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The Set-Up
David Werner International Corp is managed and controlled by David Werner. At the time when I met them he had a sidekick by the name of Ted Weiner. They operate from an old and mediocre building next to Grand Central in New York. It looks like they have been there for a very long time however it has the feel of a modest startup. David Werner is a master of creating perceptions and is quite careful to create an appearance of being very busy and quite inaccessible. As far as I know they never initiate contact with potential sting target. They bate and wait for the potential victim to call them.
The Bate
David Werner International places ads in print media, newspapers. They also use their website, www.dwic.com to communicate their message. I was one of many who came across their website and decided to call in order to get more information about their “services". When I called I was directed to an individual named Ted Weiner who described himself as “in charge of marketing". His first set of questions were designed to find out what my background was, my previous and current employment status and what my income is and has been for the past few years. He immediately informed me that David Werner is very busy however he, Ted, will do his best to promptly schedule my meeting with David which is required before David Werner International Corp would consider me a potential “client". And that, as a prerequisite to my meeting David Werner I must forward my current and complete resume for his review.
The Shake
After several attempts to find a window in David's busy schedule, we settled for a date and time. When I arrived I was greeted by Ted and I was asked to wait for few minutes until David was ready. After 15 – 20 minutes David made an appearance from his office and invited me in. We exchange pleasantries and than David proceeded to ask me questions about my background, education, work experience and finally my salary levels over the past few years. I did not realize then, but I know now that, what he was doing was “The Shake". He was trying to figure out what am I good for. How much cash can he get upfront because any payment tied to my getting a new job was very unlikely and therefore can't be considered as secured revenue for DWIC. He also spend time asking me and learning about my industry and my professional expertise. From his questions I realized that he had absolutely no knowledge about my industry, the level of management I was trained to perform and the companies I worked for. I did not realize then but I know now that, he was learning the basics of what he will latter use to simulate expertise in my field. At the time their website was not as large as it is today. Now I realized that his field of expertise, which is described on the website under “Bios", is very narrow. Basically if your job is not in wool, cotton, gold mining or steel manufacturing, he has no understanding about what you do. He certainly had absolutely no knowledge about my industry.He proceeded to lecture me about perceptions and how to create a specific perception in the mind of a potential employer, very much like what DWIC has on their website today entitled “Tips". I sat there and listen about many success stories of his past clients. Along the way he also talked about the “David Werner Letter" in his words “the most successful and effective engaging tool at his and my deposal". The “Werner Letter" is a simple letter that DWIC creates and sends to distribution lists in his words “so well written and so effective that it almost guarantees to open doors and often entice CEOs and Presidents of major corporations to meat with their client". In his words “it so effectively exposes your talents that inevitably they will create a new position to bring your talent into their company". What a load of …..
The Switch
At the end of our meeting David stated that “although he is very busy, because of my expertise and potential he, David, will accept me as a client and make time to fit my case into his busy schedule". They will prepare an agreement, and this is the important part, which “is a simple agreement which his attorney forces them to have their clients sign but which, because of its simplicity, does not describe all the services DWIC will provide and certainly which can't possible describe the success that we will achieve by working together". In other words, the agreement is just a formality and not at all a complete representation of what they will provide, what I should expect and what the most likely outcome will be. This is the switch – “Don't be concerned about what is on paper instead, trust my words!". His parting words were “I am now going to start working on your strategy!". As I was leaving, Ted told me that they will prepare an agreement, which I will have to sign, and which I will have to bring back with me with a check to my next meeting with David when he is going to review and update my resume and discuss the “marketing strategy".A week or so latter we met again in the DWIC office. He proceeded to make minor changes to my resume, correct some of the writing which is something that any English major could do and than we discussed the “David Werner Letter" and the mailing lists which DWIC will purchase and which will be used to produce a hard cover mailing, an emailing “blast" and specific mailing to CEOs.
The Sting
I handed them, what I consider to be, a very large check. A week or so latter after the first mailing was complete, a second check of an equal amount, as per the written agreement, was mailed to DWIC. The scam was complete. They got the money. Unlike others they did not disappear overnight, they stay where they are because they are protected by the agreement.And then - absolute silence! Many weeks would go by without any contact from DWIC. I started to get hundreds of rejected emails and from the post office, bags of returned envelopes with undeliverable address. Months went by with continuing silence. Occasionally, I would send them an email and wait for few days or longer to get a response. At the end they got my money and I have absolutely nothing to show for it - I got …. and I didn't even enjoy it!Don't let this happen to you – be smarter than me! And if you are a victim have the courage to create a Rip-Off report. DWIC is the only beneficiary from your silence and it will allow them to keep doing this to others for as long as what they do remains untold.
