Fellow PM bloggers, twitter(ers?), etc. please pass this information along! It’s very important that we prevent people who are new to project management from getting tricked into what looks like an obvious scam to me!
So I’m browsing the Twitterverse today and start seeing a lot of messages from @CEPM_CERT that look like a canned autoresponder to me.
Someone set up this account on Twitter today, and within 3 hours they’ve already sent 33 updates out with someone’s Twitter username tagged, as if they were responding to them. You can see many of them are exactly the same.
This is very spammy, which was my first red flag.
Next, I checked out their website. I’ve never heard of the C.E.P.M certification, so I investigated further. On their site, there are a few red flags that smell like a scam to me.
Suspicious Language
Just reading the copy on these pages, it looks like someone slapped them together without any real idea of what a professional organization or certification program looks like. There is apparently no requirements or description of what it takes to be certified…you just need some money apparently.
$50 Referral Bonus?
Their website promises a $50 check for every referral you send them.
“For every new C.E.P.M. member that you bring on board as a certified C.E.P.M., you will AUTOMATICALLY receive $50 check as a “Thank-you!” from your fellow C.E.P.M.s – because we know it’s not always easy letting others know how to add quality ethics to a project’s decision-making process.”
A referral bonus? Come on now what is this, an unregistered affiliate program?
How it works: Just have your applicant submit your name to apply@cepmcert.com. Once they have been verified and certified, we will contact you, and your check(s) for $50 per new certified member will be in the mail as a personal thank you from your fellow Certified Ethical Project Managers! All resume submissions are kept completely confidential and are used for experience verification only!
Riiiiiiight.. I don’t think so.
“Apply” Link Brings You To A Sales Page
From what I can tell, “applying” or “submitting application” equals adding a (apparently) worthless piece of paper they want to sell you for $149.99 to your shopping cart. Again, no requirements of any kind or a description of any process for certification.
Hey, I’ve been wrong before, but this thing looks like a scam to me. Let me know if I’m wrong, but my advice to everyone is to stay away!
Does anyone else have information about this?
No related posts.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Josh and colleagues, I am not familiar with this particular potential scam, but would like to share another questionable one with you.
One of my fellow graduates from the GWU MSc in Project Management, a Mr. Kwaku Akyeampong, seems to have created his own professional organization, his own certification on Earned Value where he is the only or the primary teacher, and in general, it seems like more of a scam than anything else……
While Kwaku Akyeampong is a real person and a legitimate holder of several masters degrees from GWU, what he has created , IMPO, has SCAM written all over it.
http://www.evmi.com/Kwaku_Akyeampong_President_EVMI.html
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta, Indonesia
http://www.getpmcertified.com
Hi Josh and colleagues, I am not familiar with this particular potential scam, but would like to share another questionable one with you.
One of my fellow graduates from the GWU MSc in Project Management, a Mr. Kwaku Akyeampong, seems to have created his own professional organization, his own certification on Earned Value where he is the only or the primary teacher, and in general, it seems like more of a scam than anything else……
While Kwaku Akyeampong is a real person and a legitimate holder of several masters degrees from GWU, what he has created , IMPO, has SCAM written all over it.
http://www.evmi.com/Kwaku_Akyeampong_President_EVMI.html
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta, Indonesia
http://www.getpmcertified.com
Any organization that doesn’t bother to name its leader – or, for that matter, the name of the organization itself – deserves to be treated with suspicion.
Also watch out for the “North American IT Professionals Association,” a group that likes to ask you to RENEW your annual subscription – even though the group itself appeared less than a year ago.
There are some fun scams out there, but I guess some people will be impressed by any fancy-sounding certification.
And for your diligence in rooting out the shady side of CEPM-Cert, you are now eligible to join the “Society for Ethical Identification of Spurious Organizations,” or SEISO. Just send me a check for US$399 and I’ll print a really impressive certificate for you.
Any organization that doesn’t bother to name its leader – or, for that matter, the name of the organization itself – deserves to be treated with suspicion.
Also watch out for the “North American IT Professionals Association,” a group that likes to ask you to RENEW your annual subscription – even though the group itself appeared less than a year ago.
There are some fun scams out there, but I guess some people will be impressed by any fancy-sounding certification.
And for your diligence in rooting out the shady side of CEPM-Cert, you are now eligible to join the “Society for Ethical Identification of Spurious Organizations,” or SEISO. Just send me a check for US$399 and I’ll print a really impressive certificate for you.
C.E.P.M appears to be nothing more then a website to generate a certificate with your name on it. The more certification initials we add to the end of our names, the more I can see this happening. Perhaps there should a de facto website where all can go to see the leading project management certifications and what they mean or what their award requirements are? It’s too bad there isn’t an internationally recognized consortium that could consolidate project management credentials into one format. I’m thinking like a PM-2.1 PM-3.2. Let’s say a degree in PM would give you 2 points, a PMP would give you 2 points, and ITIL v3 would give you 2 points. That would make you a PM-6.0.
If you only had a C.E.P.M, you’d get a big goose-egg.
You’d be a PM-0.0
Regards,
Derek Huether, PMP
Thanks for the comment Derek.
I like your idea, and it would be great if something like that was out there. The problem would be getting all the organizations to work together. I know of a few that probably never would!
I know you were being funny, but a degree in PM is worth the same as a PMP?
I had the same reaction Bill, but just like you, I figured Derek just gave everything 2 points for the sake of simplicity. I’m not sure exactly how I’d weigh the two, but I can tell you a degree in PM would be at least several times more in my view.
C.E.P.M appears to be nothing more then a website to generate a certificate with your name on it. The more certification initials we add to the end of our names, the more I can see this happening. Perhaps there should a de facto website where all can go to see the leading project management certifications and what they mean or what their award requirements are? It’s too bad there isn’t an internationally recognized consortium that could consolidate project management credentials into one format. I’m thinking like a PM-2.1 PM-3.2. Let’s say a degree in PM would give you 2 points, a PMP would give you 2 points, and ITIL v3 would give you 2 points. That would make you a PM-6.0.
If you only had a C.E.P.M, you’d get a big goose-egg.
You’d be a PM-0.0
Regards,
Derek Huether, PMP
Thanks for the comment Derek.
I like your idea, and it would be great if something like that was out there. The problem would be getting all the organizations to work together. I know of a few that probably never would!
I know you were being funny, but a degree in PM is worth the same as a PMP?
I had the same reaction Bill, but just like you, I figured Derek just gave everything 2 points for the sake of simplicity. I’m not sure exactly how I’d weigh the two, but I can tell you a degree in PM would be at least several times more in my view.
I think it’s pretty obvious it’s a scam when the certificate itself says that I’ve successfully completed a training program (and even names all 10 classes) and passed an exam to become “certified” when all I really have to do is pay for the cert.
And the the program, classes and exam are all HR classes.
I think it’s pretty obvious it’s a scam when the certificate itself says that I’ve successfully completed a training program (and even names all 10 classes) and passed an exam to become “certified” when all I really have to do is pay for the cert.
And the the program, classes and exam are all HR classes.
These certifications continue to pop up let’s call them what they are. Nothing more then scams to generate monies for the persons issuing the certifications. One of the biggest is PMP. The fundimetionals or project management has been around for a long time.
I have been a project manager for over 30 years and taken classes along during that entire time. Now another group of charlatans comes along and is saying you have to be certified by us too be considered for positions in a field that you have been working in for over 30 years. This simply put is BS.
One of the biggest is PMP. The fundamentals for project management have been around for longer then I’ve been in the field. Pay then 3 to 5 thousand dollars and now you are a PM.
No experience needed.
If you don’t think this is the case do an Internet search on PMP certification and see how many companies and schools you get back saying they can make you a project manager. Sometimes in as little time as 2 weeks. Then they have the gall to say pay us x amount of dollars each year to keep your certification current. Nothing has changed as to how a project is run but they still want your money.
How can a collage offer a course that will allow you to take the test to become certified when by their own standards, a person is suppose to have some amount of hours of experience, and these persons have none.
These are just like all the other certifications that have come down the pike. PowerBuilder. Novell, Microsoft and the list goes on and on.
When will these companies and persons figure it out that these are nothing more then scams. To be sold a bill of goods by these persons and companies doesn’t say a lot for them.
Would you hire a person that has no experience but has taken a PMP certification test or the person that has 30 years of successful background? If they do base their hiring on that basis then they’re hiring bad people instead of good experienced people.
Why these companies that buy into this are only doing themselves a dis-service
It’s dis-hearting to know that they haven’t figured this out yet.
Another SCAM
These certifications continue to pop up let’s call them what they are. Nothing more then scams to generate monies for the persons issuing the certifications. One of the biggest is PMP. The fundimetionals or project management has been around for a long time.
I have been a project manager for over 30 years and taken classes along during that entire time. Now another group of charlatans comes along and is saying you have to be certified by us too be considered for positions in a field that you have been working in for over 30 years. This simply put is BS.
One of the biggest is PMP. The fundamentals for project management have been around for longer then I’ve been in the field. Pay then 3 to 5 thousand dollars and now you are a PM.
No experience needed.
If you don’t think this is the case do an Internet search on PMP certification and see how many companies and schools you get back saying they can make you a project manager. Sometimes in as little time as 2 weeks. Then they have the gall to say pay us x amount of dollars each year to keep your certification current. Nothing has changed as to how a project is run but they still want your money.
How can a collage offer a course that will allow you to take the test to become certified when by their own standards, a person is suppose to have some amount of hours of experience, and these persons have none.
These are just like all the other certifications that have come down the pike. PowerBuilder. Novell, Microsoft and the list goes on and on.
When will these companies and persons figure it out that these are nothing more then scams. To be sold a bill of goods by these persons and companies doesn’t say a lot for them.
Would you hire a person that has no experience but has taken a PMP certification test or the person that has 30 years of successful background? If they do base their hiring on that basis then they’re hiring bad people instead of good experienced people.
Why these companies that buy into this are only doing themselves a dis-service
It’s dis-hearting to know that they haven’t figured this out yet.
Another SCAM
As many commented, this really looks like a certificate for money.
But I would like to bring to notice, another certificate program in PM. Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management offered by IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) in collaboration with Project Management Associates (PMA) and Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM (P) Ltd.)[http://www.ignou-cepm.org/]
Can anybody please comment on this?
How beneficial it will be?
Thanks!
I’ve never heard of it, is the university properly accredited in your country?
Yes…IGNOU is a recognized university in India.It is actually the largest & an important univ founded to impart education by means of distance and open education.
But I am doubting, whether it will be a recognized certificate internationally…
As many commented, this really looks like a certificate for money.
But I would like to bring to notice, another certificate program in PM. Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management offered by IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) in collaboration with Project Management Associates (PMA) and Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM (P) Ltd.)[http://www.ignou-cepm.org/]
Can anybody please comment on this?
How beneficial it will be?
Thanks!
I’ve never heard of it, is the university properly accredited in your country?
Yes…IGNOU is a recognized university in India.It is actually the largest & an important univ founded to impart education by means of distance and open education.
But I am doubting, whether it will be a recognized certificate internationally…
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