday - I`m in the UK, and the scam`s now operating out of a P.O. Box in Milton Keynes, England.
I received the "honour" today and I'm in the UK too. No idea how they got my details but I thought it was a bit strange being completely undistinguished in any professional field. Then I Googled Who's Who and the first thing that came up was SCAM.
I too received a letter to join the "Cambridge Who's Who Registry Among Executive and Professional Women"...ha! I was suspicious and googled them, saw it was a scam and wish there was some place to 'report' these scam artists!!!
So 3 years later the scam continues...judging from the dates on earlier posts here. How awful!
I just got my letter today, stating I'm a biographical candidate to represent my (very small) town In their registry of Executive and Professional Women. There was no mention of what they think my profession might be. It reminded me of the "poetry contests" that I used to think were legitimate. How sad that the scam has continued so long.
I'm sure the addresses come from a variety of sources. I've been getting a lot of strange mail since I applied for a state business license so I could report sales tax on occasional book sales. I'm an author, but I don't think Cambridge is aware of that.
I posted a couple of comments in January 2009 about my "honor" and have been following the more recent posts. Jan may be on to something. I had also recently registered with my state regarding my new business. And as for a place to make a formal complaint, go to the Federal Trade Commission's site at www.ftc.gov and fill in their complaint form. The more complaints they get, the more likely they will take action.
I received a letter on Feb 6th, just checked it out today. Are you ready for this? I'M UNEMPLOYED!! I am a full time community college student and a recent Navy Veteran. Not exactly an "Executive" or "Professional" woman. (Although I hope to be someday!) A few months ago, I passed my Notary Public examination with the Secretary of State. I am assuming that is where they got my info. Along with the mortgage jerks that waste so much paper assuming we are delinquent on our home because of where we live. I hate public records!!
Here's an even better one. I got one of these letters offering me inclusion in the registry of professional women, and I AM NOT A WOMAN.
thanks for all your comments...jsut received a 2nd notice...to be included in the 'Executive and Professional Women'...
Hey there, hello from Wellington, New Zealand where at my small business I also get the exact same spam from Skillpath Seminars. I have tried multiple times to get my address removed from the database to no avail. The last time I called they told me they could not remove me unless I typed the address and name field exactly. The lady said that if one letter was wrong I could not be deleted. Sounds like BS to me. So I asked her I could change my current address and she said that was fine. I changed my address to one that I know does not exist. We shall see if I get another letter from them next month.
Oh and the subscription here in NZ costs $249.95 plus $25 a month. Might be cheaper for those of you in USA to joine SKillpath NZ haha.
For some reason they sent me one today and for the most part I'm not part of any orginization nor have I accomplished anything to my knowledge I think they just want they info to sell/give for some type of favor to the greys to track me down but, that could be just paranoia thinking or maybe they *gasp* want me brains.
Hmmmm maybe I'll just gives thems a phone call instead to see how they found mes.
In just got one yesterday in the mail, They told me that Cambridge's Who's Who is Honoring Executive business women in my area. So I see they are not just targeting ALA members. What does it take to keep your info private now a days? I through the letter out.
.I was also taken in by their flattery, sales technique and false claims. Similar to so many other complaints I also realized the stupidity of my ways very quickly and demanded a refund the very next day.
I was contacted by their complaint resolution manager and we started on a 3 week circus involving email exchanges, voice mail messages and then listening in to a recording of my call where the words "all sales are final" (which was quickly spoken and even on a 2nd listen barely audible), was interpreted by CWW as NO REFUNDS.
After a lot of hassling they agreed to a refund minus $100 for "costs already incurred". They then sent me a letter to sign that included this text...........:As discussed, this is a letter acknowledging the resolution reached today. Please sign it at the bottom and return it immediately. Upon receipt of your signed letter, absent of editorial adjustments and/or comments, your credit in the amount of $500.00 will be processed and posted to your account within 10-12 business days. This will close your membership. This offer is valid only if returned to our establishment no later than .......
I refused as it was not a full refund.
After a few more less polite emails, voice mail, and phone calls they agreed to a full refund.
I will say one thin in support of CWW, the lady that I was dealing with was always pleasant and DID return my emails and phone calls. I was a little surprised at this.
Anyway, my advice is to have NOTHING to do with them. It is probably NOT a scam in the true sense of the word, but really has NO value and anyone that signs up and is happy with it is NOT worth networking with.
IF you do get caught as I did, be unrelenting in your requests for a refund. EMail via their website EVERY night, leave voice mails EVERY day and do NOT accept NO for an answer. They have NO right to keep your money. Their call recording is for Quality Assurance purposes and NOT a legally binding contract, they are not even allowed to present it as such......
I too received this letter today, believing that it is a scam. I am a 21 year old navy wife who has been unemployed for the last year, and in no way have I achieved much; especially being unemployed this last year. Also, before becoming umemployed I worked in retail as a cashier. How they would look at me as an accomplished professional individual is beyond me. I was also a college drop out, there are far more accomplished people out there than myself. They also say there is no cost to be included on there letter, yet they turn around and say you have to pay for a membership? Isn't that contradicting themselves?! Nobody should fall for this scam, and before you do anything call and ask questions, just dont give them your name and number, but research before you agree to anything; otherwise you'll regret it in the end.
well i got the letter too. i had filled in the card that came with it, then i read your scam blob an it is now going into the trash. thanks for the blog. they almost got me. by the way...i am a retail clothing manager! no one special even to be in their book.
BTW - my wife received the letter, but it was in recognition of her marketing career. Just wanted to point that out, so that you know that it's not just the ALA...
I got this today. Lady called with same old sales pitch.
Amazing how frantic she got when I said I would NOT PAY ever.
Keep these blogs alive. My own ego almost got the better of me.
And I am not in the ALA. I work in the arts.
I got it yesterday with a promiss to be published in the Executive and Professional Women. However, they changed from book publishing to online publishing! Such an improvement! Thank you all for all your comments.
I just received my invitation a week ago but didn't have time to respond as I was busy with my month-end closing books as an accounting person. I finally had time to look at it again and started my research and what a dismay to know that this is all a scam! I was pretty excited to see my name accross the Cambridge Who's Who but not anymore...
Elizabeth Laboriante,USA
Annoyed Librarian I LOVED reading your post...very entertaining. Thanks! I received the letter today & Googled them finding this info. I think they got my name through Linkedin and some affiliated Groups offered through that site. I am not sure how they got my address but I know there are ways out there. Very intrusive and irritating.
I received the letter and the sales pitch. Glad to find this blog about the scam. You have to give it to them though...they do know people are vain!
I just got off the phone with Cambridge Who's Who. Looked up this blog while on the phone and discovered I'm not so special after all. Too bad. I'll think I'll go have a beer. Come to think of it, I can have a lot of beers with the money I saved by not joining. If you were here I'd buy you one too. Thanks.
I got a similar letter, in which the Editor in Chief thought I would make an "interesting biographical subject." Awww, I'm flattered.
Thank you for your post, AL.
Annoyed Librarian,
I join forces with you on the "annoyed" part at least. I got this letter last month - July 2009. So they've really raked in the cash.
But I've found one way they getcha.
You see I have an ecommerce website, and I also have a twitter account. Guess who else has a twitter account? Yep the PERTEGOUS CWW!
MY question is now answered, I KNOW how they got my info and WHO "nominated" me! Many would call it solicitation.
DAMN, I'VE BEEN SCAMMED!
yes, i fell for it and feel so totally stupid! But, they were gracious enough to offer me the one year, $99 membership!
Lesson learned........ but still feel uhhmm, violated I guess [AND ripped off!]. They preyed on the fact that I am a small biz, and of course would want company recognition and the "honor" [excuse me, I need to puke] of being listed in the cambridge whos who registry!
gee, I'm famous!~
I'm posting a comment because I just got one of these letters today. Mine was to include me in the "Executive and Professional Women" version. In my field we always having to attend updates and classes to obtain continuing education credits for our accrediations, they could have gotten my name from a number of sources. Nice little ego boost and I'm sure that is what they count on. While I appreciate ego stroking, I'll just be keeping my money, thanks. I know what I've accomplished and I've no need to have my name published in any book to validate me.
When I received the letter the first thing I did was search Google and lo and behold I was treated to many articles naming this operation as a scam. Obviously, I also found this blog in my search. Many thanks to those who have spoken up on this matter and a special thanks to you, AL, for making your comments known about this scam.
I love you Annoyed Librarian!!
You remind me of The Angry Pharmacist.
I figured CWW would probably ask a ridiculous price in order to receive a copy of the book, but I was curious to see whether I would actually be listed in their publication.
As a relatively recent graduate of pharmacy school, I'm accustomed to receiving offers from various professional organizations and institutions: reference materials, malpractice insurance, drug utilization programs. etc. I just assumed, since the letter indicated that my "candidacy has been approved" (Nyah, nyah, I'm so special I'm preapproved. Take that!)for the registry of "Executive and Professional Women in the PHARMACEUTICAL Industry"(caps are mine) that they bought my information from one of the professional pharmacy organizations.
I never intended to buy a nickel's worth of anything from CWW and wanted to goof them, and I now have a double opportunity to screw with them.You see, I sent an email asking what this word "astericks" means on a pop-up screen. Can't wait to hear their answer. Also can't wait to string them along as long as possible. Too bad my only phone is a cell, or I could drag it on for a good long while!
I feel so sorry for all of you who have only been invited to apply for membership in Cambridge Who's who. I was informed via e-mail that I have already been inducted into it (not the Honors list as some of you). All I need to do is provide my information to them. Life is good at the top. If only I hadn't deleted my invitation. Do you think I'll get another?
Mark this buyer beware! There are a number of scams very similar to this out there. Another version is one for professional men & women. They give you the same ego-stroking come-on when anyone with an ounce of sense can see something is amiss. Of course it's "free" but what they want you to do is buy their list of people which they put in a pretty package. It's the perfect scam for people who need important sounding titles that are utterly meaningless.
You've got to laugh. I just received one of these. No idea where they go my email from! So with due diligence, I completed the online form with the name "Ivor Biggun" and the address and phone number of my local police station. Should cause some amusement when they phone....
Post a Comment