BPELSG Email...in case you didn't get it...

[pls7809]

BPELSG, with the help of several licensees, has investigated and monitored the activities associated with a small group of unlicensed individuals in the Southern California region who have deceived multiple property owners by representing themselves as legitimately authorized to perform land surveying services and providing those services in a manner that directly fails to meet the standards which the public can rely upon. While initially successful with disciplining the couple of licensees that were formally aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice, BPELSG has spent considerable effort and expense over the last several years towards investigating these unlicensed individuals.

This group has changed company names several times while maintaining a core group of individuals that are not authorized to practice in this manner. BPELSG has multiple investigations in progress on these individuals and continue to try and work with the Attorney General's office on these matters. BPELSG has traveled and met with local law enforcement agencies and local offices of state investigation services seeking assistance only to be turned away with limited or no support due to various reasons.

Recently, we began receiving reports that these individuals have changed their tactics and are now allegedly representing themselves, falsely and without authorization, as legitimately licensed practitioners and the firms that these practitioners are employed by. These reports are more alarming due to the increased nature of deception being employed towards harming the health, safety, and welfare of the public not to mention the reputation of the legitimate licensed practitioners and firms that strive to serve the citizens of California.

BPELSG strongly recommends that each licensee and engineering or land surveying firm immediately confirm the security of your license and how your firm is currently portrayed to the public. This may come in the form of receiving calls from individuals that state that you or your firm has performed work for them recently and these individuals or the properties are unknown to you. There are even reports of monuments being tagged with the license number of a legitimate licensee without their knowledge and not under their responsible supervision.

If you or your firm believes your name, license, or firm name has been compromised and falsely represented as performing land surveying services, BPELSG recommends that you immediately contact your local law enforcement for support and advice. In addition, the more incidents that BPELSG is made aware of, the more likely it is for BPELSG to convince local law enforcement and state investigations that this is a real problem that needs attention. BPELSG is here to assist the public, the licensee, and local enforcement in any way we can in this matter. If you have any questions or wish to alert BPELSG of an incident that you are aware of, please send a quick email with contact information to BPELSG.Enforcement.Information@dca.ca.gov

Thank you,

Ric Moore
Executive Officer
Board for Professional Engineers,
Land Surveyors, and Geologists

[Administrator]

And if you didn't get the email regarding this from CLSA in the last few minutes (check your spam folders) please write info@californiasurveyors.org and we'll get your contact information updated.

[mpallamary]

It would be helpful to know more about this for those of us in SoCal so we can keep our eyes out. Do we know anything else?

[DWoolley]

The BPELSG message is quite accurate.

I will add the following:

The people associated with the BPELSG notice were formerly associated with Group Land Surveyors based out of Rialto, California. Their current practice is to represent themselves as surveyors from an existing reputable firm sending out a contract and sample work product with the appropriate company name and logos. In the most recent instances, they require payment in advance, take the check and do not do the survey or occasionally, they do a minimal survey - then the owners/clients, after not getting their survey, call up said reputable firm to check on the status of their survey. Of course, the reputable firm owners have no idea who these "clients" are or what they're talking about.

To date we are aware of several, more than 20, of these scams in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The bulk of these people have paid $800-$1500 to these scammers. One unsuspecting member of the public paid $6500 and followed the sham survey crew around his property for the day.

The scammers are incredibly persistent. If they receive a survey inquiry they will continue to follow up with the would be client, repeatedly sending a contract with sample work product. Interestingly, we have seen the same sample survey map with several different company logos.

The key thing is to listen for "clients" calling you to discuss a survey you have under contract - although they are not your clients. Alert the people that answer your phones and do not be to quick to discount a call in which the person believes you are working for them.

If you encounter one of these scams with your firm please immediately file a police report in the appropriate jurisdiction - as recommended by BPELSG.

Remarkably, this is not the first time this has happened to a licensee. I have attached a hauntingly similar story.

D. Woolley

[land butcher]

The board can't set up some stings and nail these people. The cops do it all the time.

[Lee Hixson]

Good idea.

[Jim Frame]

The board can't set up some stings and nail these people. The cops do it all the time.

The contractors licensing board does it, too.

[Chiara]

BPELSG has traveled and met with local law enforcement agencies and local offices of state investigation services seeking assistance only to be turned away with limited or no support due to various reasons.

Hi Ric,

Thank you for getting the word out. I find the above statement especially upsetting. I'm speculating an effort has been made to impress upon law enforcement that this is more than a civil matter. These are criminals engaging in identity theft and fraud, whose actions cause serious damage to the parties who rely on their work, the individual professionals who's identity they assume, and the public's perception of the surveying profession.

Very interested to know how this plays out. I'm curious: Without identifying the surveyors involved, do the stolen licenses affect professionals located in the LA / Orange County area or did they steal licenses from out of the general area?

Thanks,

Michael

[land butcher]

Again the innocent have to prove their innocence.

[Administrator]

BPELSG has traveled and met with local law enforcement agencies and local offices of state investigation services seeking assistance only to be turned away with limited or no support due to various reasons.

Hi Ric,

Thank you for getting the word out. I find the above statement especially upsetting. I'm speculating an effort has been made to impress upon law enforcement that this is more than a civil matter. These are criminals engaging in identity theft and fraud, whose actions cause serious damage to the parties who rely on their work, the individual professionals who's identity they assume, and the public's perception of the surveying profession.

Very interested to know how this plays out. I'm curious: Without identifying the surveyors involved, do the stolen licenses affect professionals located in the LA / Orange County area or did they steal licenses from out of the general area?

Thanks,

Michael

Stay tuned - webinar in the pipeline...

[subman]

William Randolph III still appears to have a web presence offering surveying service

http://www.manta.com/c/mmsvf6g/ram-engi ... ng-service

[Administrator]

Please register for CLSA Webinar: Land Surveying Identity Theft on Nov 9, 2016 11:00 AM PST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist ... 7007203075

BPELSG, with the help of several licensees, has investigated and monitored the activities associated with a small group of unlicensed individuals who have deceived multiple property owners by representing themselves as legitimately authorized to perform land surveying services and providing those services in a manner that directly fails to meet the standards which the public can rely upon. Recently, BPELSG began receiving reports that these individuals have changed their tactics and are now allegedly representing themselves, falsely and without authorization, as legitimately licensed practitioners and the firms that these practitioners are employed by. Attend this webinar and learn about BPELSG's considerable effort over the last several years towards investigating these unlicensed individuals, as well as how you can protect your license and practice.

Ric Moore, Executive Officer, BPELSG
Mr. Moore began his surveying career over 34 years ago working in the private sector in Colorado, Arizona, and New England before moving to California in 1990. While working in the Ventura / Santa Barbara areas, he began assisting with state Land Surveyor exam grading and development. In 2007 Ric became the Land Surveyor Consultant to what was then BPELS. When the Senior Registrar Land Surveyor position was created, he applied, and was hired to that position. After managing the internal licensing examination operations of the Board, Ric was appointed by the Board to be the BPELSG Executive Officer in July 2011.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

[rmaher]

[rmaher]

This webinar is tomorrow:

BPELSG, with the help of several licensees, has investigated and monitored the activities associated with a small group of unlicensed individuals who have deceived multiple property owners by representing themselves as legitimately authorized to perform land surveying services and providing those services in a manner that directly fails to meet the standards which the public can rely upon. Recently, BPELSG began receiving reports that these individuals have changed their tactics and are now allegedly representing themselves, falsely and without authorization, as legitimately licensed practitioners and the firms that these practitioners are employed by. Attend this webinar and learn about BPELSG's considerable effort over the last several years towards investigating these unlicensed individuals, as well as how you can protect your license and practice.

Speaker: Ric Moore, Executive Officer, BPELSG
Mr. Moore began his surveying career over 34 years ago working in the private sector in Colorado, Arizona, and New England before moving to California in 1990. While working in the Ventura / Santa Barbara areas, he began assisting with state Land Surveyor exam grading and development. In 2007 Ric became the Land Surveyor Consultant to what was then BPELS. When the Senior Registrar Land Surveyor position was created, he applied, and was hired to that position. After managing the internal licensing examination operations of the Board, Ric was appointed by the Board to be the BPELSG Executive Officer in July 2011.

[pls5528]

This problem is nothing new, I think the bigger problem is licensed individuals who have falsified their backgrounds to take the test. I personally have witnessed and know of dozens in my career, that have had their "work buddies" lie for them. This, along with the modifications of the laws through time to allow civil engineers to do surveying "under certain circumstances", has negated the change of the 1982 law, and a disservice to the public and our peers. Don't get me wrong, I, am an advocate of Civil Engineers and Surveyors (my father and uncles were both), but, not for the sake of betterment of a companies finances!