FMGAmerica : A Possible Fraud ?

For quite sometime now, I have been receiving regular updates from a group of IMGs who have had bitter experiences with FMGamerica - a firm that supposedly places IMGs in clinical externships and also helps them with residency placements for a big sum of money.

Once before in the past, I had already posted a warning-kinda post about FMGamerica and the complaint posted on BBB. That was obviously based on circumstantial evidence, but this group of IMGs who have been victims themselves decided to dig deeper into, do some sleuthing and uncovered some pretty startling facts.

As I understand, this group has now hired a detective to investigate further. If anyone else had bitter experiences with FMGAmerica.com, it may help to write to FMGjustice@yahoo.com. Since I am merely reporting a possible scam story and not myself investigating, I may not be able to help on any complaints you might have.


Here's one story in the words of an IMG who goes by FMGjustice@yahoo.com:

"I graduated from medical school in 2005. After contacting various residency programs, I saw that many programs needed US clinical experience. I searched for it and was unable to procure anything for myself. I happened to find the website www.fmgamerica.com and I called the number listed on it's website. A gentleman answered, by the name of "Dr. Brus". I spoke with him, he was very encouraging and very positive and I felt this is a good place to go, since he seemed very nice man.

The price he quoted to me was 4,700.00 and said that if I sent a check in, they would take 400.00 dollars off from my package. That was a lot of money saved for me, so I agreed. I sent the money to their office in NJ. I was told that they will assign me to "Dr. Norman Cohen" and that he was a program director retired from OB/GYN. He even gave me his website www.imgsociety.org, his picture and biography was listed as program director ( they removed it after our complaints)

After paying the money, FMGamerica rarely responded to my phone calls, call after call went unanswered and many times the message said the answering machine was full. I talked to Dr. Cohen and he told me : Here's a name of 3 doctors, you can interview with them and maybe they will take you they are good friends. He sent me this email:

"
I am working on your placement. You may (no guarantee) receive a call from xoxoxox who is the manager of a large medical group xoxoxo She may have a position for you or may wish to interview you. Here is some very important advice:


1) Be humble and enthusiastic
2) Give the impression that you wish to help the group any way you can
3) Never be demanding
4) To maintain your confidentiality it is best not to mention FMG America. Residency directors (and the attendings that sponsor you) want to see that you took the initiative yourself. I am just a friend of a friend that is helping to advise you if anyone should ask. Again, this is to protect your confidentiality.

Let me know if you are contacted in the next few days. In the meantime, I will see what else I can find. I have other feelers out.

Dr. Cohen

"


That made me think - what do you mean 'friends'? and what do you mean 'maybe'? I paid for an externship program, not for this guy to give me a list of doctors. When I read the email, I was shocked about no guarantee! what did I pay 4000 dollars for!

Anyways, I called the doctors right away one by one and explained to them my predicament, they all seemed shocked at my story. They said they had no idea about this paid externship thing or who/what FMGAmerica is. They said they just got a call from some Dr. Cohen they never heard from him before and he was begging them to help a poor IMG and so they agreed.

Next, I called the AMA and looked up Dr. Cohen in Florida where he had said he worked. I called his old practice and found it was sold and that he never retired - instead he had lost his license to medical malpractice. I also asked who is Dr. Brusramer and no one was able to find this guy. I called up the ECFMG and they were in shock. A friend of mine who lives in NY went to the office address - it turned out to be an accountant, Mr. Norman Fleishcer. He said he can't give any information and that he simply cashes the checks for his client FMG America.

The story gets better. I got together with the other people complaining and we reviewed all of our details. My husband want to check the IP address of all the emails and they were all coming from ISRAEL! could not believe this! These people are not even in the U.S.!

Then, I called Dr. Cohen. He was startled and said that he was never a program director, rather just an Ob/Gyn Doc. He even asked me to not him again. "

I complained to FMGamerica and they threatened my visa status and ability to match in any residency program in the US. They keep yelling that you have a contract, now even better they sent me a list of img programs they were so sloppy that when they copy-pasted, they left the source website name on it and the website wasn't even their's. I had my classmate call them from another number to check them out and to record this guys voice we did it a few times, one day the same-voice guy is Dr. Brus, the other day it's "Dr. Crane" and yet another day he is "Dr. Harper"

- Thank you,

Fellow IMG"
*********

And here's another story from a second IMG:

"I graduated top of my class in my country quite a while ago. Recently I found myself in some very hard circumstances and in need of working a better paying job. I decided to finally do my residency. I’m very busy and the application process seemed overwhelming. Then I came across FMG America’s website. It sounded so good: a clinical externship, lots of help with the application process, your own counselor....So I inquired about signing up. I talked to a Dr. Crane (I’m not sure at this point if he really exists...) who sounded very professional. He asked me to send my CV, which I did. On my CV it clearly listed all dates of my exams. I also made it perfectly clear to Dr. Crane that I needed a residency in CALIFORNIA, that I could NOT move. I received an admission letter from FMG America, Dr. Crane assured me that after paying the fee I will get a hospital based externship not far from my home within the next two weeks. He said that he would put me in touch with my California Counselor Dr. Cohen. FMG America charged $4,250.- if I pay by personal check, by credit card they wanted $4,600!!! That was A LOT of money for me to come up with but I’m in such desperate need of a residency here in California that I paid it.

After paying it took longer than 2 weeks until a Dr. Cohen just gave me the names of a couple of physicians and an office lady. He warned me in an email not to mention FMG America. When I called the doctor offices nobody knew anything, people seemed confused and surprised. I finally talked an Internist into letting me watch her (pure observership!!). NO CLINICAL EXTERNSHIP!

It turns out the doctors didn’t even know Dr. Cohen, they just tried to be friendly and help another doctor out. The help I got otherwise from FMG America consisted of a copied and pasted (from a website) list of Internal Medicine residencies!

But here is the worst: after spending tons of time and money (getting all the documents from my home country, applying and paying the fee for my California Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter) I get a call from the California Medical Board telling me that I don’t qualify for a residency in California because my exams have expired!!!!! The dates of my exams were clearly listed on my CV which I sent to FMG America!!!! They took my money even though I never had a chance!!! I immediately notified FMG America and asked for a refund. They never responded to any of my calls and emails.

I feel like a fool, being robbed of so much money!! I don’t want this to happen to anyone else!!!
"

And Here's a Third Email from yet another IMG:



"

Dear Sir/Madam

I paid more than 1000 us dollars to FMG America. They told me that they have special fax system, and knowledge, and they will be able to help me get a residency position in a residency program.They were not helpful as they said, and took the money with out any outcome. They then start sending me emails to apply through them for externships, which I did not apply through them, because my previous experience was not satisfactory at all.

I wonder they also contact Medical coleges and Universities across US to help get Medical graduates residency programs.After my personal experience, I will request other colleagues not to contact them for any residency position or externship.

Thanks"

Hmmmm...



It's quite possible that some others had good experiences with FMGamerica. But be it a Scam or a business model implemented sloppily - not giving the customers what was clearly implicated when the money was taken, is a breach of contract to me. And here's the BBB report on FMGamerica. If you do a Whois.net look up on FMGamerica.com, we get the organization address listed as California instead of New York - but then that could be where the webservers are located.

Will post more as more details come to the fore



Note: If you think USMLEtoMD blogs are worth it, Click here to sign up for updates automatically emailed to you. Only takes 8 seconds and no spam! - besides you can always unsubscribe when I begin to get too senile and boring ;-)



Also Read:

- Extra MD Income : Cashing on IMGs ?
- List: Observerships, Externships, Electives for IMG in USA

Digg This |

Share on Facebook |

del.icio.us

Is ur mindset flexible enough to ?