Scam Tip Report #19339 - Awards from the United States Trade & Commerce Institute
| Scam Reporter | Scam Tips Received
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|---|
| No Name
Oceanside, CA, United States
2014-05-20 22:52:56
Business Venture Scam
|  +16 Awards from the United States Trade & Commerce Institute The United States Trade & Commerce Institute (USTCI) scams companies into purchasing expensive trophies and related packages for awards they have supposedly earned, though the selection appears to be completely random and is often incorrect. Some companies receive the notices for excellence in a year that they were not even in business, or for doing types of work that are not applicable, or for being based in a country in which they do not even do business. This organization has been scamming small businesses for several years, and has gone by numerous DBAs, as bad press has forced them to shut down and rename. The USTCI, for example, recently changed its name from the Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce after people began to complain. |
Follow Ups/Extra Information. Most recent is listed first.
| jwb9999999 (Meridian, MS, United States) Added the following extra information on :2019-03-22 19:46:52 |
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I received one of these letters today, 5 years after they started sending them it seems. The signature on the bottom was:
Victoria Drexler
USITC - Annual Survey Division
Phone: (202) 629 – 9950
Fax: (202) 629 – 9951
Scam Email
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2019-02-12 01:45:02 |
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On behalf of the US Institute of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that (company name) has been recognized for our 2018 Excellence Award.
The USITC has been conducting annual surveys of companies for the past few years where we pick certain industries each year and post evaluating various metrics including reviews both offline and online, a selected list is forwarded to our panel and they choose to recognize certain firms in each geography with an award. It does frequently transpire that some only hear about their nomination and when we send this official email at the end of the process to clarify if they were selected as an award recipient or not.
Further details on this selection can be viewed on our website including the press release that was produced for this occasion (which is not distributed till mutual review is complete). To review the award and the accompanying press release please go to www.usitc.org and enter the Reference digits ****** on the top right corner of the homepage. Or the link below will take you to the appropriate page directly.
(Website supposedly specifically for my company)
*Should you prefer to revise the details displayed on the award (company name and/or the specific category of recognition), please include such in the designated area post confirming the shipping address on the website and our Media Division will be able to assist with such edits. Please note that though a phone number needs to be included in the shipping address therein since FedEx requires that as part of the shipping label, we will not store the phone number on our end and use it for any purpose nor share it with any outside entity)
Regards,
Victoria Drexler
USITC - Annual Survey Division
Phone: (202) 629 – 9950
Fax: (202) 629 – 9951
Email: vdrexler@usitc.org
Scam Email
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2018-08-17 22:27:35 |
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Sent to the Owner of our company...
On behalf of the US Institute of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that [Company] has been recognized for our 2018 Excellence Award.
Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USITC on various categories and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth.
Further details on this selection can be viewed on our website including the press release that was produced for this occasion (which is not distributed till mutual review is complete). To review the award and the accompanying press release please go to www.usitc.org and enter the Reference digits [Removed] on the top right corner of the home page. Or the link below will take you to the appropriate page directly.
*Should you prefer to revise the details displayed on the award (company name and/or the specific category of recognition), please include such in the designated area post confirming the shipping address on the website and our Media Division will be able to assist with such edits. Please note that though a phone number needs to be included in the shipping address therein since FedEx requires that as part of the shipping label, we will not store the phone number on our end and use it for any purpose nor share it with any outside entity)
Regards,
Margaret Flanagan USITC - Annual Survey Division
Phone: (202) 629 – 9950 Fax: (202) 629 – 9951
Email: mflanagan@usitc.org
(PS: This is a one time outreach from our end but should you prefer for the USITC to delete all your contact information please reply back with REMOVE in the subject line and we will do so) .
USITC Newswire (July Highlight): USITC completes its 120th micro-finance through Kiva. The institute's Global Incubation Initiative has involved assisting several organizations such as Kiva to further its support to businesses in over 40 countries. More information can be found at http://www.kiva.org/lender/USITC.
Scam EmailFrom: Margaret Flanagan - US Institute of Trade & Commerce <mflanagan@usitc.org>
Date: August 17, 2018 at 11:46:19 AM PDT
To:
Subject: [EXTERNAL]: Timber Products Company selected for 2018 Excellence by US Institute of Trade & Commerce
Reply-To: Margaret Flanagan - US Institute of Trade & Commerce <mflanagan@usitc.org>
[Owner's Name Removed for Privacy],
On behalf of the US Institute of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that [Company Name Removed for Privacy] has been recognized for our 2018 Excellence Award.
Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USITC on various categories and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth.
Further details on this selection can be viewed on our website including the press release that was produced for this occasion (which is not distributed till mutual review is complete). To review the award and the accompanying press release please go to www.usitc.org and enter the Reference digits [Removed] on the top right corner of the home page. Or the link below will take you to the appropriate page directly.
*Should you prefer to revise the details displayed on the award (company name and/or the specific category of recognition), please include such in the designated area post confirming the shipping address on the website and our Media Division will be able to assist with such edits. Please note that though a phone number needs to be included in the shipping address therein since FedEx requires that as part of the shipping label, we will not store the phone number on our end and use it for any purpose nor share it with any outside entity)
Regards,
Margaret Flanagan USITC - Annual Survey Division
Phone: (202) 629 – 9950 Fax: (202) 629 – 9951
Email: mflanagan@usitc.org
(PS: This is a one time outreach from our end but should you prefer for the USITC to delete all your contact information please reply back with REMOVE in the subject line and we will do so) .
USITC Newswire (July Highlight): USITC completes its 120th micro-finance through Kiva. The institute's Global Incubation Initiative has involved assisting several organizations such as Kiva to further its support to businesses in over 40 countries. More information can be found at http://www.kiva.org/lender/USITC.
