Scam Tip Report #19339 - Awards from the United States Trade & Commerce Institute


Scam ReporterScam Tips Received
No Name
Oceanside, CA, United States
2014-05-20 22:52:56
Business Venture Scam
+16 Awards from the United States Trade & Commerce Institute   
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Catherine Weaver
Email Address:
cweaver@ustci.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(703) 340 – 6071
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.
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
Subject: recognized by the US Institute of Trade & Commerce
From: Victoria Drexler - The US Institute of Trade & Commerce return-path:
received: from m4.usitc.co ([66.70.160.140]) by mx.perfora.net (mxeueus004[74.208.5.3]) with ESMTP (Nemesis) id 0M2vs8-1gpQTp3Th0-00sb0g f...
dkim-signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; s=default; d=usitc.co;h=Message-ID:Date:Subject:From:Reply-To:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:L...
domainkey-signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; q=dns; s=default; d=usitc.co;b=skHzCM6nPpNXSBEMMPuL2hWKqYwEe5Bs7nvy6j0um9l9UqQSw1U/+kF+8DOVKlqmOMw2duIpC2IU...
message-id: <01ff0b677847756299102ce4a7234041@usitc.co>
date: Fri, 22 Mar 2019 16:29:03 +0000
reply-to: Victoria Drexler - The US Institute of Trade & Commerce
mime-version: 1.0
content-type: multipart/alternative;boundary="_=_swift_v4_1553272143_73fc302319b4d590126af1b0283e5bd6_=_"
precedence: bulk
list-unsubscribe: list-id: nb703v72y56e8 <0322>
feedback-id: wo1478c1k1759:op5525kfr5962:nb703v72y56e8:qa371xa955aa9
envelope-to:

jwb9999999   (Meridian, MS, United States) Added the following extra information on :2019-03-22 19:46:52
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Victoria Drexler
Email Address:
vdrexler@usitc.co
Scam Website:
Fax:
(202) 629 – 9951
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
Subject: ******* selected for 2018 Excellence Award by US Institute of Trade & Commerce
From: Victoria Drexler - The US Institute of Trade & Commerce sent: Thursday, January 24, 2019 10:44 AM

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2019-02-12 01:45:02
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Victoria Drexler
Email Address:
vdrexler@usitc1.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(202) 629 – 9951
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 Email


Begin forwarded message:

From: 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.


Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2018-08-17 22:27:35
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Margaret Flanagan
Email Address:
mflanagan@usitc.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(202) 629-9951
Sent to the Owner of our company...
On behalf of the US Institute of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that Timber Products 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 4X06J8 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 Email

Joe 

Sent from my iPhone


Begin forwarded message:

From: 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.


Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2018-08-17 22:21:01
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Margaret Flanagan
Email Address:
mflanagan@usitc.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(202) 629-9951
I am reading all of this.

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2015-04-09 00:49:06
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
james
Scam Website:
Telephone:
8882367321
still at it.
On behalf of the US Commerce & Trade Research Institute, I wanted to let you know that Melt Massage has been recognized as a 2015 California Excellence Award recipient Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USCTRI on various industries and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth. Melt Massage was one of those selected this year.

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 visit www.usctri.org and enter the Reference code V547H0 on the top right corner of the home page. Or the link below will take you to the appropriate page directly.

View your award and press release here

*Our Media Division will be able to assist with any request for edits in the business name and/or editing the industry specification (more specific than Excellence in Community Services) to be reflected on the award as well as adding a personalized company description on the press release. There is an option to insert such edits post viewing the award and PR. Should you wish to display awards at multiple locations then do let me know and I can suggest certain options for the same.

Regards,

Margaret O'Leary
USCTRI - Annual Survey Division

Phone: (202) 629 – 9950
Fax: (202) 629 – 9951
Email: moleary@usctri.org

USCTRI Newswire (JanuaryHighlight): USCTRI 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/USCTRI.

Scam Email
"Margaret O'Leary - US Commerce & Trade Research Institute"

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2015-02-04 23:13:58
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Margaret O'Leary
Email Address:
moleary@usctri.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(202) 629-9951
Email of an award. Contents here:
On behalf of the US Institute for Advancement of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that COMPANY has been recognized as a 2014 California Excellence Award recipient Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USIATC on various industries and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth. COMPANY was one of those selected this year.
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 visit www.USIATC.org and enter the Reference codeXXX on the top right corner of the home page. Or the link below will take you to the appropriate page directly.
View your award and press release here
*Our Media Division will be able to assist with any request for edits in the business name and/or editing the industry specification (for Excellence in....) to be reflected on the award as well as adding a personalized company description on the press release. There is an option to insert such edits post viewing the award and PR. Should you wish to display awards at multiple locations then do let me know and I can suggest certain options for the same.
Regards,
Charlotte Miller USIATC - Annual Survey Division
Phone: (571) 210 – 7990 Fax: (571) 210 – 7991 Email: cmiller@usiatc.org
USIATC Newswire (August Highlight): USIATC 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/USIATC.

Not Applicable   (Oakland, CA, United States) Added the following extra information on :2014-10-22 19:49:26
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Charlotte Miller
Email Address:
cmiller@usiatc.org
Scam Website:
Our agency's name is the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency. It's a tax-supported, school-related organization. The award email we received was suspicious from the start: "On behalf of the US Institute for Advancement of Trade & Commerce, I wanted to let you know that St. Clair County Regional has been recognized as a 2014 Michigan Excellence Award recipient Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USIATC on various industries and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth. St. Clair County Regional was one of those selected this year... ."
Note, too, that Ms. Miller's email address as contained in the body of the letter has an extra "R."

Scam Email
St. Clair County Regional selected for 2014 Michigan Excellence by USIATC Charlotte Miller - US Institute for Advancement of Trade and Commerce

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2014-10-08 18:48:49
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Charlotte Miller
Email Address:
cmillerr@usiatc.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(571) 210 – 7991
Just to confirm that USIATC is trying to scam us in the UK by offering an award. We do not open distrusted links, so this has not been explored. True we are a UK company dealing on a modest scale with several major US companies, so a link is in theory possible - but most unlikely. In any case, we do not concern ourselves with awards like this; the one that matters is continuing business!
Also refers to http://www.kiva.org/lender/USIATC

Scam Email
Victoria Cooper - US Institute for Advancement of Trade and Commerce

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2014-08-14 10:54:41
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Victoria Cooper or Catherine Weaver
Email Address:
vcooper@usiatc.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(571) 210 – 7991
Also Cattherine Weaver but now going under the name of US Institute for Advancement of Trade and Commerce. Identical excellence awards offer though and with the mock up picture showing the giveaway USTCRI logo on it.

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2014-08-12 21:58:50
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Victoria Cooper
Email Address:
vcooper@usiatc.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(571) 210 – 7991
How about this one for a nice twist:
Hello Mark ,
I wanted to follow up on behalf on Catherine Weaver who has been out of the office on maternity leave and wasn't sure if she had been able to send you this announcement prior to her leave. Please do feel free to ignore this email should Ms.Weaver have had the opportunity to connect with you.
On behalf of the US Trade & Commerce Research Institute, I wanted to let you know that .... etc.

Scam Email
Sent an email to my professional email address. This is not given out to very many people, but someone apparently has sold it on....

Mark   (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada) Added the following extra information on :2014-07-30 15:21:20
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Victoria Cooper
Email Address:
vcooper@ustcri.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
571-210-7991
Received a letter stating we were the recipient of a nebulous "excellence award". This company is already listed on scamdex but the name has changed from USTCI to USTCRI. All the rest is the same song and dance.

Scam Email
iem1@ustcri.org

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2014-07-09 15:38:56
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Catherine Davis
Email Address:
cdavis@ustcri.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(703) 340 – 6071
I was sent an email telling me that I had been selected for an award from the US Trade & Commerce Institute. The email and linked website seemed quite authentic, commending my business skills and acumen, and how I had been selected by an extensive peer review. The only nagging problem was that my business has never had any dealings in the US. Sure enough, when I looked more closely, all they wanted to do was charge me $100 for a meaningless certificate or three times that amount for a tacky acryllic award trophy. Fortunately, I was not conned, but I am sure others have been.

NJL1974   (Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom) Added the following extra information on :2014-05-28 19:13:14
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Catherin Weaver
Email Address:
cweaver@ustci.org

No Name   (Somewhere in United States) Added the following extra information on :2014-05-28 17:56:41
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Catherine Weaver
Email Address:
cweaver@ustci.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
703-340-6071
Unsolicited email of an award that we had never entered. The website looks genuine but all that glitters is not gold

Scam Email
Exactly as said by others. We got an email with details of the supposed award. The award was so nebulous that it could have been anyone for services and excellence we did not know we had.

Anonymous   () Added the following extra information on :2014-05-27 06:46:24
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
US Trade & Commerce Institute
Email Address:
cweaver@ustci.org
Scam Website:
Fax:
(703) 348 – 3499
We've also just won an award from the US Trade & Commerce Institute
We were contacted by 'Caroline Weaver' from the Annual survey team
Their website is www.ustci.org
The domain name is actually owned by Investments Inc. in Drums PA
Lucky enough we always are on the look-out for these scams

Scam Email
Hello Eve Davies On behalf of the US Trade & Commerce Institute, I wanted to let you know that Cambrian Routes Limited has been recognized as a 2013 United Kingdom Excellence Award recipient. Our panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USTCI on various industries and determines which international companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth. Cambrian Routes Limited was one of those selected this year. Further details on this selection can be viewed on our website including the press release that was produced for this occasion (which will not be distributed till mutual review is complete). To review the award and the accompanying press release please visit www.ustci.org and enter the Reference # KBZ94IP on the top right corner of the page. Or you could directly go to the page by clicking the link below: View your award and press release here Our Media Division will be able to assist with any request for edits in the business name and/or editing the industry specification (Excellence in...) to be reflected on the physical award as well as adding a personalized company description on the press release. There is an option to insert such edits post viewing the award and press release. Regards, Catherine Weaver USTCI - Annual Survey Team Phone: (703) 348 – 3499 Fax: (703) 340 – 6071 Email: cweaver@ustci.org USTCI Newswire (May Highlight): USTCI completes its 120th micro-loan through Kiva. The institute\'s Global Incubation Initiative has involved partnering with several organizations such as Kiva to further its support to businesses in over 40 countries. More information on the partnership with Kiva can be found http://www.kiva.org/lender/ustci

Peter Davies   (Paisley, Renfrewshire, United Kingdom) Added the following extra information on :2014-05-23 10:21:04
 Scammer
  Information
Name:
Peter Davies
Email Address:
enquiries@cambrianroutes.com
Scam Website:

 Got more information on this Scam/Scammer?
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