Additional Information for IThink Safety Academy

While the Houston and South Texas BBB has not recieved complaints or customer reviews for IThink Safety Academy, the Lake Charles BBB has issues the following Alert.

10/10/2018

BBB alerts consumers to company offering fake safety Certifications

Better Business Bureau Serving Southwest Louisiana is alerting consumers to iThink Safety & Technical Academy, a Baytown, TX company offering training for National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certificate in both the Lake Charles and Baytown areas.

Several consumers have called BBB over the last week reporting they paid $1400, took a four and a half week class and were supposed to be given certificates with certifications for NCCER and OSHA. When consumers completed the course they were harassed via text messaging, stating the only way they would get any of the paper work was if they paid any remaining balances in full. Not only were their certifications held, consumer’s resumes were also being held.

Residents heard about the business through Facebook posts. After locating the page, BBB noticed iThink not only promised certifications from these top safety companies, they also promised job placement at the end of the four and half week course. After researching the company’s website, it stated they would also place consumer’s resumes in the hands of top hiring managers at the plants in the area.

Consumers reported when they noticed about halfway into the course they were not learning anything about safety. A majority of the time was spent on the instructors trying to prove they were able to place consumers into high paying safety jobs. Additionally, the instructors went as far as calling former “students” who would provide assurance on the legitimacy of the safety course.

Nationally, BBB contacted NCCER and OSHA to inquire about the courses being offered; neither company had heard of iThink. NCCER is a not-for-profit education foundation in business since 1996. It was created to help standardize training and credentials in the industry. OSHA is a part of the United States Department of Labor and it was created to assure safe and healthful working conditions.
Locally, BBB has contacted Safety Council of SWLA and ISTC Baytown, neither of these companies has heard of iThink. Safety Council of SWLA, a non-profit group, provides safety education and training in the Lake Charles area. They are also a charter member of the American Association of Safety Councils (AASC) and the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils (ARSC). ISTC Baytown a non-profit company offers education and safety training in the Southeast Texas area. 


BBB offers the following tips to avoid this and similar scams:

*  Start with Trust®. Always check with BBB at bbb.org before doing business.

*  Know what you should expect. When you sign up for a certification or work training, know what the certificate of completion should look like. Be careful to note if it should have an official stamp or training number to guarantee authenticity with a government or regulating body.

* NCCER offers information on training courses in your area; you can all them at 386-518-6500 or visit their website https://www.nccer.org/ for more information.

In Lake Charles you can contact Lake Charles Safety Council by phone at 337-436-3354 or visit their website at https://www.safetycouncilswla.org/# for more information.

In Baytown, TX you can call ISTC Baytown at 281-421-0459 or visit their website at http://www.istc.net/ for more information.

Beware of job offers on social media. Do not believe everything you read and verify that the offers are real before providing information, time or money.