NEWINGTON -- The Newington Board of Education is alerting the community to what they refer to as a “scam,” explaining that several area businesses have fallen victim to it and have lost hundreds of dollars each.
In a notice released to the community, the Board of Education warned local businesses of a Fort Worth, Texas-based company operating under three business names. The companies, “Sports Media Marketing,” “Boost Sports,” and “Touchdown Sports,” all have received “F” ratings on the Better Business Bureau. Combined, the companies have received more than 25 complaints on the Better Business Bureau and according to the site, the companies are all owned by the same person. That person did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the last several days. And, in January, The Indiana Attorney General filed a complaint alleging Boost Sports violated their state’s deceptive consumer sales act.
“We’re basically just out the money,” said Katie D’Onofrio, a co-owner of Del Soul Spa in Newington. “This person called us one day [in January 2018] and asked if we wanted to be a sponsor for the Newington football team. It was a $500 sponsorship and you got put onto a t-shirt. They were taking the t-shirts supposedly and giving them to the school and they were going to be selling them to raise money for the school.”
D’Onofrio received two t-shirts in the mail and since then, has heard from the sales representative she spoke to on two different occasions, with new offers.
“Just like any other community business, I support our local town sports and schools,” said Tammy Judson, the owner of CrossFit Unlimited Potential in Newington. “They called and asked us if we wanted to do some advertising with them, being able to put our names on t-shirts that the cheerleaders would be wearing.”
Judson’s gym is attached to her husband’s business, Judson Family Chiropractic, which spent money on t-shirts, too. Combined, the couple spent $1,000 and never received any advertising or t-shirts from the Texas-based company.
MedCare Express Urgent Care in Newington sent $315 to Sports Media Marketing, according to financial records reviewed by Fox 61.
An employee of Sports Media Marketing said her work is not a scam, but she did not say what happened to the promised t-shirts.
Lucian G. Jachimowicz, Chief Finance and Operations Officer for the Newington Board of Education, said the schools did receive some t-shirts, but they were unexpected, not used and never used to raise money.