I live in Charlotte, NC and the other evening, around dinner time, a young girl knocked on our door stating that she lived in my neighborhood, and was going to the Junior Olympics in China next summer for gymnastics. She said her dad told her as part of the experience, she needed to raise money for the trip, and she was doing so by selling books. She showed me a brochure of books, and when I said I wasn't interested in buying any, she said most of my neighbors had purchased childrens books and she was arranging for them to be sent to local childrens hospitals. She even had a laminated printout of the local hospitals to choose from. Unfortunately, I fell for it and let her in.
She said she was working with a fundraising program called Integrity Program (www.integritypgm.com). She had a so-called tax deductible receipt, brochures, and when I asked her questions, she had all the details down about the Olympics and when it would air and what channel we should watch. She even told me she would get extra "points" for the program if I commented on how her sales presentation in the comments section of a form. Needless to say, she was pretty convincing (other than the fact that she smelled like cigarette smoke - this should have been my first hint that the gymnast story was not legit). I wrote "Integrity Program" a check for over $50, but I felt really uneasy about the transaction so I started doing some research today. I called several neighbors that also were paid a visit from the girl, and one had a completely different experience. My neighbor asked the girl 20 questions and the girl fumbled, and couldn't explain the gymnastics studio she was working with, had no identification, and could not provide contact information for anyone who could verify her identity. After my neighbor became stern with her, she changed from innocent teen to vicious woman and left. Anyway, I now have read countless ripoff and consumer reports on the Internet about the Integrity Program scam, and have cancelled my check.
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