Donald Wilson

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Filed Under: Video Tagged With: Bless 7, Don Wilson, Donald Wilson, Elgin Pringle, Jerry Katz, TeachingU2Fish, TeachingU2fish.com

Bless 7 and TeachingU2Fish.com sell tickets for non-existent car raffle

November 27, 2011 by Dave Lieber

A preacher who claims to have attracted thousands of North Texans to a moneymaking investment has been promoting a new plan that he says will bless the poor.

Donald Wilson of Tampa, Fla., founder and CEO of TeachingU2fish, which offers his Bless 7 program, was selling $15 raffle tickets for a Ford Edge that he said was donated by Park Cities Ford. The winner was supposed to be chosen this month.

But he does not have the car, and there has been no drawing.

Donald Wilson, founder and CEO of Bless 7, part of TeachingU2Fish

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As readers of Dave Lieber Watchdog column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram first learned, this investment program started off with a bang (“The Story of Bless 7 and TeachingU2Fish.com”) and began fizzling out (“Investors in Bless 7 financial program start complaining.”)

Unfulfilled promises seemed the norm in the Bless 7 program, which promised members that they would get paid if they brought others in. Some have been paid, but many say they haven’t.

It costs $25 to join, though some paid much more to enter at higher levels. Then members — including preachers, small businesses and nonprofit organizations — start recruiting others. When they bring in the first seven, they have completed their first mission. That’s where the name comes from.

They get paid — or blessed — for each recruit. Wilson has promised that as members move up levels, they can receive up to $5,000 a day in gold and silver coins. Members get paid when people use the program’s Web browser to search the Internet, and they are supposed to have access to discount shopping.

Some investors have demanded their money back. Wilson has blamed problems on computer glitches, saying the program was in its early stages.

The raffle came about after Wilson ran into Debra Elise Turner at the breakfast bar of a motel, she said.

Turner said Wilson heard her talking on a cellphone to a friend at Ford Motor Co. After her call, he introduced himself and asked about her relationship with Ford.

He explained that he was involved in a ministry that included a program that helped poor people get cars. She said Wilson eventually introduced her to his Bless 7 Fort Worth manager, Pastor Elgin Pringle Jr.

Then, she said, Wilson asked her to organize a car raffle. Turner introduced the two preachers to the managers at Park Cities Ford. The managers said that they could not donate a car because they didn’t want to appear partial to any religious denomination but that they would gladly sell him a car at a reduced price.

Wilson told them that the proceeds would go toward buying more cars for people in need.

Wilson said Turner told her that he would pay her $15,000 to help set up the raffle, though she said she has not received any money.

Raffle ticket

She said she paid for an advertisement in the Dallas Voice newspaper. She said she was careful not to say in the ad that the dealership was donating the car.

Dallas Voice ad

Wilson wasn’t as careful on his website, teachingU2fish.com. He promoted the raffle this way:

“Thank God for Park Cities Ford for donating the 2011 Ford Edge to bless the body of Christ.

“Raffle Tickets $15.

“Last day to purchase tickets is Nov. 15, 2011.

“Raffle will be held Nov. 19, 2011 at Park Cities Ford, Dallas, Texas.”

Turner said she kept asking Wilson to remove the word donating, but he did not.

Bless 7 members sold tickets for three weeks.

But on Nov. 19, there was no drawing. Wilson told his leadership team that it was postponed until early December.

Chad Lower, the Internet sales manager for the dealership, told me: “Park Cities Ford has not donated a car. Wilson inquired about purchasing a Ford Edge from us. It was actually supposed to be purchased Monday, on Nov. 14. That didn’t happen.”

Fortunes O’Neal, the Dallas dealership’s general manager and partner, told me that the dealership agreed to sell the car at a discount because it likes to help worthy charitable endeavors. Wilson called to postpone the purchase, citing “a couple of scheduling issues.” He left a number for the dealership to call, but it didn’t work, O’Neal said.

O’Neal said: “I am absolutely shocked. This is terrible. It’s over. There’s no more. We’re not doing business with him. We won’t be associated with him.”

I called Wilson at his Forest Hill motel to ask about this. He listened to the information I had been told and hung up on me.

State law requires that charities selling raffle tickets be in good standing in Texas for three years. Religious-oriented charities must be in operation for 10 years. Bless 7, which is not registered in Texas, has been operating for less than a year.

The law also states that if a prize is not awarded within 30 days of a drawing, everyone who bought a ticket must get a refund.

State Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, told me that he has complained about Bless 7 to the Texas attorney general. “I am totally offended and upset by this,” he said. “The faster you can get this sort of thing broken up and get people to know it’s not legit, the better.”

An attorney general’s spokesman told me that failure to comply with the state Charitable Raffle Enabling Act could result in a raffle being classified as illegal gambling.

“This is definitely something to take up with local law enforcement,” the spokesman said.

Fort Worth police said they have received no complaints.

After I contacted Wilson about his raffle, he sent an e-mail to his Bless 7 leaders that he wanted all tickets sold immediately.

Then, in another e-mail, he wrote that he wanted to start a new project: “I would like to go meet with a Mercedes dealership and pick out a vehicle for next month … and get the tickets moving as [soon as] possible to give more people a better opportunity to ‘WIN’ this Mercedes!” (He put the word win in quotes.)

On Tuesday, he sent another e-mail to his followers:

“I do want to give notice that I am leaving the Texas area in a day or two and will return next year sometime in February or so to help you. … We have so many places that are pumped! New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, several areas of Florida and Jamaica, and we must make this happen to bless you all.”

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Read previous Watchdog Nation reports about this program:

“The Story of Bless 7 and TeachingU2Fish.com”

“Investors in Bless 7 financial program start complaining.”

Twitter @DaveLieber

Dave Lieber shows Americans how to fight back against corporate deceptions in his wonderful book, Dave Lieber’s Watchdog Nation: Bite Back When Businesses and Scammers Do You Wrong. Are you tired of losing time, money and aggravation to all the assaults on our wallets? Learn how to fight back with ease — and win. Get the book here.

Read The Watchdog Nation manifesto here!

Filed Under: Column Tagged With: Bless 7, Don Wilson, Donald Wilson, Elgin Pringle, Jerry Katz, TeachingU2Fish, TeachingU2fish.com

Investors in Bless 7 financial program start complaining

September 19, 2011 by Dave Lieber

Every Tuesday night, they go to the church off East Rosedale Street to learn how to make money. Every Tuesday night, they hear about the Bless 7 plan to recruit new members and get paid for doing so. And every Tuesday night, they hear explanations about why they aren’t getting paid.

But one recent Tuesday night was different.

On this night, a rebellion seemed to be in the making.

The instigator was Adrian Durand, a small-business owner who, with friends and family, said he has invested about $1,400 in Bless 7, part of TeachingU2Fish.com.

He had met the program’s charismatic leader, Donald D. Wilson Jr., 53, of Florida, and liked what he heard about the program now sweeping through African-American communities in Fort Worth and Dallas.

Donald Wilson, founder and CEO of Bless 7, part of TeachingU2Fish

“I was coming to the meetings faithfully,” Durand says. “I signed up 14 people.”

He needed seven to get his first payment, his Bless 7.

When payday came, suddenly his list of 14 had dropped below seven, he said. He couldn’t get paid. Where did his people go?

As readers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Dave Lieber Watchdog column first learned, Wilson has blamed computer problems. (Read the original story about Bless 7/TeachingU2Fish here.)

That Tuesday night, Durand was standing outside the church, practically pawing the ground like an angry tiger.

He said he planned to speak up inside.

“At the stage I’m at, I’m supposed to be making $350 a day,” he said. “I haven’t made $3.50 a day.”

Organizers say 6,000 people have joined. At a minimum of $32 to enter, that’s $192,000 collected in a few months of work. But many, like Durand, paid more than $32 to enter at a higher level.

Durand said he should have known better but ignored clues.

One, Durand said, is that Wilson claims to be rich but his shoes are a little ragged. Shoes give clues, Durand said.

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Another clue, he said, is that Bless 7 recruitment meetings are held weekly in a Dallas hotel. During one, Durand said, organizers passed a collection plate to pay for the room.

Bless 7 has a money-back guarantee. That night, Durand said he intended to make good on it.

Twenty people were already in the church when Durand joined them. He grabbed a seat in the front row. Pastor Elgin Pringle Jr., who runs the church and is Bless 7’s Fort Worth manager, led the meeting. He told the audience that Wilson is on the road, spreading the promises of Bless 7 to others.

Pringle explained that the program has stopped temporarily because of glitches. That’s why no one is getting paid. But Friday looks good, he said. Maybe Friday.

“Let’s take what God has blessed through TeachingU2Fish and make it happen,” he said happily.

Durand raised his hand. In a barely audible voice, he complained that people he signs up disappear from his list.

Pringle started to answer, but Durand cut him off. His voice was rising. “I give up. I’m done. Every time we get to the point of paying on Friday, there’s another excuse. I’m done with excuses. I’m here to get my money back …

“I feel like a fool that I brought family and friends into this. I felt in my heart that this was how I was going to bless my family, my church, my friends and a homeless ministry where I work.”

Pringle told Durand that he will work to get his money back. “Call me tomorrow,” he said.

Durand responded that he can’t get him on the phone. “Your voice mailbox is always full.”

Saying he can’t take anymore, Durand got up and left. Too bad. He missed seeing the growth that burst forth after he planted seeds of doubt.

A man in the audience said he paid for his recruits but hadn’t been paid either. “I just have to ask for my money back, too. I’m trying to hold on, but it’s kind of hard.”

A woman asked Pringle whether he has had problems getting paid. Pringle answered that he’s in the same fix.

Another man said he believes there are too many members for computer programmers to handle. A woman asked whether she should stop recruiting.

“That’s a good question,” Pringle said. “I’ll let Wilson answer that.”

Another woman complained that she is being asked to pay more for something she already paid for. “That’s not right,” Pringle said.

Still, he is not deterred.

“I think September is going to be the month we get started and move forward,” he said.

A day later, Durand, as instructed, called Pringle to get his money back. Fat chance. As of the writing of this story, almost two weeks after the promise of a refund, Durand still hadn’t received anything.

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Filed Under: Column, Customer Service Issues Tagged With: Bless 7, Donald Wilson, Elgin Pringle, TeachingU2Fish

The Story of Bless 7 and TeachingU2Fish.com

September 8, 2011 by Dave Lieber

Dave Lieber’s Watchdog Nation visited a church to learn about an investment program, Bless 7 (part of TeachingU2Fish) that started in Florida and spread to Dallas-Fort Worth. Here’s the story readers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Dave Lieber column first learned:

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – The scene is a small church off East Rosedale Street in Fort Worth. It’s the regular Tuesday night meeting of Bless 7, a financial program that’s become a summer sensation in Fort Worth and Dallas.

More than 6,000 people have joined, organizers say.

Donald Wilson of Tampa, Fla., founder and CEO of TeachingU2Fish, which offers the Bless 7 program, prepares to speak to three dozen people.

Donald Wilson, founder and CEO of Bless 7, part of TeachingU2Fish

“How you doing, everybody?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye. “How many of you need a financial blessing?” When only a few answer, Wilson tries to pump them up: “It’s time for y’all to wake up now, hear? If they ain’t told you about me, you better wake up now. Amen?”

“Amen!” audience members shout.

Church where Bless 7 meetings are held Tuesday nights in Fort Worth, Texas

Word about Wilson is spreading through the African-American community. He promises that Bless 7, part of what he says is a for-profit ministry, will help pastors raise thousands of dollars a month for their churches.

Bless 7 also promises wealth and exposure for small businesses and nonprofits that join.

Wilson wears his hair in a short ponytail. He keeps a Bluetooth device in his right ear even when addressing an audience. He’s confident of his abilities to persuade.

“God told me when he designed this program, he designed it for the poor and the needy,” Wilson says.

It costs $25 to join the plan. Then members start recruiting others. When they bring in the first seven, they have completed their first mission. That’s where the name comes from. They get paid — or blessed — for each recruit.

But blessings so far have been sparse, some members have said. Audience members say they can’t get the program to work on their computer or haven’t been paid.- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Wilson says that the program started this year in Florida but that when he moved it to Texas in May, organizers used paper applications to register members. Now 6,000 members’ information is being converted to a computerized database.

“The IT people messed it up,” Wilson says. Members lost access to data on the people they had recruited. “So I shut it all down,” he says. “We’ve got two women putting 6,000 people back in there one by one.

“We’ll be resuming pay Friday. If it ain’t ready Friday, we won’t start Friday. … But I think we’ve made it through troubled times. Some places would have shut down. But people all around the world are coming in. Amen?”

“Amen,” some answer.

After his explanation for the delay, Wilson pivots into his pitch. Aside from money for bringing in people, the program promises members other tangible goods and services. Without those, a financial program that pays only for recruiting others is considered an illegal pyramid scheme in Texas.

Wilson says that’s not the case here.

A key part of the program is that members get paid when people use the program’s Web browser toolbar for Internet searches.

A toolbar is a lengthy horizontal strip atop a browser in which search terms are typed. The Bless 7 toolbar also has a donation button, a video button and announcements.

Every search that uses the toolbar brings a member 5 cents. That adds up to thousands of dollars, Wilson says.

Members also have access to an online “discount shopping mall” that offers cash back on purchases. Members get a commission when others use their store.

Other promised Bless 7 benefits: discounts on drug prescriptions, phone bills, travel and a home security system. Medical, dental, auto and life insurance is offered too.

Wilson also promises that as members move up levels in the organization, up to $5,000 a day in gold and silver coins can be delivered to their home. A shiny silver coin is passed around the room. “I would advise you to get a fireproof safe,” a Wilson lieutenant says.

A shiny silver coin is passed around. Get a fireproof safe, the people are told.

Then there are deals on auto leasing and houses for high-level members. A member in good standing needs only a notarized letter from his or her church’s minister attesting that the member regularly donates to that church. Then the program promises to make auto-lease payments of up to $2,500 a month. After two years, the program “gives” the car to the member, organizers promise.

Members can get a home the same way. Bless 7 organizers say they will get foreclosed homes and give them to members who have a notarized letter from their pastor.

Little of that has happened yet because Wilson says he is still in the early stages of gathering people.

Wilson recently asked everyone to give an extra $7 to keep the program going. He raised $1,900 from that. But he says setbacks this year have cost him $180,000.

That doesn’t stop audience members from stepping to the back of the church to pay.

As another Bless 7 speaker, Elgin V. Pringle 3d, says, “You wake up, put on your bathrobe, pick up the check and lay back down.”

His father, Elgin Pringle Jr., the Fort Worth manager for the program, says, “It’s going to be the next national phenomenon.”

Amen?

Amen.

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