Fraudulent Activity Alert from EAA- Mystery SOLVED!!

[GAHorn]

The following email msg was rec'd by me today:

Dear EAA Member and Young Eagles supporter:



It has come to our attention that an individual or group has been contacting EAA members by telephone claiming to be conducting a survey on behalf of EAA in support of the Young Eagles Program. The caller often inquires about the type of aircraft you fly, the certificates you hold and other information regarding your flying activities. EAA is NOT currently conducting any surveys of our membership regarding the Young Eagles program; however, we are asking for your assistance in helping us determine the extent of this apparently fraudulent activity and the motives behind it.



If you or someone you know has recently received a call of this nature or are contacted with something similar in the near future, please report the event immediately to the EAA Government Relations Department by replying to this e-mail or calling us directly at 920-426-6522. Please note the date and time of the survey call, the nature of the questions you are asked, and any other observations you may have about the call. Please also be sure to let us know how we can best contact you to follow up, if necessary.



EAA is dedicated to preserving the future of sport and recreational aviation and at the heart of that effort stands the Young Eagles Program. The commitment of our members to providing young people with their first flight experience demonstrates the very best that the recreational aviation community has to offer and we are justifiably proud of your collective achievements. We are deeply saddened that anyone would take advantage of such a positive youth program by invoking its name for some unauthorized intent and hope that you will continue to support the EAA Young Eagles Program and all the good it stands for well into the future.



Thank you for your support and assistance.



Earl, Doug, Randy, and Kathy

EAA Government Relations Team

[Harold Holiman]

I received a survey call from them last night. I just got off the phone with EAA reporting it.

Harold N92CP

[GAHorn]

The mystery is solved: I rec'd the following email from EAA today:

> EAA would like to thank its members for responding to an e-mail alert issued
last week and for providing information that cleared up a mystery and allayed
concerns.
>
> Last Friday, EAA's Government and Industry Affairs office apprised you of
reported telephone canvassing and polling of EAA members. Two confirmed reports
from EAA members suggested that the callers had alluded to some sort of
connection with the EAA Young Eagles program. Because the Young Eagles program
had no ties to telephone canvassing or marketing activities, EAA asked for your
help in investigating the origins of the telephone polling activity.
>
> Members' responses to EAA's e-mail alert not only corroborated the
telephone-canvassing activity but also shed additional light allowing EAA to
determine the source of the activity and the legitimate purpose behind it.
ConocoPhillips, the petroleum-products giant with a longstanding
exhibitor/sponsor relationship with EAA, had commissioned telephone and on-line
surveying of general-aviation pilots -- not just EAA members -- as part of its
marketing and branding research. To improve survey response rates,
ConocoPhillips informed each call recipient that it would make a donation to
EAA's Young Eagles program upon achieving certain quota of responses.
>
> Upon learning of the activity's origin, EAA Corporate Communications
immediately contacted ConocoPhillips.' Together we discussed ways to ensure
better sharing of information. In the future, references by ConoccoPhillips to
EAA or the Young Eagles Program will be coordinated with our office. This step
would have better equipped the EAA with the information needed to convey the
benefits of this survey and the affiliated donation by ConocoPhillips.
>
> In the meantime, as part of their ongoing reserach, ConocoPhillips'
commissioned market-research firm reported receiving extremely favorable
responses to the Young Eagles-donation incentive. ConocoPhillips' decision to
use this cause as the incentive and the favorable responses from survey
respondents underscore the enormous value of this EAA program and its universal
recognition as a major promoter of aviation's future.
>
> EAA thanks ConocoPhillips for acknowledging and contributing toward the Young
Eagles program's work. We look forward to continued partnership with
ConocoPhillips in advancing the interests of aviation enthusiasts for years to
come.
>
> We further thank you, the EAA members, for demonstrating your vigilance in
protecting your organization and its valuable programs. We ask that you continue
to help safeguard EAA's interests and report any concerns to your EAA Government
and Industry Affairs Department: 920-426-6522.
>