Consumer Fraud Advisory to Vermont Public Schools from the Vermont Attorney General

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has discovered a consumer fraud activity involving Vermont’s public schools. Specifically, a Florida company has solicited money from local businesses, allegedly on behalf of local public schools. So far, several businesses in Vermont have given money and have been victimized.

Right now, the fraudulent activity is being perpetrated by an entity calling itself “PNM”, or Production Media Network.

Assistant Attorney General Janet Murnane describes this scam as follows:

“PNM” claims that it provides a “full color homework folder” for students to use.   The fraudulent entity then solicits money from local businesses using a school’s name, telling the business they will receive advertising space in the folder; in at least one case, a Vermont school has been duped into authorizing the business to use the school’s name on the folders.  On another occasion, the product was pitched as a folder in support of the school’s drug and alcohol program.   The scam business has told some schools that it has reached that there is no cost to the school and they will deliver a folder that will benefit the students.   This is a fraudulent scheme.  In reality, the scam business collects a lot of money from local businesses and, at most, it spends a very small amount of money on creating a folder.              

Please report any suspicious activity that you become aware of, along these lines,  questions, to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.

You should direct any reports/questions to Assistant Attorney General Janet Murnane.  AAG Murnane can be reached at (802) 656-1025 or by email at jmurnane@atg.state.vt.us. 

Thanks,

Angela

Angela Ross, Public Information Officer

Vermont Agency of Education (AOE)

219 North Main Street | Suite 402 | Barre City Place | Barre, VT 05641

o) 802.479-1240 | c) 802-595-5819 | e) angela.ross@state.vt.us

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