Football team warns of scam

An advertising company out of Sunrise, Arizona has been
attempting to sell ads on a football poster, claiming he is working
for the Healdsburg High School football team, but coach Tom
Kirkpatrick said the whole thing is a scam.
“It’s a bogus deal,” Kirkpatrick said. “He’s trying to solicit
donations in the name of Healdsburg football — it’s a scam.”
The agency has contacted local businesses offering advertising
placement on an 11 by 17 full-color poster that features the
Varsity football schedule.
“The schedule is placed in the center and all the sponsors ads
are arranged around it,” according to an email from Pebble Creek
Press, the agency selling the advertisements.
Advertising rates range from $199.50 to $499.50, money that
Kirkpatrick said is not going to the high school football team.
“It’s definitely a scam. We don’t do any fundraising until late
in the spring and the program that Lisa (Beth) does isn’t until the
summer,” Kirkpatrick said.
A call to the advertising agency this week wasn’t returned.
According to Beth, a Healdsburg resident who runs a fundraising
program with all the proceeds benefiting the high school football
team, the agency is misrepresenting itself to local businesses.
“When I called him about it, he very clearly said that he was
working for HHS and that the school needed the extra support due to
all the budget cuts and the economy,” she said.
Beth called the agency after her own employer cut a check to the
company, thinking he was supporting Healdsburg High School.
Beth immediately called the company and began questioning their
motives.
“He was saying how much was going back to the school and that
the kids need new equipment,” Beth said. “I couldn’t stand it
anymore and I asked him who he works with at the school and he
started scrambling.”
Beth said the representative from the company yelled at her
before hanging up on her.
“I will do whatever it takes to protect our community,” she
said.
This isn’t the first time an outside agency has tried to sell
advertising under the guise of fundraising for the high school. A
few years ago, a similar thing happened and Beth said some
businesses are still leery about advertising with the Hounds
because they were duped last time.
“It took me a long time to gain the trust of people who have
been burned,” she said.
Beth said all fundraising for the Hounds football team will be
on Hounds letterhead and will be from Healdsburg, with checks going
directly to the high school.
“They get a self-addressed stamp envelope to HHS and checks are
payable to HHS,” she said.
Beth said she is hoping to get the word out so businesses can
beware.
“It’s so maddening.”
Tribune Editor Kerrie Lindecker can be reached at ke****@so********.com.