Fitness Job Scam


"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"




As some of my followers and friends might know, I'm trying to make money online with my fitness business. Well, last year I got a Facebook message from a friend asking me about a company that contacted her about working for them. She wanted to know if I have ever heard of this company. The company, NHE- Wellness Services-Advanced Credentials for Health and Fitness Professionals, I have never heard of and I have been in the industry for over 25 years. This should have been a big red flag right there.
I went on their site, which looks like something you would see in the early stages of the internet (red flag #2), and read about the careers they offered.  I saw a position for a Personal Fitness Management Specialist. It was a work from home position. They were looking for someone to help the company with their Facebook account. Red flag number three should have been the salary. For working part-time, 20 hours a week, the hourly rate of pay would have been $36.25 an hour. Of course, I sent them a resume (December 2015) and never heard from them.






Just last week, my friend who just got her certification was contacted by the same company but this time they were doing phone interviews. I told her about my thoughts on the company on being a little fishy. I went back on the site and this time they are looking for people to write online fitness programs for people who have gone through fitness assessments. 

I decided to sign up for a phone interview and it was set for yesterday October 3, 2016. Something told me to Google information about NHE and this is what I found. They seem to look for newbies in the fitness field, somehow they get the information of people who just passed a certification, they send out emails about working for them.

They are slick with their scams because they pick and choose who to scam. They tell them that they are interested but they must pass a test. They take the test and fail, then they tell them to buy the study guide which costs about $200. Because the pay is so good, people buy the guide take the test and fail again or they pass and they are never offered a job. 
UPS has the same address as the NHE Certification Company


NHE Address in California
I told my friend that I thought was a scam and I probably would ignore the call, if they called me for an interview. They called. The lady on the phone asked me a series of questions, like do I understand how to use the latest fitness equipment? Hello, that is a strange question to ask a fitness professional especially someone who is just certified or has been training or teaching for years. I asked her where they were located and she became very annoyed and told me she would send me an email.

They are probably someone in a small office with a couple of phones and a lot of boxes, well that's how I envisioned them to be. Anyway, don't fall for the Okie Doke, they don't have jobs, they don't certify anyone and if they do, you can't use that certification. If someone is trying to find employees, why are they making people pay for a study guide? It's a scam so watch out for this one fitness professionals.

Comments

  1. So I was curious after reading this because I've never heard of them either (after almost 20 years in the business). I found this very interesting thread on the IDEA website. http://www.ideafit.com/answers/nhe-who-are-they What started as one person asking about them turned into a lengthy review(s) by what was probably one person creating new profiles each time to defend them. Thanks for writing about this. You're right. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

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  2. The reason you continue to delete the posts of people who have actually gone through the process is because they are counter-productive to your attempt to generate a flame blog. A blog, mind you, that is based on nothing but hyperbole as you admit having never gone through the process yourself because they denied your request to take the exam. But why would something like that make you mad?

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    1. By the way, since they employ, what is their address? I will be in California next week I will check them out.

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  3. Wow... you truly have no idea what you are talking about do you? Do you know anything at all about their business model? Because every single point you made in your blog is incorrect. Feel free to prove me wrong. I would be very interested in something concrete. I

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  4. Ms., you do not know how to run a blog. It is not supposed to be a platform for your hate speeches. A blog is managed by someone who is educated or experienced in the field he/she is writing about. The blog goes up and invites people to comment and inquire. The job of the blog’s author is to respond to questions posed by visitors and develop a learning platform for others. It is not the job of the author to attack visitors who present (in my case) facts based on real life experience which directly contradict those of the blogger.

    You have deleted every post of visitors that simply come here to tell you their experience was much different than what you are telling people to be afraid of. It is not a blog. It is a flame post. There are others I’ve seen online too. Instead of posting your thoughts on an unbiased website where you can be challenged by others, you do it on a personal blog that you control so that you can leave up the comments that support your cause and delete everything else. Maybe you do not understand this but that makes you the scam. You are trying to control what message people get via this sad blog which is really just a façade for your anger toward them for refusing to hire you or interview you.

    If you are an honest person with an honest agenda, then you would not require people to continually repost comments you delete for no reason at all.

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    1. From your writing it seems like it is the same person writing these responses. Since you are employed by the company, what is their business address and where can one visit their business.

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  5. What is this thing you seem to have with posters being one of the same? Aren't you the administrator? If posters are the same their IP address, Internet device and geographical origin would be identical. But you already know that, yes?

    As to your strange fascination with addresses.. let me try to understand your logic because you keep repeating that as if it is some sort of trap. lol ..Let me see if I understand you correctly, you are saying that all it takes for you to determine if a business is legitimate is for you to walk into a building , see a receptionist and a few offices with folks on the phone and you will post another blog validating that business as legitimate? This is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Every scam business that was raided by the feds over the past hundred years was operating inside an office building. It's the reason they set up shop inside an office building. To give the appearance that they are a legitimate operation.

    But like the other poster said, you do not know the model they use so to you it's a brick and mortar operation. I'm not here to do your homework for you but I will just say this is yet another thing you have completely wrong.

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    1. BTW, the Better Business Bureau has given the company a F rating with no known address. People have complained about the company ripping them off. Like I said in my post, if it is too good to be true........

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  6. You are not the only person with Internet access. Everyone knows about the BBB in Southern California and how they give businesses who refuse to pay thousands of dollars in 'accreditation' fees an F. Heck, NHE has a link to it on their site. I too read those complaints and like you they call the company a scam, yet none of them explain exactly how they were scammed. Interestingly, each only calls them a scam after they failed the exam. Sound familiar?

    You are trying too hard.

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  7. BTW- If it ‘sounds too good to be true’ then you are probably underqualified. The compensation was the thing that initially held me back. My undergrad is in ex sci and I have an MPT so it is considerably less than what I previously earned but the flexibility in the workload was a balance.

    Your whole thing is cheap training (frugal) so it comes as no surprise that you perceive $40/hour a lot of money.

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  8. The only people who visit the BBB site are senior citizens who think it's a business oversight branch of the government. It's funny..if you look up NASM on the BBB they have 50 complaints but because they pay for their membership they have an A+!! LMAO

    You should start a BBB scam blog...at least then you would have some actually facts to post.

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    1. Doesn’t matter I will continue reaching people via Twitter by tweeting this post.😆

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  9. Yeah... because for a full year now that has seemed to generate a huge response. lol

    This blog is complete nonsense. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about so the more the merrier.

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  10. I forwarded this blog to NHE. Allow me to give you some good advice. Do not be frugal when you are reseaching lawyers to defend you in a defamation lawsuit. You will need a good one, not a cheap one.

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  11. "They seem to look for newbies in the fitness field, somehow they get the information of people who just passed a certification, they send out emails about working for them."

    The problem I see in you telling people this is that it seems to contradict the job description which specifically states the position is not an entry level job and you must have a minimum of five years personal trainer experience or an exercise science degree.

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    1. I know because I’m in a fitness blogging group and Quite a few of the bloggers who just took the fitness certification exam, the company reached out to them. Why would a company who is looking for five years of experience reach out to new fitness professionals?

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    2. And to add, none of the fitness bloggers they reached out to have a degree in fitness. So why, would a company looking for experienced professionals seek out individuals like that?

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    3. Just give her the address and that will resolve everything. I'm currently in the process of applying for position.

      Keep redirecting question, being evasive in providing address. 🤔

      Delete
  12. It doesn't seem to work like that. You should try doing some unbiased research to actually learn the truth instead of just taking the word of some newbie trainer. You are trying to make it seem like the company is actively recruiting ONLY inexperienced people. If you look at any post online, only college degree people and people with multiple certifications are taking the exam. The company reaches out to EVERY fitness professional. That is how huge their database is. But it should go without saying that it is the responsibility of the job seeker to read the job description and recruitment process. Are you saying that these 'bloggers' all read the job description and requirements and each ignored them simply because they got a generic email?

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    1. I have the original p.m. they sent my girlfriend who is a blogger, they said nothing about having experience.

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  13. I got the same email. It says to only apply if you meet the requirements of the position.

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    1. Right, whatever, in the fitness blog in group no one got a message that said you need experience. And by the way, what company charges people to work for them. Who charges $190 to take an exam and if they fail the exam why don’t they get their money back.

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    2. I’m still waiting for you to provide your employers’ address.

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  14. It is my understanding that the exam is free. There are no required fees.

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  15. You are right, there are no required fees. This lady just has no idea what she is talking about. This blog has no value because nothing here is accurate. I am done wasting my time talking to someone who is just on a mission to broadcast nonsense. Good luck 'Doug'!

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  16. Thank you.

    If a trainer with little to no experience was able to pass the NHE exam, that would be embarrassing for the company and anyone associated. If someone thought that studying for that exam for a week or two was all that it took, then perhaps that person should have done more research. The NHE exam is very hard to pass. You need an education in fitness, not just a newly acquired ACE or NASM certification. So, I must agree that anyone who is new to fitness should read the job requirements before applying at NHE.

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  17. Your blogger “friend” doesn’t sound very bright. She should have read the job description and the job requirements which are posted everywhere on the NHE site. And even if she chose to ignore all that.. the exam is called the MASTER TRAINER EXAM!! The required expertise is written in the freakn exam title for goodness sakes. Why would a newbie think she could pass that exam just because she studied for a few days?

    Why is it such a surprise that someone who failed to read anything about everything about the job failed the exam? These are the very same trainers who ruined Bally’s and will eventually destroy Equinox and LifeTime Fitness.

    Ok, I’m done. Again, good luck to whom ever comes here to have an intelligent conversation. She will just delete it anyway. LOL

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    Replies
    1. I will let the The BBB screenshots tell the truth. See the above pictures.

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  18. Again, you are not the only person with Internet access. You only confirm what everyone has been saying. Those screenshots further illustrate the type of people who are applying for jobs they have no business applying for. One says they make you buy a study guide for $190 and the other says they ‘convince’ you to buy one for $300. The problem with those statements is that in order to take the exam you must hand sign an exam fee exempt document. Here is part of what it reads…

    “Although I am taking a free NHE exam, for the purpose of employment, I have not been promised or guaranteed a job by NHE, including, whether or not I pass the exam or purchase an online study guide. Any/All online study guide purchases are voluntary, and are not a requirement for job consideration. I have not been asked or persuaded, by anyone associated with NHE, to purchase any NHE products/services, in particular an NHE study guide, for employment purposes.”

    EVERYONE must submit this document or the exam will not be administered, including the people who posted the complaints, so you posting them only illustrates the lack of credibility both you and those people have. They are essentially lying.
    Once those who have actually gone through the process reads this blog, they will immediately recognize the inaccuracies. It was the same for me when I read your blog. There was a huge red flag in almost everything you wrote because it is not what actually happens.

    Your credibility is zero, but keep trying. lol

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  19. If you truly were not scammed then you must make an attempt to appear victimized somehow, so you use terms like convinced, persuaded, pursued and so forth as these terms help make the case you are trying to build. I read all those as well and many just seemed over the top with no details of what actually occurred. Generally, when you read a complaint of any kind it is loaded with very specific details of what transpired, however, many of the NHE complaints are unusually vague and they overuse the term scam. This is probably because they are stretching the truth in order to resolve their own issues with the company. In the end, this hurts their overall credibility.

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  20. I agree and it's probably why they make people sign that document so that can't later lie about what they are being asked to do. But they lie anyway. lol

    BTW- Sheila, aren't you supposed to be in California this week? or is that too a lie?

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    1. I am in California but nowhere near the address on the iNHE website which is actually the address for a UPS shop. I guess I will post with pictures in the blog, let the buyer beware.

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  21. You are lying… again. You are a dishonest blogger. Worst, you have no interest in the truth. This is something that your followers should know.

    I have posted your social media platforms on bodybuilding.com where NHE has a very large following. Soon, hundreds of people will come crashing down on your little world. Good luck with that. lol

    https://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalExerciser/
    https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBodyWorkoutTV1
    https://plus.google.com/116826127527171004141
    https://www.pinterest.com/frugalexerciser/
    https://www.instagram.com/thefrugalexerciser_/

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  22. I also plan to send your reviews to all companies that advertise (surely unknowingly) on your blog sites and other pages you manage so they are informed and can pull their ads accordingly.

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  23. Well, if you are gong to delete all our posts then looks like I will have to start my own blog. Seems simple enough and you seem to be able to say anything you want. I will send you the link so you can check it out. The sense that I got from your Facebook page is that there are many people with something to say about your professionalism. I will be sure to contact their Facebook page to let them know there will now be a place for them to voice their frustrations without fear of censorship.

    Thanks for the idea!

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  25. If you are this upset about not getting the job maybe you should apply again and do a better interview. They have a stringent recruitment rep but I have also read posts from people who re-applied and got hired. You need to take down this blog. It makes you appear vengeful and obsessed.

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  26. Melissa, She applied twice and both times she was rejected. This is why she is so obsessed. lol

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  27. The reason NHE has quadrupled their revenue in the past 5 years is because they deal only with intelligent people. These types of posts only scare away stupid people who can’t think for themselves. Smart people take offense to someone trying to force feed their opinions to them. An intelligent person doesn’t make career decisions based on what someone else tells them is true. They would rather discover for themselves what is true or not. Providing they can do that at no cost, there isn’t much anyone can say that will present them from doing precisely that. With NHE, you can find out the truth for free so both ACSMtrainer and Sheila might as well give it a rest.

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    1. ^ prevent, not "present". (no edit feature?)

      Delete
  28. I agree and I would not have normally spent so much time on something as ridiculous as this blog except challenging her points was like shooting fish in a barrel… too darn easy. But you are right, only an idiot would read an anonymous post and take it to heart, good or bad. Spend money or don’t spend money it doesn’t matter just always find out for yourself what the situation is. That’s what I did with NHE despite all the garbage online and it worked out just fine for me. The problem with blogs and posts is you don’t know if the author is a complete moron or not so how can you follow that person’s advice? This is the root of the industry’s primary problem, there are a ton of morons out there representing themselves online as educated, qualified trainers. I like to go online and challenge them because they can never defend their own perceptions with anything remotely intelligent.

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  29. I have a phone interview tomorrow for their PWC position. I’ll be sure to come back here to post my real experience!

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  30. Don’t bother. This whole blog is corrupt with half-truths, lies and outright deletion of people’s posts. Stating your full name as an attempt to seem authentic was a nice touch but come on, how gullible do you think people are? Besides, there isn’t anything you can do that people can’t do for themselves. There is no need to report back as if you are a spy infiltrating enemy lines to conduct some sort of recon mission. Anyone can apply.

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  33. Thank you for giving us info about scammers!

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  34. Their address...26895 Aliso Creek Rd b58, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

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  35. The people on this blog are the only ones claiming it's their address?!? Even NHE says it's a UPS Mailbox. They are a virtual business, not an office. What's with this third rate detective work? lol

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