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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Today's Mailbag...

I know that everyone is interested in reading my mail.

If it's something that I'm interested in, then you must be interested in it too.

Right?


Today I received an interesting letter in the mail from Nationals, Incorporated. Yes... they spell "incorporated" out and do not use the abbreviation.


The letter starts out like this:

My name is Anna Klejnowski. I am a Coordinator for this year's 2007 Oklahoma City Pageant that is a preliminary pageant to the Cities of America National Competition that takes place in Orlando, Florida. You have been referred to me as having a daughter between the ages of 10 and 19 within your family who may enjoy modeling in front of an audience and learning modeling routines that enable her to accomplish her goals on stage...



That's when I stop for a second and think to myself, "Who in the heck gave them information about me and my daughter?!"

I couldn't think of anyone, so then I tried to remember if I had filled out any "survey" type forms, etc., and gotten myself on a mailing list of some sort.

No... I don't recall having done that.


The letter is addressed to me with my ~formal~ name. Not as T.J. A credit card company? Certainly I have never told them about my kids...


The letter continues...

No past experience is necessary and training will be provided to all participants through a training class and rehearsal that will be conducted. The Oklahoma City Pageant Production is sponsored through different businesses and organizations in the Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.

Judging is based on personality, casual wear and formal wear modeling. There is no bathing suit or talent competition involved in this year's pageant."



Of course, the words bathing suit certainly conjured up an image in my mind. My daughter model a swimsuit? In front of an audience? I don't think so.

After that vision, a question soon formed:

"Why is there not a bathing suit or talent competition for this year's competition?"


Suspicion about this letter was beginning to creep in.


I would be happy to personally meet with both of you as I will be meeting with other young ladies on Sunday, May 20, 2007. By attending, she will have the opportunity to meet with me personally as I provide her with all the information on this year's production....



Particulars are then given as to time and place. The fact that she can bring a friend who may be interested in this opportunity. Although they do have to meet eligibility requirements.

We're also asked to pre-register at their website.


Even though suspicion was raised early on while I was reading this letter, I must tell you that I considered letting my daughter do something like this.

I think that it's something that she would like to do and it could be a fun experience

And of course, I feel that she is a beautiful child and would do well.


However, I just felt that the letter was just weird all the way around.


I went to their website. It certainly isn't set up to be very informative and open.


I then went to the Better Business Bureau and did a search on the company.


That's where I read this:

Participating in a beauty pageant may provide a rewarding experience, but many would-be contestants find that some pageant promoters do not deliver what they promise. Participants sometimes complain that no pageant exists. Check-out a pageants promoters before making a commitment.

Realistically assess your chances for success. Many people compete; few openings exist. Few people possess the unique combination of physical qualities and camera-friendly features to compete in an established pageant. Beware of any agency which requires payment for classes, or requires you to use a particular photographer exclusively.

Before signing agreements or paying fees, ask for written information. Rules, requirements, fees, and prizes should be explained. Costs may include wardrobe, make-up, travel, food, and lodging. You may also have to buy or sell tickets, advertise in a program, or purchase pictures or videos.

Investigate the pageant promoter's history. Request names of former participants. Ask past winners about their prizes. Did they receive all of their promised prizes? Speak to contestants who did not win as well, and ask about the criteria for judging.

Get all promises in writing. If the contract includes a cancellation clause, review it carefully. If you withdraw, you or part of your money. Read and understand the
whole contract and know what your responsibilities and obligations are before signing.

To hear more about beauty pageants, dial 412-456-2700 and listen to Tel-Tips message 50935.


Even though Nationals, Incorporated has a satisfactory rating I must tell you that the BBB's information 'blurb' was quite the eye-opener.


By the way...

I like their idea of having "Tel-Tips".


I then found out that there was a scandalous incident associated with their "pageant" in Orlando in 2003 which involved a registered sex offender.


The article is entitled, "Modeling Scam Suspect Accused Of Sex Crimes".


Nationals, Incorporated had several locations pop up in the Better Business Bureau search. The return address on my letter and envelope is 1951 Shenango Valley Freeway, Suite 2 South, Hermitage, PA 16148.



A few more things here....

Do you remember this statement:

The Oklahoma City Pageant Production is sponsored through different businesses and organizations in the Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.


None of these businesses are listed in the letter.

Who are they?

Are they reputable?

Could they be a *vendor* similar to the one in the above article?


Are they sex offendors posing as photographers and talent agents?


Also, I think that it is interesting to note that the website listed in the letter as oklahomacitypageant.com is the exact same website as listed here for the parent(?) company.

This is the URL:

http://www.nationalsincorporated.com/nationals.swf


Some may call that efficient. But I call it weird. Especially since I was expecting information specifically tailored for my Oklahoma City market.


At least that's what we're viewed as, right?


A market? I wonder how much money these people want? $1000? $2000?

How much are plane tickets to Orlando?


It doesn't really matter though...


Because I don't believe that we will be attending this year's event.


later...

Labels: ,

93 Comments:

Blogger Smalltown RN said...

Ah it is always so very interesting the things we get in the mail....I say good for you for investigating all of this...sounds like there might be a scam in the making....go with your gut...and I think that is exactly what you did....good for you....

Cheers

May 17, 2007 12:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats just scary

May 17, 2007 12:25 PM  
Blogger It's me, T.J. said...

Hey guys...

I do get some interesting things in the mail. However, it seems that more and more of it is ~scary~ type of stuff.

Whatever happened to honest employment in this country?

Gee Whiz...

later...

May 17, 2007 2:17 PM  
Blogger Sue said...

Yet again, everyone's out to get our money by any means! Unfortunately, many people fall for it.

May 17, 2007 11:59 PM  
Blogger Helene said...

It scares me that there are people out there that wont research it and just buy into it... As Sue said... anything for money!

May 19, 2007 11:04 AM  
Blogger Sicilian said...

TJ. . . you are so efficient. . . I glance at that stuff. . . then rip it to tiny pieces. . . I appreciate you being so diligent to really find out about these scammers.
Ciao

May 21, 2007 4:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

On june 16, my daughter received this same form letter!! Incidently for a "JUNE 10" session.

The same coordinator as for the Okalahoma event also does the same for the Lansing, Michigan one...Anna Klejnolski. She's so busy that the mailings are arriving 6 days after her meet & greet date.......sounds illy coordinated to me.

Also, neither my daughter or me solicited for anything such as this EVER.

Goes to so you that the purchasing of Mailing Lists now also include the names of our minor children.

I personally am not impressed by this whatsoever!!!

AND.........thanks for all your great info from the BBB. Hats off to you!

June 17, 2007 1:11 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hey there, I just got one of these at home and also my husbands office for the one in Boston for July 1. How do they know that my husband who is a business owner has any daughters. Same letter, same coordinator. It gave me the willies but my daughter loves acting and performing and would love it. I don't feel I should encourage this tho. They want you to get business sponsorship, I wonder how much? I'm sure they probably want you to take classes to prepare for this. Why is anyone allowed to do this whether or not they have any qualifications and why isn't there a talent portion to this pageant? hmmm thanks for your investigation you helpedme

June 19, 2007 7:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm glad i found this site. I was so excited when i got my letter but something made me want to research what I'll be getting into if I decided to join. Like many of you, I don't remember signing up for anything or having someone refer me to any agencies. My interview is suppose to be on Sunday, July 15th but i don't think I'll be going anymore. Ironically, its one day before my 14th birthday.

July 09, 2007 9:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i have a similar situation. i was researching this "Nationals", and i found this informative site. Thank you so much. Anonymous above, my interview is on the 15th as well. However, i'm definitely not attending this thing. WAY to suspicious.
thanks again.

July 14, 2007 2:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I GOT THE SAME LETTER!!! but it was for baltimore/washington.

July 16, 2007 5:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Add me as the second "anonymous" who got the same letter, today, for the B/W region.

I can't help but wonder if this is due to our daughters' participation in dance activities?

Does anyone else's daughter take ballet classes or the like at a studio?

Odd thing for me is that the letter was addressed to my "informal" name. I NEVER get mail so addressed except from people who know me. Can't help but wonder if the dance teacher didn't sell her list...

Another oddity, though... We're closer to Delaware than B/W. Studio is in Delaware, although if they sold my name/address and ms. "Anna Klejnowski"(busy gal, by the way) fed it into her database and blanketed everyone in MD...

Hmmmmmm.....

July 16, 2007 7:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got the same one for B/W!
I was really excited, i'm really into this kinda stuff but...I just thought i'd research first...
I am SO NOT going to sign up anymore!!!

July 17, 2007 5:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please contact me about the pageant from your blog on 5/15, held in different cities with Anna Klejnowski as coordinator. I got a letter for the SF bay area in CA. I'd like to discuss some reasearch techniques to open up this scam. This "Anna" claims to work 5 days a week in D.C. with children with HIV. Hard to believe if she's in a different city every week. I'm also suspicious of obtaining my daughter's name and address. And why is she in D.C if address states Pennsylvania.

Email me at LMSANTO@AOL.COM
Thank you.

July 18, 2007 11:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter received and attended the Baltimore/Washington informational meeting and my husband and I both thought the program is very positive for her. She is only 11 years old and has never done anything like this before but Patty seems to be very genuine and dedicated to her job. I am very excited for her to participate.

July 25, 2007 1:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First of all, the girls can register online to be invited. I know, no one ever thinks that THEIR little angel would be online! Horrors!! But moms out there, wake up,it happens. My daughter participated in Pasadena. She didn't win, but had a wonderful time. There was no swimsuit category two years ago either. My daughter was invited then but we were going to be out of town so we re-registered and she was invited again. Mrs. Efficient Mom, the one who picked apart every little word, even down to "why is there no bathing suit THIS year", needs to relax a bit before she explodes. Did you tell your credit card company that you had a kid? Probably not, but if you ever bought school clothes, or school supplies, or paid the pediatric dentist, or paid for gymnastics lessons, the word's out. The same applies no matter what you buy on credit, by the way. The ENTIRE WORLD knows all about you. The point I'm trying to make is this: no one is holding a gun to your head to do this. If you don't want to, that's great, especially for those of us who would like to enjoy life a little. So throw the letter away!!!! Where's your letter about Publisher's Clearing House? Do you spend your entire day writing letters about mail that you get that you are SUSPICIOUS of? I have an idea...spend HALF that amount of time with your kid and you'll be on the right track. As for me and my daughter, this was fun, we had a great time together, we laughed, she made friends, she was invited to Florida to be in that pageant at Christmastime, and we are working on the sponsorship for that one right now. And one more thing, if this is a scam, send us a few more. It's been nothing but wonderful.

July 25, 2007 2:02 PM  
Blogger It's me, T.J. said...

The two previous comments have come from the same IP address (71.240.124.#), Verizon Internet Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It is interesting to note the geographic locations of Pasadena and Baltimore/Washington that were referred to in the anonymous posts, and then see the single location of Pennsylvania for the commentor(s).

It is possible that there could have been two commentors from the same IP address, such as what is found in an office type of environment. The posts are interestingly similar to tactics practiced by the employees at Metropolitan Who's Who when they spam comments and discussion boards. Of course, it is always in favor of their employer. Remember, the pageant offices are located in Pennsylvania.

If this is a similar methodology of defense being practiced here by the anonymous poster(s), then I would certainly be concerned about the type of organization this pageant truly is.

Regardless of where the last two "posters" are from, there is a certain level of conduct expected from the commentors who stop by this blog.

Debate is welcome but it must be kept friendly. Personally directed criticism is frowned upon.

Also... If you are going form an argument and not just make a passing comment, then you must identify yourself in some fashion. This can be done by giving the blog URL of your personal blog, your full name, an e-mail address where you can be contacted, or some other form of identification.

If you have any questions about my opinions concerning rude commentors who hide behind anonymity, please see my sidebar and look for "anonymouse*" under Terms and Definitions.

Or, you could follow this link.

later...

July 25, 2007 3:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow!that one comment isn't nice at all.maybe she is from there after all.

btw thanks for the information!

July 26, 2007 2:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I received a very similar letter for the Dallas/Fort Worth pageant. Same woman, same address. The letter was for me however, as I meet the age requirements. I never registered for anything online though and was curious as to how my name got on the list. I'm glad I googled the woman's name and it brought me here though. Thanks.

August 06, 2007 7:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my daughter just got a letter too....going to run a search on her....been looking for as much as possible on here.
Does anyone wonder why there are no pics of her anywhere??? She may be involved in a large scale scam.
I used to be a modeling scout and worked with some of the largest names out there....such as: pepsi, nascar, all kinds of "big wigs" .
DO NOT - I REPEAT - DO NOT PAY ANYTHING INTO A MODELING "AGENCY"
If your child/ pre-teen in truely desired for a position. The clients that are looking for "specific" criteria, they will pay for the "look-sees" (when clients such as Pepsi fly the child/minor or adult out and meet them face to face.
You have to be very careful in this business - and some will try to get you to sign a contract - - - DO NOT SIGN! They sometimes ask for the "power of attourney.
With this info, they can bleed your accounts dry and you will have no legal way to retaliate.

IN SHORT - BE CAREFUL! (Do not ever let your daughters change or go to the bathrooms in the same bldg. these people are having the "meetings" in....there could be cameras waiting and perv's watching!

August 18, 2007 7:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As the mom to a daughter wo actually participates in REAL pageants, I was skeptical when I received our letter. After researching, I decided that this was probably a scam as the way the letter is worded and website is designed is NOT similar to well-known pageants. If you are looking for a real pageant where girls can develop their speaking ability, poise and self esteem, choose one of the well-known systems such as Dream Girls USA, American Coed, National American Miss or Miss America Outstanding Teen. But no matter what pageant you decide on, they ALL (I repeat ALL) cost money. And although they are great experience, they will not open a magical door to a modeling career. We consider them a fun hobby. Good luck!

September 27, 2007 5:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a huge money scam.I attended one of these yesterday in Houston.$500 per kid (300 kids) in "sponsorhip money" given to pageant.This did not include cost of attire.Two categories, no talent competition.At the end of the day,I think pageant ran off with $250,000 not including tickets ($15 ea)-5 guest per kid. Do the math? NO CASH prizes given.Cheap trophies and broken hearts at the end of the day.No gift certificates.Cheap program. Pageant cost coordinators $0. Parents paid for building rental with sponsorship fee.Don't fall for it.Spread the word.

November 05, 2007 7:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was another mom who received "the letter" and also decided to do my research. We are from California. WOW, this is absolutely a SCARY SCAM!!! How unbelievable that this women has not yet been arrested! How many unfortunate souls give their money to her organization?

The press release for every "contestant winner" is exactly the same. I copied each article so I could compare what each paper wrote about their states contestants. And the wording in each paper was exactly the same. It doesn't matter what state they
live in the article said the exact same thing. This leads me to believe this is a mass produced letter with a new contestants picture. Each article ends with "Any business, organization, or private individual who may be interested in becoming a sponsor to (contestants name here) may contact her pageant coordinator, Anna Klejnowski at 1-800-569-2487.

How many people actually give money thinking they are helping their states contestant? She is a Wealthy Woman! STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

February 01, 2008 10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi, i am a 13 year old girl and i got this in the mail about a week ago and i was REALLY excited that someone would want ME to be in their pageant, my parents said know because they also thought it was a scam and i could get hurt.....i googled this so called "Anna Klejnowskin" girl and i am now aware of what her whole thing is about...i would really like to thank you T.J for possibley saving my life if i was to go there and get hurt. THANK YOU!!!! honestly

July 15, 2008 8:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi i'am a 15 year old girl and I got this in the mail, at first I thought it could possibly be real because they had my home address ( which now creeps me out) but then asking my mom who thought it was a scam I looked it up online and came across this website thank you all so much for showing me the truth

July 25, 2008 6:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am so glad that I saw this tonight. We are in GA and my daughter was invited for a session for tomorrow. I thought what the heck, it will at the minimum, give her experience in interviewing. We already knew not to open our wallets...that wasn't an issue...so no harm done... I didn't even think about things like going to the restroom and any other perv issues. Now I am left wondering whether or not to do this at all.

My daughter talks easily and could give out too much info to the wrong person! This is scary!

We searched this in the BBB, and didn't find much. But tonight on a whim I did a last ditch search using her name and found this! Thank you for opening my eyes!

July 26, 2008 9:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I knew this was a scam of some sort, just that little doubt in the back of your head. I searched the BBB but found nothing. I googled the lady's name and there you were, spelling it out for us. Who knows what would have happened? I too have a gregarious 7 year old who would give too much info to strangers. I think we'll just stick to our local children's theatre as an artistic outlet. Thanks again for the info.

July 28, 2008 12:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ditto! I live in the Albany, NY area and received a letter from this Anna Klejnowski person inviting me and my daughter to a August 9, 2008 session. I, too, thought "scam" and did a Google search. Thanks so much to all who commented and for posting your blog for everyone's benefit. What's that old adage..."If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." It's too bad the NYS Troopers couldn't be on site at the Marriott to "observe" the activities. I think that might give the people running this pause. I know there is a division of the NY State Police that specifically addresses scams and fraud. I may just give them a call.

Concerned Mother
Clifton Park, NY

July 29, 2008 4:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just received the same kind of letter from Anna Klejnowski - they will be in Richmond on Sunday. Like you, I wondered how in the world did they know about my daughter. The only thing I could think of is that we recently registered for Brownies. I wonder how many other moms got letters AND have their girls registered in Girl Scouts?????

August 19, 2008 12:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I received the same letter last year for the Baltimore/Washington pageant. I thought it was a huge scam as well, but simply out of curiosity I chose to take my 14 year old. She doesn't model and wouldn't dream of modeling, but she is extremely timid and shy and I am always looking for ways of getting her excited about life. We attended the info session and with some great help from local businesses, she was able to raise the sponsorship money needed to compete and go through the training classes. Unfortunately she didn't win, but she did walk away with a trophy, and a better sense of confidence about herself. It may not be for everyone, but it was a fun opportunity for her.

August 29, 2008 6:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting ... I received a letter with the same return address (1951 shenango Valley Freeway, Suite 2 South, Hermitage, PA) but with the name "Nationals Miss Teen Milwaukee" addressed to someone that doesn't live at this address and I don't even have a daughter. Since it's not addressed to me I didn't open it but will return it. This isn't the first time this person has received letters from this address or other "modeling" companies. Hm...perhaps I should investigate a little further too.

August 31, 2008 12:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOW! I opened the same letter today only it states that Anna Klejnowski is in Pennsylvania and the pageant is for Newark. I never research information on the internet, but because I was sitting here reading the letter while on the internet, I got a feeling I should check this out. Thank God I did! Thanks for all your information because you just spared me a nightmare.

September 06, 2008 8:11 AM  
Blogger HarleyGirl said...

Hi, my 13 y/o daughter and her 13 y/o friend went with the friends mother to the prelim in St. Louis, (I was not aware until after). She told me about it and I got a call from someone in PA to let me know my daughter made it and a package would come. Instead of Anna, it was from a Patty Neidert pageant Coordinator and the press release has the same 800-569-2487 number but with Patty Neidert as the contact. My daughter and I are very unsure and now that I have googled, I am really against it. Her friend and her mother are trying to talk her into it. I'm sure before this is over, there will be some bad feelings about my daughter not going, but its better than being out $525 just to show up. Thanks so much for this information because when I googled Nationsl Miss Teen St. Louis, NOTHING came up!. THANK YOU! MHarleyGirl

September 13, 2008 3:28 PM  
Blogger HarleyGirl said...

Hi, my 13 y/o daughter and her 13 y/o friend went with the friends mother to the prelim in St. Louis, (I was not aware until after). She told me about it and I got a call from someone in PA to let me know my daughter made it and a package would come. Instead of Anna, it was from a Patty Neidert pageant Coordinator and the press release has the same 800-569-2487 number but with Patty Neidert as the contact. My daughter and I are very unsure and now that I have googled, I am really against it. Her friend and her mother are trying to talk her into it. I'm sure before this is over, there will be some bad feelings about my daughter not going, but its better than being out $525 just to show up. Thanks so much for this information because when I googled Nationsl Miss Teen St. Louis, NOTHING came up!. THANK YOU! MHarleyGirl

September 13, 2008 3:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also received this letter. I live very close to Hermitage,Pa and was very familiar with the area. This is a medical office building! I also received a phone call on my cell phone asking questions about my daughter. They were looking for young models. How did these people get my cell number? I asked everyone I could think of if they signed her up for something, but no one did. I was scared! Needless to say, when people call or send things in the mail, it is definately a scam. How could they know my daughters appearance, age, or anything like this? If your child is interested in this type of thing, you need to do some investigation. Don't give out any information about your child. You, yourself, should go to these companies and see what is going on. Any time that any fees are asked for, it is also scam. Legitimate modeling companies never ask for a dime.

September 15, 2008 1:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my daughter received the same letter today from "National Miss Teen Royal Oak." She was excited about the possibilities, but as a law enforcment officer, I was suspicious, to say the least. Thanks for posting your comments! THey really helped to make a sound decision....Maybe I will notify the local authorities about this event in Southfield MI on Ocober 5, 2008....maybe we can catch her...

September 18, 2008 3:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just to say the same letter from Ms. Klejnowski today for Nationals Miss Teen Detroit for the same Oct. 4, 2008 - Southfield, MI. I would say that my daughter could likely have been referred because she is the type who might do this but she also took dance when she was young, and is a girl scout (some suggested possibly how their names were selected). I find it interesting that the previous poster was invited to the same meeting in Southfield, MI but they went to the trouble to change their Heading to Miss Teen Royal Oak where mine is Miss Teen Detroit (I live in Detroit) - - Note: Royal Oak is only about 5 minutes away from me?! - - seems like a lot of trouble for the same meeting?

September 24, 2008 11:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter received the same letter for the "Nationals Miss Teen Detroit" sounded like a scam instantly to me. Searched on the address, 1951 Shenango Valley Freeway, Suite 2 South, Hermitage, PA 16148 and found this site. thanks to everyone for posting this so that others can see what a scam this is. I am going to scam the letter in and send it to one of the local TV stations here to see if they will do something about this mess.

September 25, 2008 2:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My cousin and both received this same letter in racine, wi for our daughters who are 7 and 16 years old.
I am glad I read this because i already had my gut feelings about the whole thing and it really didn't add up right.This Anna is definately a rip off do not go to this and give her any of your money.How can she go and scam all these poor little girls who have a big dream like this. I think she should be busted. DO NOT GIVE ANY MONEY TO THIS VERY WEALTHY BITCH.

September 28, 2008 12:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I read all the comments. Just today few hours ago I took my daughter for the information session. There were about 250 people including ~ 80 kids. She delivered a very convincing speech. They took interview of all the kids. After reading all the comments from everybody, I am sure my daughter will be selected for training session, and probably at that point the money matter will arise.
Thanks for all the info.

September 28, 2008 6:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've already torn up the letter. Anna's claiming to be in Cherry Hill, NJ on 10/12/2008 for the Nat'l Miss Teen South Jersey. I am also wondering if this is through dance, since a few members of my daughter's studio have participated in and won local titles for other pageants. The BIG red flag with this, and the others that may be more legit, is the expectation for the families to raise money for sponsors. I really find it hard to believe that a legitimate organization doesn't have full time staff that raise the money. Yes, we all have beautiful daughters. We want them all to have positive experiences to elevate their self esteem. Better to put your money into something to strengthen their skills; Dance, SAT prep, gymnastics, art, music, sports... This scam is trying to cash in on our ego's. Good for all you mom's who have the sense to protect your family from this type of fraud.

October 01, 2008 10:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey I got one of these letters for the Albany, Ny area. I've been into modeling since I was a little girl, so I decided to go. of course it costs money but Its all worth it. I participated in the pageant and I won!!!! So I got a free trip to Florida to the final pageant and I came in as 2nd runner up. Overall it was amazing. As long as you do a little research first...Its all worth it.

October 09, 2008 4:20 PM  
Blogger It's me, T.J. said...

Hey Rebecca...

What year was this? It's my understanding the Orlando pageants happen in December around Christmas. Have you since moved from New York to Missouri?

So how much money (total dollars) did you have to raise from your sponsors from beginning to end?

And who received this money? How much went to travel expenses,hotel, clothes, etc.?

October 09, 2008 5:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm going to add to the bunch: Both my daughters received the same exact Letter in October 2008 for Cleveland OH and as I've done searches the same letter has been circulated in Akron, OH; Columbus, OH; New Jersey; Indianapolis and many other places around the country.

I went to the informational session - the local sponsor are ones YOU get for the $495 fee expected to be raised in 1 1/2 weeks.

There are better pageants out there - if you want your daughter involved, do your homework.

October 21, 2008 4:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes ..we too recieved this letter..We live near Montgomery Alabama and I guess the lady we listened too was this Anna person..She spoke FAST and said she was a former Miss America. And a therapist who works with troubled teens in washington DC.
I tried to keep a close hear on what was being said. I noticed most girls looked sad and kinda unsure..Of course I knew my daughter would be chosen..because I read into it all right away..I have seen too many scams before... Thank you for this web page..We just got her ACCEPTANCE call today and I listened in the back ground to the other operators telling it all to all the others...NOO they wont be getting any money from us and wer'e going to call the friends we know got the letter....and encourage them to research it ....

October 22, 2008 6:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just received our invitation today for the San Antonio pageant. I was very skeptical after reading the letter and decided to look them up. I'm glad I found this blog.
Anna Klejnowski sure gets around!
The bummer is that my daughter was the one that opened the letter and was very excited... now I have to tell her it was just a scam.

October 23, 2008 5:06 PM  
Blogger It's me, T.J. said...

In reference to the comment that Ms. Klejnowski stated that she was a Miss America winner...

I just can't find anyone who won the Miss America pageant with this name.

I looked at all of the extensive lists that were located here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Miss_America_winners_by_state


Knowing that people do marry and change their names, I surveyed the all of the names available looking for an "Anna". I did find three people named "Anna" with a different last name, however none of them won the Miss America title.

1. Anna Marie Barnet in 1938 was Miss Bisbee from Arizona. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Arizona

2. Anna Reynolds in 1988 was Miss Greenwood from South Carolina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_South_Carolina

3. Anna Perry in 2008 was Miss Lexinton from South Carolina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_South_Carolina


later...

October 26, 2008 8:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter got the same letter for the 2008 Nationals for San Antonio. They gave us the website of www.missteensanantonio.com
same exact thing only they changed the city - the return address was also 1951 Shenango Valley Freeway, Hermitage PA with the pageant coordinator of Patty Neidert. We actually went to the first interview. The "former pageant winner said her speach and said she works helping troubled teenagers (same as a comment above!)

She also said that they've been doing interviews that whole weekend and that half of us would not make it. Every coment i've seen all says the meeting date are held on sundays. so that's another lie. That evening took a long time and my daughter was so excited. we certainly got duped - but at least we didn't give them any money.

November 08, 2008 12:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just got one in teh mail todayto be in the 2009 los angeles pageant. I thought it would be pretty cool to do, I went to the website and all and i thought it looked good. But for some reason Istill wanted to google anna klejnowski. I did and found this.. Thank you so much

January 10, 2009 6:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, my husband got one of those letters, too. We have a seven year old daughter and I also thought she might have been referred by a friend or somebody who knew us. The letter is exactly the same as the one everybody else has received, except that this is the "2009 Pasadena Pageant." The interviews are for Sunday, January 25, 2009. This Anna Klejnowski seems to be a very busy lady traveling with her scam all over the country. Thanks for all the info on this scam. I'll call the police instead of them.

January 14, 2009 9:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My husband received this same letter from Anna Klejnowski for Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, February 7, 2009. What a hoax. My 14-year old daughter has competed in dance and also took a modeling camp many years ago. I wonder if that's how they got our name/address? I'm glad I thought to google this before we even considered it! Thanks for the useful info.

January 27, 2009 4:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness. These people are unbelievable. My 10 year old daughter got the same letter. We went on the interview to the Pasadena Hilton. We got the phone call that she was accepted to be in the pageant, but for whatever reason my husband who I always so has a God given gift of skeptism told me before we go any further with this I had to research this company. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have some across your site before making one of the biggest mistakes ever. Not only with the money but with the emotions of my amazing daughter. Thank you and God bless you. I pray that all those who are looking for answers will come across this site.

January 29, 2009 10:59 AM  
Blogger Diana said...

Now I'm a little worried. I received this same letter and went to the information session. I interviewed and even got accepted to be in the pageant. But now reading your blog made me realize this maaaay a scam, or just not worth it. The coordinator was a former Mrs. USA and the interviews were held at the Hilton, which is a very expensive and luxurious place to rent several assembly rooms for. I need $495 in sponsorship money to join... I honestly don't think it is that bad. But is Nationals, Incorporated really a scam?

January 29, 2009 6:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thats really scary cuase i got the same EXACT letter but 4 feb 8 2009 and i am modleing dats really scary if u ask me and i am not going

February 01, 2009 6:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I, the 16 year old, opened the letter and showed it to my mom, who was all for it. It seemed like it would be a good thing for me, but I always like to research before involving myself into anything. Mine was for the Nationals Miss Teen San Francisco, and the interview would be in Oakland, which is pretty close to where I live. The weird thing is I have no idea how my mom's name (with one letter spelled wrong) could be known. I do not participate in dance or Girls Scouts... so... yeah.

February 07, 2009 4:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi I'm 13 and my name is Ruby i have recently recieved a letter to go to this Pageant in San Francisco CALIFORNIA! this ANNA person is a FAKE! and my other friend got a letter too and she's very shy and doesn't sign up for anything like this...and a week ago i got this letter from a so called "Who's Who" company saying they want to write a 500 page book about me and i have seen the qualifications and i must maintain a B average which is not me, Anyway i signed up for it. Is that why i got this letter?

February 07, 2009 8:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow i got one too for miss teen sacramento o.o
is this REALLY a scam ?
because if it was a scam wouldn't she have gotten caught by now ?
i was about to go to the informational meeting .. but now i'm not so sure

February 21, 2009 6:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I went with my 8 year old daughter last night at the Doubletree Hotel in Sacramento. The presentation was great and I came away sure this wasn't a scam. I don't remember the name of the coordinator but she said she was a former Mrs U.S.A and worked with HIV positive teens during the week in Washington. Today, I decided to see if I could find her on the Mrs USA website....I couldn't. Then I looked at the letter I had received and decided to run a check on Anna Klejnowski and found this site. How sad if it is a scam. My beautiful little girl will be so disappointed now if she is accepted and then I have to tell her she can't participate. I took her because she is quite shy and I thought it would help her self esteem. She told me the questions they asked. I thought them a little strange.what is your favorite number 3,5 or 7? She said she didn't know. What is your favorite chocolate? She said cadbury's. Now, I love her dearly, but if she gets accepted on those answers then I'll know for sure it's a scam :)

February 23, 2009 11:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just Letting you all know she just hit San Diego. Fortunately I was unable to go to the orientation, It tipped me off when the site would not work for the pageant. And i got the letter a day before the interview date. This Lady is CRAZY!!!

Adios from San Diego

March 05, 2009 10:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This opportunity actually isn't a scam, look into it - I posted earlier, and just checked the site again out of curiosity. My daughter went through the pageant in Baltimore in 2007. I am an honest person and I applaud you all for being skeptical in ths day and age. But this one is legit and my daughter had a great time. Take care everyone.

March 07, 2009 10:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I recently got invited to a pageant in San Francisco from the same company, and went to the information meeting. The lady explaining the pageant claimed to be Anna, and I came away from the meeting convinced it wasn't a scam. I thought it was kind of strange that she wanted us to get $495 in sponsors in about two weeks, which I couldn't do since I was going out of town one of the weeks, and the other week wasn't enough. My mom offered to pay for it if I worked to pay her back. I was really excited to be in a pageant, since I love compitition. But, I decided to look up this pageant to see if it was worth that much. I guess it isn't. If you look on Yahoo answers, there is a lot people talking about it there also. I have heard the Dream Girls pageants are good if you or your daughter still want to be in a pageant.

March 08, 2009 10:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey there T.J.
i, too, received a similar letter just 5 days ago. this time the letter is from the "Nationals Miss Salt Lake City" pageant, with the interview and info session being this saturday (aug. 15, 09) @ 11 a.m. @ the radisson hotel in SLC.

my niece 14 yr old niece lives with me and wanted to do this to build confidence. then my 10 yr old daughter heard and wanted to join too.

just like ALMOST everyone else on your blog... was was skepticle and decided to investigate.

you mentioned that the 2 posts on July 25, 07 came from the same IP address AND they were sent within 17 ins apart... anyone else find that odd?

Also the 1st message stated something about "patty". then HarleyGirl left a post on Sep. 13th, 08 about receiving a package from a "Patty Neidert pageant Coordinator". so maybe it is time to look into this PATTY person.

I looked into the address... it's a dental building, for sure... i mapquested it, and found that there were 2 dentists in the building (in different suites) and currently that particular suite IS occupied by a dentist.

August 12, 2009 10:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter and I went to an informational session today. We received a letter for MissTeenChicago and Anna last week and thought it might be interesting. I went to their website and I did not find it very informative. Not being familiar with pageants at all, I decided to let my daughter decide if she wanted to check it out.

I will say I was pretty sure they got our information from an open casting call for Disney auditions that actually turned out to be a big cattle call for a modeling school with a fee. Scam! but I was interested to find out more about pageants. There is a number on the letter where they do tell you about the $495 sponsorship fee, though they downplay it very much as though this is standard for pageants.

Anyway, I don't think this is a worthwhile endeavor after going to the informational and digging a little deeper into the pageant coordinator. First our letter was from Anna, but we were greeted by Patty. She is definately a sales person appealing to emotions and the girls' desires to participate in the whole pageant thing. They say only half of the participants will be selected, but there were tons of girls there and the interviews were extremely short. There is no talent competition, so how to you choose contestants based on a 2 minute "interview". My 10 year old daughter even said it seemed bogus.

What surprised me was that the pageant takes place in four weeks, and you have to have your sponsorship fee in 2 weeks. There is only one training session and the day of the pageant lasts from 10 am until 930 pm. Seems like a really long and boring day (no talent competition, hundreds of contestants). Also, they show you a video at the conference center while the girls are being interviewed, it happens to be the same one on their website. My daughter said it was totally cheesy. It was not very professional or impressive. But having said all of that, I still may have considered doing this pageant if not for all of the feed back on this site. It is truly just a moneymaking opportunity for these people, and I wish I had been able to find this info prior to wasting a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

One more thing, I couldn't find anything on Mrs. America Patty Neidert either, just a bunch of press releases from local papers advising would be sponsors of her 1-800 number to call for those wishing to sponsor a contestants. I also googled her in the DC area, nothing. So definately some shadiness going on. We will look into other pageants as well and I am glad to be more informed.

ChicagoMom

August 24, 2009 12:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey everybody! Yeah, this was definately weird. At first, I was really excited when I got the letter. I really like to perform and act and stuff, so I thought I might get some place if I did. But me and my family wondered who suggested us and why me? Thank goodness i decided to go online and look this stuff up. I was actually trying to see how much money this thing was gonna cost. But after hearing everything I've heard, there is NO WAY i'm gonna do the Nationals Miss Teen Seattle competition! Thanks guys! You really saved me there!

September 03, 2009 5:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i got the letter from this anna person, and i think im not going to go, now that i've read everyone's comments. although some people have said it was real, no offense, but i just don't believe it. im really glad i was realistic enough to think this might be a scam.

September 08, 2009 3:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter just competed in the 2009 National's local pageant and it was weird. I just found some comments about the pageant on the web and copied them below. That is how I felt and many other moms at the pageant. It was our 1st pageant. My daughter is OK but I FEEL cheated. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. My advice is to try a different pageant and tell other people about it.

THESE COMMENTS ARE FROM A YEAR AGO:
"They picked top 10 in each division. What a joke. All the girls were onstage for the walk and q&a. So they knew who did good and who didnt. In the Jr. Teen top 10, 3 girls advanced that were horrile in there walk and 2 barely answered their question. Miss Photogenic Miss Teen was a joke. This girl submitted a professional photo, one taken of her 4 months ago. The photo didnt even resemble the girl on stage at the pageant. Parents questioned it, but no answers.

Miss congeniality was a real joke. The girls were asked to pick one person, they didnt know each other at all, none had numbers on to pick from. They asked a few people what their numbers were and everyone picked that number? What is that about?

If u look at the brochure for the pageant, the girls who had the large number of sponsors ended up in the top 10. 2 of the pageant contestants were sponsored by two of the judges businesses they own?

Where was Anna? She never showed up. Thank god my niece is old enough that she didnt take it very hard although she did realize this was a joke. But some poor girls were crying their eyes out when we left."

September 20, 2009 8:47 PM  
Blogger Ridley68 said...

I want to thank you for your diligent research. We received this letter yesterday and my daughter was all excited - she really wants to do a pageant. I told her we could go to the information session but if it cost anything I'd have to think about it before committing. You save me a wasted Sunday afternoon. I'm bummed that I'll have to tell my daughter that it's a scam. I feel bad for all those people who do believe it, scrape up the money and then lose out in the end.

September 22, 2009 7:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello,

Whoever is interested in this pageant should read this WikiAnswer
from one of the judges:

"I actually recently judged one of Nationals Miss Teen Pageants, and I can assure you it's a real pageant. All pageants do have entry fees, and so that's not unusual. Also, this is not a beauty pageant, it's a self development pageant that focuses on personal growth instead of physical beauty (my own comment: The pageant program leads you to believe otherwise. According to Nationals, the definition of the winner is a young lady who is beautiful on the inside complimented by the beauty on the outside. The judging criteria are very vogue and misleading. If you are still interested in competing, ask for it in writing so you know what are they judging. Personal interviews are 2 minutes long, so how can the judges know your personality?)I thought the mission of the pageant was great.

That said, I don't think it was executed properly. The pageant was a cattle call that cumulated in a 4 hour production with no intermission. As a judge who took the time (and money) to provide nice prizes to the winners, I didn't have the opportunity to give them to the girls. It was really annoying.

The staff was very small and they travel to do this pageant each weekend in a different city. It's a boxed pageant - meaning the same thing over and over again and they don't get to know or prepare their girls for the next level. You're not cared about, you're just a number and a fee.

All pageants are businesses, but this one is just all about the money. The judges were treated horribly and told exactly how to score.

I think if done well this could be a great system because of the mission. But I think there is a lot of room for improvement. I will never particiapte in another event of theirs. I would spend your money on a real teen pageant that gives you a recognizable title, and a director who can work with you to book appearances and prepare you for the next level of competition.

Yes, it's a real pageant. But I'd still stay away."

September 23, 2009 8:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got the same letter and my daughter went to the information session. I was in the process of looking for sponsors when I did some research online to make sure everything was on the up and up. I'm glad that I found websites like this one and several others that let me know exactly what this was. How awful to take so much money from people. Thanks all.

October 18, 2009 1:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let me tell you what happens after your daughter does not get into the top 10 divisional winners. You still get a letter inviting you to compete in the finals of the Cities of America, Inc! How exciting. That costs another $545 of sponsorship fees plus airfare and hotel. I just checked with the parents of the other kids. They all got these letters. This pagent is about collecting money from parents and preying on peoples emotions. They do not choose any winners but collect money from everybody who believes them. What scam artists. Shame on them! I bet they don't even give out any real prizes!

October 21, 2009 8:35 PM  
Anonymous Erika in Chandler AZ said...

Just so you know, Nationals Miss Teen Phoenix is in town, and Anna has now morphed into "Natalie Michelle". We arent going either.

January 03, 2010 9:34 PM  
Anonymous Tracey said...

I just received a letter with the same exact text as above, and with the same address in Hermitage PA, but, as with Erika's letter, ours also was from "Natalie Michelle" and it is for Sunday Jan 17 in Orlando. This is totally a scam. I responded to a similar letter when I lived in Baltimore, it was for a modeling competition. But the basic wording, and invitation was pretty much the same. As with the other experiences above - it was a big cattle call, waiting around for hours, taking a few pictures, one short interview, then a brief meeting letting us know my daughter had been "accepted" for the modeling competition - and then a warm "congratulations" followed by the cost for signing up - around $500, plus the cost of photographers, wardrobe, travel expenses, etc. I didn't give them a dime, and I didn't go back, and I certainly won't be responding to this invitation either!

January 07, 2010 9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just received a latter from Natalie Michelle too ! It' s for "Nationals Miss Teen West Palm Beach" .. the link is westpalmbeachpageant.com which is ironically the same layout as http://www.nationalsincorporated.com/nationals.swf .. DEFINITELY A SCAM!!

January 25, 2010 8:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for all this; I just recieved a letter from "Natalie Michelle" for the Pasadena Pageant. Thanks for saving me time and money. I'm not going to the info session. What a waste!

February 20, 2010 8:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter is ten and just competed in 2010 nationals Miss little rock, I will say that the whole thing could have been alot more for what it cost but my daughter had a great time and made new friends. She won her division and we are waiting for the information about going on to cities of america in Dec. 2011.

I will happily post again if it turns bad from here on out, but as of right now it was a positive experience for my daughter.

May 05, 2010 5:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got the same letter word for word. The only difference is it's Natalie Michelle, addressed to me, and the green bay pagent. This is the second pagent thing I've gotten so I thought I would actually check this one out. The last one was national miss wisconsin and it had real sponsers but I didnt even go to the meeting. Almost all my friends got one at my school (its really small) but one of my friends from gb said she was the only one she knew. Wish I cud help out more. Im in alot of stuff, I took dance classes a long time ago, im in forensics, one act play, pretty much everything i can get my hands on. I'm also involved in some websites that connect me with scholorships and and college stuff. I'm sarah but i dont want to share info. don't be mad bout the anonymous thing.

May 11, 2010 5:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just received a letter from "Natalie Michelle" and i considered trying modeling. I like to know everything before i do something, so i decided to look at southjerseypageant.com for more information. The website was totally useless. There is an information meeting on sunday at the Crowne Plaza in cherry hill, nj. Maybe i will go... but with sharp eyes and ears in case i do smell a scam.

May 18, 2010 11:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's days like this that I'm appreciative for the Internet. I just received a letter in the mail today...with my real name, same info. quoted above, same person...Natalie Michelle. It's natural for me to check things out when it comes to my children, but I always trust other moms as their experiences are similiar, concern is genuine and the advice is smart. Thank you for posting this information and calling attention to something that appears to be intrinsically wrong.

June 08, 2010 12:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi All,
I live in Mpls. and just recieved this kind invitation from one Natalie Michelle, for my nine year old daughter. am grateful for the information provided in this blog. won't be wasting a beautiful summer afternoon on this.

June 23, 2010 2:30 PM  
Anonymous d.rose said...

thank you soo much for this artical. many of my friends and i were accepted to the miss teen akron pageant and i choose to research it a little first out of suspicion and im soo gladd i did. thanks again. ill be alot more carefull when i go to another pageant meeting

July 23, 2010 12:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I too received a letter from the 2010 Indianapolis Pageant and went to the information session on Sunday, July 25th that Patty Neidert presented. She claims to have been Mrs. USA and married with two children. She also stated she helped troubled teens with HIV. In doing the research on the internet, I have found that the BBB in Pittsburg gives them a rating of a D+. Joe Yourchisin is the owner of Nationals, Inc. and considered a shady businessman. I found on Delaware.momslikeme.com there claims to have been a former employee of this company that states they do obtain the names of the girls from purchasing a mailing list. This former employee also states in her blog that Patty is a recovering drug user and alcoholic, not married (as she claims) and has only participated in bikini pageants. It all sounded so legitimate until I researched more. Thanks for your blog and I hope this helps others.

Anonymous

July 26, 2010 8:24 AM  
Blogger jennifergeorge said...

This also happend to my daughter she got a call to be in it so I gave her full name and adress to get an information packet but when I got the packet it was all too exspensive so I told the lady no she kept calling bugging that she wanted us to pay and that she could work out a plan I said no then one day realized 300 dollars were missing from my account they took out money without my permission. I didn't give them no card information just with the name and adress they got card numbers and everything. It's a total scam don't fall for it.

July 30, 2010 10:16 PM  
Blogger Mandy Sue said...

I got this same letter in the mail today but geared towards San Antonio. So glad I decided to research it first, and so glad I ran across your blog. Very helpful! Thank you so much for taking to time out to set other parents straight on scammers like this pageant thing...

September 08, 2010 3:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well its Nicole Rochelle now in St Louis in 2010 and yes same story HIV kids DC the works, except now the pageant is over Im out alot of money and my beautiful daughter is heartbroken. I am furious and plan to seek legal counsel and start a petition!

October 03, 2010 9:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was a photographer for Nationals Inc this past summer. They contacted me and offered me a job--every weekend until December even telling me where I'd be for the next few weeks. Then a break until February. We agreed to a employee rate for that weekend. Then when I got home and inquired about arrangements for the next few weeks (they make all the travel and hotel reservations), I was told that when and if they needed me again they would call ie: independent contractor status! My independent contractor rate is substantially different than my employee rate with the promise of ongoing business. On top of it all they did not have me sign an employee agreement nor did they have me transfer my copyright. I have rebilled them my independent contractor rate. I don't know about their other photographers but I am a legit photographer. I have had a photography business for 10 yrs and that's how I make my living. I'm moral and ethical and the mothers absolutely loved me. I'm easy to find. No hiding and not part of a scam. I have a legal background and worked in the legal profession for a long time. And I intend to get paid my independent contractors fee and get compensation for the violation of my copyright.

October 14, 2010 11:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To The 2 to last comment i participated this year for Pasadena dint win, but got a letter in the mail saying i was invited to Cities of America in Orlando,FL. WEIRD RIGH.!!

November 05, 2010 8:57 PM  
Anonymous Savanna said...

i placed 2nd in the Miss Teen (mom won't let me say my real hometown online) earlier this year. My good friend won first place. We both believe that the pageant received our names/addresses through our schools. I was asked to come up with $495 in scholarship fees, which I did by soliciting businesses for about 2 weeks straight. I had a great time in the pageant and I met a lot of great girls. The judges were courteous and professional, and the MC was hilarious. All of the photographers asked my permission before they photographed me, and there were only two there anyway. The entire production took place at a regional high school, and I felt very encouraged by the girls involved. All in all, I was happy with my performance, and I will probably be going to the Cities of America pageant in 2011.

November 06, 2010 1:40 PM  
Blogger The Paperless Classroom said...

Above commenter's IP is in Clifton Park, New York.

No pageant there this year... don't believe so.

If you are an employee of this enterprise, or a supporter, don't leave misleading comments... or lies.

Thank you.

November 06, 2010 5:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Has anything been done to stop this?

November 15, 2010 11:53 AM  
Anonymous FRANNIEMAY said...

My daughter got the same letter in 2004. The only thing I can think on how they got her name is that my daughter had a subscription of a teen magazine. We went at local hotel on a Saturday for interview. The very next Monday she had a call that she had been accepted. Of course it's very flattering (makes you feel special). I've seen girls who have been accepted that in no way should have been there. My opinion is that they take every girl who showed up at the interview, so your daughter goes out of her way to get sponsor money (most of them get it from aunt, uncle, grandparents). The pageant is at a local High School and the panel ask the same question to all contestants. If it is your first time competing you are not going to make the 10 finalists. If it is your second or third time competing for the Nationals you probably going to make it to the first 5 or 10 finalists (since you have given them a lot of money so far). There is only one girl that will fly to Orlando. So the rest of the money is theirs. What a SCAM!
Don't do it.

March 30, 2011 11:56 AM  
Anonymous Jessica said...

My daughter recently received a letter for the 2012 Miss Teen Ft. Worth Pageant, same story as all the ones above, except, now Patty (no last name) works in DC with teens that have problems with Drugs and alcohol. I cannot believe this scam has been running for so long. I have emailed all our local news stations and the BBB, because Nationals Inc has changed it's name to Pageantry with Purpose. I am really hoping to expose them. I cannot imagine the millions they must have made over the years with this scam. They have even blocked my comments on their facebook page.

October 14, 2012 2:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My daughter got a letter for the 2013Miss Teen Atlanta pageant but now there is no Patty now the letter just say Best Wishes 2013 Atlanta Pageant Directors in the signature. We went to the informational but I wanted more information, so thanks for opening my eyes before we really got involved. I was wondering how they knew I had a daughter? Now the return address is One South Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60603. Hope we can help other parents to not be scammed by them Thanks again!

March 02, 2013 9:48 AM  
Anonymous Jaymi said...

Also received letter. Have recently joined USTA, and that is the only thing I can think of that would involve my name and mailing address and age of daughter. I'm in NC, so my letter is "Miss Teen Raleigh", and there is no name on the letter, it is signed by "2014 Rocky Mount Pageant Directors" (the meeting place is in Rocky Mt, but the pageant is supposedly Raleigh, and apparently coordinated by Rocky Mt people an hour away? hmmm "The Rocky Mount Pageant Production is based on a sponsorship program..." Why isn't it the Miss Teen Rocky Mount pageant then?)
Yes, I knew it was a scam from the get-go, but since I was bored and near my computer....
This should sum it up for anyone thinking of actually doing this-
Google it, and you get a bajillion press releases from a bajillion cities for various girls. They are all alike, as press releases are, and they all solicit donations.
Step 2: Google winners, and see if you can actually find ONE SINGLE press release announcing that little Jane Smith from Anycity, USA actually WON the competition. Nope. Never is a winner announced. Hmmmm..... Even the website has a bunch of pictures of past winners, but no names on a one of them. I'm pretty sure that you have to sign a press release in order to take part in this 'pageant'. So why are there no names or dates or anything of the sort on any of the pictures? And why aren't these lucky, wonderful, completely-satisfied-and-thrilled-to-have-won-and-are-going-to-Orlando people sharing THAT news with the media?

September 04, 2014 4:14 PM  

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