CPR, First Aid Advertisements Scams. Are they real for your needs or are they a scam.
CPR and First Aid Advertisement Scams, they’re everywhere on the internet, seemly legitimate organizations offering instant CPR and/or First Aid certifications for busy people who are required to hold certifications. There are even business people who try to say that one CPR/First Aid organization is accredited verses others that are not just to mislead people to make a dollar. Many times the websites or advertisements will say online-CPR or First Aid certification is “nationally accepted” or that “AHA is the only authorized CPR and First Aid course”. These statements are not true. Scams are everywhere. No major nationally recognized training program in the USA, endorses certification without hands-on practice and evaluations of hands-on skills. Additionally, the American Heart Association or AHA, is not the only CPR and First Aid training company. There are at least five national recognized CPR and First Aid training companies that follow the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guidelines, including American Safety and Health Institute or ASHI, National Safety Council or NSC, American Heart Association or AHA, American Red Cross or ARC, and the Emergency Care and Safety Institute or ESCI. According to the OSHA Administration online training alone does not meet OSHA first aid and CPR training requirements.
What scams to avoid when shopping for CPR and First Aid training programs.
- Download instantly certification cards.
- No hands on skills requirements.
- 100% online
- Immediate certification.
- Have your card be certified today. Instant Card – Digital Certification Cards are not the same as instant cards. A digital card is a pdf or other electronic version of a certification card you earn in a training class, which is issued and authorized by your hands-on instructor who attests to the participants compliance with the training companies standards.
- Nationally validated, nationally recognized or nationally accredited, there is no national accreditation or governing body for CPR and First Aid course.
- Full refund if not accepted by your employer.
- AHA only, or ASHI only, or ARC only certification is accepted for specific professional standards. There are many organizations, commissions, councils and administrations that will take any of the national recognized CPR and First Aid providers for employee certification, they mostly do not just allow one, as long as it is hand-on and uses the ILCOR guidelines.
Click link below for public service announcement from ASHI and NSC.
Additionally, when you as a consumer sees or hears and advertisement, whether it’s on the internet, radio, television or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading, and when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. The Federal Trade Commission or FTC enforces these truth-in-advertising laws, and it applies the same standards no matter where an ad appears. Complaints help the FTC and other law enforcement agencies bring scam artists and poor business owners to justice and put an end to unfair and misleading business practices.
If you have a complaints, file it online at: www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.