Please exercise extreme caution! Read these alerts very carefully
Expo-Guide Scammers Have Relocated to Slovakia.
Exhibitors be aware that he same Fair Guide/Expo Guide scammers have relocated to Slovakia. If you have fallen victim the scammers please refer to the website www.stopecg.org , which provides some guidance for any exhibitors who fall prey. The website was set up originally to deal with the European City Guides and Construct Data Verlag scam, but it now addresses several other similar scams and its advice. Further, if a victim has paid using a credit card, they should contact their credit card provider and ask for the charge to be reversed.
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The SHOT Show Does Not Support the Fair Guide!
SHOT Show organizers have again learned that the company Construct Data Publishers Verlag AG is using the SHOT Show name and trademark to solicit show exhibitors. Construct Data sends exhibitors a form inviting them to sign up for a listing in its online directory FAIR Guide. The solicitation does not provide any information about Construct Data, that the FAIR Guide is owned by it, or how exhibitors ended up in Construct Data’s directory. Rather, exhibitors are misled into believing that the solicitation is associated with the SHOT Show– it is NOT! Furthermore, exhibitors can easily be tricked into placing a directory listing in the FAIR Guide believing it in all cases will be “FREE.” However, by signing the form exhibitors will actually be entering into a three-year, irrevocable agreement requiring them to pay a significant amount of money with no foreseeable benefits.
THE SHOT SHOW DOES NOT SUPPORT THE FAIR GUIDE! Construct Data and its directory FAIR Guide are not associated with, or endorsed by, SHOT Show organizers. Furthermore, Construct Data’s use of the SHOT Show name and trademark in its solicitations is unauthorized.
Sources report that Construct Data has been the object of on-going investigations by international law enforcement and government agencies. Furthermore, numerous associations and other trade show owners have filed complaints and lawsuits against Construct Data in the United States and abroad for its fraudulent and misleading business practices. Shot Show organizers have contacted Construct Data directly demanding that it stop targeting SHOT Show exhibitors with its solicitations. Show organizers have also alerted state and federal authorities in the US to look into this matter. In the meantime, the SHOT Show strongly warns exhibitors to exercise extreme caution with respect to Construct Data’s solicitations and any other suspicious third-party offers in order to avoid unwarranted and/or unnecessary financial commitments.
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Expo-Guide is on the Prowl for Unsuspecting Show Exhibitors
SHOT Show organizers have learned of a new scam running out of Mexico that is targeting show exhibitors by using the SHOT Show name and trademark. The company Commercial Online Manuals is sending solicitations to show exhibitors to advertise in its Expo-Guide. The scam is almost identical to the FAIR Guide operated by Construct Data Publishers Verlag AG and is intent on misleading show exhibitors into believing that the solicitation is associated with the SHOT Show - it is NOT! Furthermore, exhibitors can easily be tricked into placing a directory listing in the Expo-Guide believing it in all cases will be "FREE." However, by signing the form exhibitors will actually be entering into a three-year, irrevocable agreement requiring them to pay a significant amount of money with no foreseeable benefits.
THE SHOT SHOW DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EXPO-GUIDE! Commercial Online Manuals and its directory Expo-Guide are not associated with, or endorsed by, SHOT Show organizers. Furthermore, the use of the SHOT Show name and trademark by Commercial Online Manuals in its solicitations is unauthorized.
SHOT Show organizers have contacted Commercial Online Manuals directly demanding that it stop targeting SHOT Show exhibitors with its solicitations. Show organizers have also alerted state and federal authorities in the U.S. to look into this matter. In the meantime, the SHOT Show strongly warns exhibitors to exercise extreme caution with respect to solicitations by Commercial Online Manuals and any other suspicious third-party offers in order to avoid unwarranted and/or unnecessary financial commitments.
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Unlicensed Export Of "Technical Data" On Firearms And Ammunition Is Illegal
Exhibitors of firearm and ammunition products should be aware that under federal law -- the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) -- it is unlawful and illegal to "export" without a U.S. State Department-issued license any "defense article" on the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which includes firearms and ammunition products (except non-combat shotguns and shot shells). See e.g. ITAR Section 121.1 Categories I to III. The unlicensed "export" of "technical data" for firearms and ammunition products is also unlawful and illegal. An unlicensed "export" can occur within the United States if "technical data" is disclosed (including orally or visually) or transferred to a "foreign person" (meaning any natural person not a lawful permanent resident of the United States, i.e. "green card" holder, persons granted asylum in the United States, any foreign corporation, business association, partnership, trust, society, or any other entity or group that is not incorporated or organized to do business in the United States, any foreign government or agency or subdivision thereof). Please be advised that foreign persons are present at the SHOT Show both as exhibitors and attendees.
"Technical data" is defined as information required for the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance or modification of firearms and ammunition products, and includes information in the form of blueprints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions or documentation. See ITAR Section 120.10. Excluded from the definition is information concerning general scientific, mathematical or engineering principles commonly taught in schools, or information in the "public domain," which is itself a defined term narrowly interpreted by the State Department. Importantly, for purposes of the SHOT Show, basic marketing information on function or purpose or general product descriptions are not considered "technical data."
The civil and criminal penalties for violations of the AECA and ITAR are substantial. You may wish to review your marketing and promotional materials you plan to use at the SHOT Show to be sure that it does not contain "technical data" that might be unlawfully and illegally disclosed or transferred (exported) to a foreign person. If you have any questions you should consult with an attorney.
The other products on display at the SHOT Show, particularly in the law enforcement section, might be "defense articles" listed in the USML. Exhibitors are encouraged to review the USML to determine whether the AECA and ITAR apply to their products. Neither the National Shooting Sports Foundation, nor Reed Exhibitions, a division of Reed Elsevier, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the AECA or ITAR, which is the sole responsibility of the exhibitor and attendees.
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SHOT Show, NSSF and Reed Exhibitions are not affiliated with the "Registry of World Business"
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events warns exhibitors of The World Business Guide, a product of International Directories Group, Ltd. of Madrid, Spain. The company invites businesses to list themselves in its database. The form used to gather contact information says in part, "(Updating is Free of Charge)" in boldface type.
However, embedded in a lengthy paragraph labeled "Order" - in very small type - is a binding three-year agreement that automatically renews every year for another year at a cost of € 995 (about $1,455). Dating and signing the Data Control form will bind you to the agreement.
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Warning: Solicitations From Unofficial Contractors
The SHOT Show warns exhibitors to exercise caution when dealing with or responding to solicitations from unofficial contractors offering services for the show.
Each year in the months just prior to the SHOT Show, unofficial contractors target show exhibitors with email and faxes in attempt to solicit orders for show services (i.e., carpet, advertising, shipping, etc.). Some of these solicitations may bear the SHOT Show name and logo with the intent of confusing or misleading exhibitors into thinking that the contractors sending them are associated with the SHOT Show. Exhibitors should report misleading or deceptive solicitations they may receive from unofficial contractors to SHOT Show Management.
The SHOT Show maintains a list of Official SHOT Show Vendors. Exhibitors are not required to use Official SHOT Show Vendors, but please be aware that outside contractors must be approved by the show and may require exhibitors to pay additional costs. Exhibitors may also incur other financial obligations in the event their designated contractors fail to perform.
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