Local BBB director finds national scam by accident

What looked like a legitimate event at an area winery for a worthwhile cause turned out to be a multistate scam, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Whitney Quick, regional director of the Cape Girardeau BBB office, happened to discover the scheme a few weeks ago as she was scrolling through one of her social media channels.

"I was bored one day and was on Facebook when a sponsored ad popped up that said 'Trap Music Wine Tasting' which, of course, I clicked on because it sounded like a great time," she said.

"Trap" is a style of hip hop music.

The ad, posted by the "Screaming Hearts Foundation," said the wine tasting would take place Aug. 17 in Cape Girardeau. However, a specific location was not listed in the Facebook ad which only said the venue was "yet to be named." According to the ad, tickets were $29 per person and proceeds would benefit domestic abuse and violence programs.

"I started researching the Screaming Hearts Foundation, but when you went to the website there's nothing," Quick said. "No phone number, no address, nothing."

Quick said the event and the Screaming Hearts Foundation sounded "super shady" so she asked a BBB investigator to look into it.

"The investigator asked me how I found it, and I explained that the online ad said 'trap music wine tasting,' and he answered, 'I forgot, you're totally into that,'" Quick said with a laugh.

According to the BBB investigation, the foundation lists an address in Radcliff, Kentucky, and it became registered as a not-for-profit corporation in that state earlier this year. However, there is no evidence the organization is recognized as a charity by the Internal Revenue Service. As a result, donations to the foundation may not be tax deductible.

"An organization should avoid suggesting it's a charity without filing all of the proper paperwork with the IRS," Quick said. "A charity should be accountable and transparent to its donors."

A similar event promoted by the Screaming Hearts Foundation in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 26 was canceled at the last minute. Tickets for that event were sold online through an organization called Erotic Wine Tastings and were priced at $25. People who bought tickets for that event have posted on social media they have not received refunds.

The apparent connection between the Screaming Hearts Foundation and Erotic Wine Tastings has raised red flags with the BBB, and although the foundation address was in Kentucky and Erotic Wine Tastings lists an address in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the phone number on web registry documents for both organizations is the same.

The BBB investigation indicated the person or persons involved with the two operations may have used multiple aliases.

According to the Screaming Hearts Foundation Facebook page, which was deactivated earlier this week, the Cape Girardeau event was one of four fundraisers scheduled for today and Saturday. Events also were scheduled in Oklahoma City and Phoenix today and in Fort Myers, Florida, on Saturday. Tickets at each event were priced at $29.

The Screaming Hearts Foundation website is apparently no longer online, but the BBB said that before it was deactivated the site said the foundation had been in operation since 2012 and had a mission to "provide escape and safety planning for those victims who are in vulnerable situations and need help devising a plan for safety or escape."

The BBB was unable to contact the foundation, but was able to reach someone affiliated with Erotic Wine Tastings who said she was a "volunteer" with the business and did not know the owner. That person said the Cape Girardeau event was scheduled to take place at the RiverHouse Winery near Scott City but was canceled by the winery.

Winery owner Deb Wilson told the Missourian she was contacted earlier this summer by a woman who said she was with the foundation. "She initially called me a couple of months ago," Wilson said. "We put it on the calendar and were very trusting."

Wilson said she spoke with the foundation representative Saturday and again Tuesday, but Wilson became suspicious when the woman refused to provide a credit card number as a venue deposit nor provide proof of the foundation's existence. "I was starting to see red flags," Wilson said. "But we did not cancel the event. Some people may show up, and if anyone does, we're going to treat them with the utmost respect and empathy."

It is uncertain how many tickets to the wine tasting may have been sold, but the woman told Wilson 56 tickets had been purchased.

"That means there are probably 56 people who are not getting their money back," Quick said.

Asked what advice she has for consumers who see ads for similar events and fundraisers online, Quick said "research everything. Make sure there's an address, a phone number and an email address, and if you have any concerns, you can Google the event and add the word 'scam' after it to see if anything comes up."

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