"Not Dr." Greg Cynaumon The $1,000,000 Challenge to “Not Dr” Greg Cynaumon to Prove His Claims
A Challenge by Dr. Gary Adams (Revised Version – 9/29/04)
Home Educational Mirage Awards Questionable Studies Hall of Shame
Mission and Author
Go to Update:
6/17/04 First Update
9/29/04 Update: Cynaumon must admit that he is not a psychologist or marriage and family therapist.
Have You Seen the Not-Dr. Greg Cynaumon on TV?
Breaking News: (For more information, go to the CortiSlim/Cynaumon link.)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules against the CortiSlim company’s president, Greg Cynaumon, Infinity Advertising (Cynaumon’s marketing company), and Dr. Shawn Talbott ftc.gov.
For the actual court documentation, go to ftc.gov
For the letter warning other advertisers about using cortisol claims, go to
ftc.gov
Also, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to the same officials.
(As of October 6, 2004 this investigation is still open.):
FDA Warning Letter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is an easy way for Greg Cynaumon to earn $1,000,000 ($200,000 per claim), if he is telling the truth. All that he has to do is show proof of what he has said. However, it is a challenge. If he can’t prove each of his claims, he must pay me $1,000,000, which I will donate to the Better Business Bureau. The task for him is simple: all he has to do is prove his following five claims to collect his money.
CortiSlim will cause a rapid 15-50 pound weight loss that will last a lifetime (as he says in his CortiSlim commercial). Based on their own study, this did not occur.
Greg Cynaumon is a licensed psychologist. August 19, 2004-Cynaumon admitted that he is not a licensed psychologist so it looks like he won't be able to collect the $1,000,000 Challenge. He said that he would stop referring to himself by that title -- he lied.
Greg Cynaumon conducted the family observation study described in his book Discover Your Child’s DQ Factor (published by Integrity Publishers). There was no study.
Greg Cynaumon is a licensed school psychologist as he claimed when he appeared on the Montel Williams Show with a top-level U.S. Department of Education administrator. Complaint pending.
Greg Cynaumon is a licensed marriage and family therapist and nationally syndicated radio show host whose experiences were the basis for his book God Still Speaks through Dreams (published by Thomas Nelson). August, 2004-Cynaumon admitted that he is not a marriage and family therapist and said that he would stop referring to himself by that title -- he lied.
Why would I make this offer? It started with a movie. One of the most popular movies of 2002 was Catch Me If You Can. Leonardo DiCaprio played Frank Abagnale Jr., an imposter who claimed to be an airplane pilot, doctor, sociology professor, a lawyer, and FBI agent.
Greg Cynaumon is a bigger imposter because he has claimed to be more people than Frank Abagnale Jr. He has fooled the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, and many national talk show hosts. Often he has claimed to be a clinical psychologist, but he isn’t. Here are some of his claims. (You will notice that both Greg Cynaumon and Frank Abagnale Jr. claimed to be doctors and sociologists.)
Medical doctor [If you have seen or heard his CortiSlim commercial (“You will drop 15 to 50 pounds quickly and for a lifetime”), “Dr.” Cynaumon appears to give the impression that he is a medical doctor who was involved in the development of this quick weight-loss supplement that is advertised heavily in national television and radio ads. He is not a medical doctor.]
Psychologist [He claims to be a psychologist (a professionally protected name) and has appeared on national television and radio shows and in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Orange County Register, Focus on the Family, The 700 Club, books (Discover Your Child’s DQ Factor and God Still Speaks through Dreams), web sites, and print advertising. He is not a psychologist; he received a psychology degree from what the Los Angeles Times calls “a diploma mill.” As of August 19, 2004, the California Board of Psychology has demanded that Cynaumon remove all references to his being a psychologist. He was never a psychologist as he claimed.]
School psychologist [He appeared as a school psychologist with a high-level U.S. Department of Education official on the Montel Williams Show. He is not a school psychologist.]
Career counseling executive [His company has been reported in the New York Times and other newspapers as providing fraudulent services. He has a recent default court decision against him.]
Nationally syndicated radio talk show host [He had a 15-minute talk show for a short time on a Christian radio station.]
Marriage and family therapist [He makes this claim in books and web sites. He isn’t a marriage and family therapist.]
Television talk show host [He isn’t.]
Sociologist [He makes this claim in an audio interview.]
President of a board game company Family Games [There was a company by that name according to the California Secretary of State Office, but its status is suspended.]
Educational therapist [This claim is on the inside cover of The Junior Phonics Game and previous web pages.]
And more.
As you can see, Greg Cynaumon has been an imposter with many more occupations than Frank Abagnale Jr. Many of these titles are protected titles by California State law (e.g., psychologist, school psychologist, and marriage and family therapist), which means they cannot be used by someone who does not have proper credentials. Having degrees from a defunct diploma mill does not count.
My original exposure to Greg Cynaumon occurred when I heard him provide outrageous claims about the success of The Phonics Game. Depending on the ad, he claimed to be a professional in very different fields (e.g., school psychologist and clinical psychologist) requiring very different credentials. When I called The Phonics Game company, I found out that he was actually the vice president of marketing and had designed the false claims about the program’s effectiveness (raise IQ 10 points and/or improve one grade level in 18 hours of instruction). With my co-author Jan Hartleben Slusser, we wrote a 20+ page expose describing false advertising claims of The Phonics Game. (See edresearch.com for the full story.) Our goal was for the Federal Trade Commission to stop the company’s false advertising. At that time, it was reported that the company was making $50,000,000 per year.
Then I made a big mistake. When the story was released, the FTC did nothing and Greg Cynaumon had already left the company. After a few months, Greg Cynaumon called to say that he could not get a job because of our investigative report and he would testify against his old company in an FTC inquiry if I removed his name from the report. I changed the report to name “Mr. Cynaumon” to “Mr. C.” Also, he promised to go straight.
And he did. He went straight into more scams. I checked Internet search engines for about a year and it appeared that he had disappeared.
Then in November, 2003 I got a note from Micheal Fanning who had remembered our investigative report. He said that “Dr.” Cynaumon was doing commercials for CortiSlim and making outrageous claims of weight-loss success. When I did a search on Mr. Cynaumon’s name, I was stunned by what I found. Besides using many of the same titles, Greg Cynaumon:
Became the president of Geneva Cross and was sued for fraudulently offering career guidance services.
Wrote a book on dream analysis and appeared on national shows claiming to be a clinical psychologist. The book was supposed to be based on clients in his private practice and his radio talk show. He has no private practice or talk show.
Wrote a best-selling book on parenting with an introduction written by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Again, he claimed to be a clinical psychologist and the recommendations in the book were supposed to be based on his self-funded study of parenting practices. The problem is that he is not a clinical psychologist and he made up the results of the study. The study was never conducted.
Gives the impression that he is a medical doctor who is recommending a fast weight-loss product that is on radio and television ads several times a day in most markets. Actually, his company appears to be the marketing company and the company web site includes false testimonial from a Utah doctor who does not exist.
To review these and other claims, visit his web site drgreg.org and www.bestsellingbooks.net (Update 6/7/04: www.bestsellingbooks.net was removed after the original publication of this report. Also, he removed his web site www.mycareergenius.com.) Maybe the legal judgment against him helped him make the decision to drop his identify as a career management executive.
Greg Cynaumon has violated fraud regulations of many California State agencies as well the Federal Trade Commission. Mr. Cynaumon needs to be investigated for these violations.
One of his products is so bizarre it would be impossible to make up. If you go to drgreg.org Cynaumon states that he is the author of a book Truth or Lie: Becoming a Human Lie Detector. After the original report was published (3/2/04), a note was added: "not currently available." .
A Partial History of “Dr.” Greg Cynaumon
For many readers, the above information is sufficient for this story, but I have included the following history because I let Greg Cynaumon “off the hook” when I removed his name from The Phonics Game story a few years ago. The result was that he continued his career of deception in many fields. For that reason, more information is included. I have over 500+ pages of documentation for this report plus over 600+ pages of documentation from the previous Phonics Game report. To save space, I have provided only partial evidence refuting his claims.
Mr. Cynaumon from Ages 21 to 31
Greg Cynaumon was a policeman for the Buena Park Police Department from the ages of 21 to 31. During this time, one of his duties was as a SWAT team member and hostage negotiator. These duties are noted because Greg Cynaumon mentions them over and over in almost every publication and interview. He makes it sound as if these were his full-time responsibilities. In truth, the Buena Park Police Department is small so many officers are trained in these responsibilities. Also, Mr. Cynaumon states in every book and almost every interview that after 10 years he “retired.” That comment has struck me as odd not only because people who leave after only 10 years normally do not say that they “retired,” but also because the number of times he has said “retired” in books and interviews. Why is he calling it a “retirement” and why does he mention it so often? Update: I have received some information on this issue. If you have information, please contact me at gadams@edresearch.com.
Mr. Cynaumon attended Sierra University for his graduate degrees. If you look up Sierra University in the California colleges and universities web site californiacolleges.edu, you won’t find Sierra University listed. (There is a La Sierra College and a Sierra College, but no Sierra University.) As noted in the Phonics Game report, Sierra University was described in a Los Angeles Times article as a “diploma mill” that was closed by the State of California in the early 1990s.
1991-1995/1996 Talk show host and psychological assistant
Based on a Los Angeles Times business announcement in 1992, after completion of his “degrees,” he became the host of a 15-minute show on KBRT, a local Christian radio station. The length of his tenure at this position is unclear. In a January 23, 1997 Orange Country Register article "From cops to kids: Ex-hostage negotiator help parents, kids change behavior," Cynaumon mentions that his talk show was from 1991-1997. However, on this web site www.drgreg.org and other places he states that he currently has a radio talk show. A recent call to KBRT found that receptionist had never heard of Mr. Cynaumon even though she had worked there six years. Don Crawford, the owner of the station, refused to talk about Mr. Cynaumon. Although Mr. Cynaumon recently claimed that he has a nationally syndicated four-hour talk show, I could find no evidence to support this claim.
Mr. Cynaumon worked as a psychological assistant at the Minirth-Meier Clinic, but the dates are unclear. Mr. Cynaumon received his psychological assistant license in 1992 and surrendered it at or before 1996. He was never a licensed psychologist. (For verification of this statement, go to the following link www2.dca.ca.gov and type his name. Also, he claimed to be a marriage and family therapist. Although this title may sound similar to the role of a psychologist, the title “marriage and family therapist” is also a protected title. A review of California Board of Behavioral Sciences records shows that Mr. Cynaumon is not a state-licensed therapist. (For verification of this statement, go to the following link www2.dca.ca.gov and type his name. It should be noted that in the late 1990’s he still claimed to be a Minirth-Meier psychologist/therapist. An assistant for Dr. Paul Meier noted that his claim would be impossible because Minirth-Meier Clinics became New Hope Clinics about 10 years ago (approximately 1994) and then that company was dissolved several years ago.
1993-Author
In 1993, Mr. Cynaumon had two books published How to Avoid Alienating Your Kids in 10 Easy Steps with his brother Dana Cynaumon and Helping Single Parents with Troubled Kids (published by Cook Ministry Resources). The How to Avoid Alienating Your Kids in 10 Easy Steps book is out of print. There are couple of interesting points about the Helping Single Parents with Troubled Kids book. Mr. Cynaumon states that he has his master’s degree in psychology in contrast to the other book in which he says that his master’s degree is in marriage, child, and family counseling. In How to Avoid Alienating Your Kids in 10 Easy Steps, Mr. Cynaumon describes his talk show “Family Forum,” but in the other book he says that is the name of his newspaper column (p. 14).
1995-Author
Mr. Cynaumon published Married But Feeling Alone. He said that much of the content from this book came from his experiences as a 3-hour radio show host. As stated earlier, the owner of the radio station Don Crawford refused to talk to me about Mr. Cynaumon so this claim about a 3-hour talk show could not be validated. Cynaumon has stated elsewhere that his radio show was only 15 minutes.
1996-“School psychologist”
On April 11 and 12, 1996, Mr. Cynaumon appeared on the Montel Williams Show and claimed to be a school psychologist. The other guest was a top-level U.S. Department of Education official. During the show, he provided many stories about his experiences as a school psychologist. Of course, the problem is that he is not a licensed school psychologist according to the California Department of Education.
?-1998-Marketing Vice President (while giving many false professions)
As I mentioned earlier, my first contact with Mr. Cynaumon occurred in 1997. He was appearing in various media outlets describing himself as having various professions, usually describing himself as an outside expert who endorsed The Phonics Game. Instead, he was the vice president of marketing for the company. I still have documentation about the company web site, which gave the false impression that Newsweek and other magazines had stories involving The Phonics Game, some of the stories gave false quotes of people who endorsed the effectiveness of the product. For the full report, see edresearch.com. When our report was released, Mr. Cynaumon had just left the company to join a rival home reading product company. He left that company soon afterwards.
2002 – God Still Speaks through Dreams author
In 2002, Cynaumon's book God Still Speaks through Dreams published by Thomas Nelson. His author description in the book is interesting. It says that he has his own company Family Games. However, a search of California businesses shows that there was a company by that name started in 1982, but the corporation license had been suspended. Also, Mr. Cynaumon claims to be the co-creator of The Phonics Game, which is interesting because he told me that Myrna Culbreath created The Phonics Game. Mr. Cynaumon mentions that he was on the Montel Williams Show; he didn’t mention that he illegally impersonating a school psychologist.
According to page xxi, two main sources of the stories in this book were (1) his private practice and (2) his radio show. This means that there are two problems with his stories. First, he has no private practice unless he was practicing as a psychologist without a license. Second, he has no radio show. The receptionist for KBRT-AM, who has been there for several years, said that she has never heard of Greg Cynaumon. An Internet search shows Mr. Cynaumon involved in many activities, but being a talk show host is not one of them.
After reading the 21 stories in his book, many questions are raised beyond the sources of his information. For example, both Cynaumon and most of his “clients” sound the same. Each “client” comes across as flippant and, like his other books, calling him names such as “Dr. Head Shrinker,” “Dr. Greg,” or “Shrink.” In over 25 years of having a doctorate, no one has called me “Dr. Gary,” but it appears that people calling him “Dr. Greg” happens all of the time. Another issue is almost obvious. Each of the 21 stories involves high rates of back-and-forth interaction, which were supposed to be from private practice sessions or his radio shows. The question is “Where did the conversations with almost perfect grammar from all 21 ‘clients’ come from”? No audio taping was mentioned and if there was audio taping there would be gaps in the transcripts because of sound problems. Also, all 21 people have very good grammar. It is written grammar; people don’t talk in almost perfect grammar. I am sure that a writing analysis of this book would show that the clients’ dialogues come from the same writing style. Not only do they have “written grammar,” but most clients give similar puns as those given by Mr. Cynaumon.
There are other clues to questionable authenticity of the “clients.” For example, in the story of Wes (beginning on page 29), it mentions that he is the president of “US Shopper Dot Com” (p. 34). The problem is that a search of California businesses shows that there is no such California company. In the story of Ron, he tells about a mathematician friend who calculated that the possibility of the occurrence of a certain dream happening as equal to a person winning the “state’s lottery thirty-six days in a row” (p. 41). No statistician really made that statement for many reasons (only one of which would be not knowing the amount of the lottery prize for thirty-six days in a row). Another interesting story was about Randi, a 23-year-old store clerk, who had been married 8 years (p. 159). Think about that statement; it would mean that she got married at age 14 or 15. From my reading of California law, that would not be possible. Because Mr. Cynaumon had neither a talk show nor private practice, the information in this book misleads the consumer.
His most visible interview about this book was conducted on the 700 Club. Without making any comments about the content of this interview, it is interesting that in his biography, Mr. Cynaumon claims to be a clinical psychologist cbn.org. Update 6/7/04: After I informed the 700 Club about Mr. Cynaumon's deception in this report, they removed all mention of his existence from their web site. Also, a 700 Club producer stated that Cynaumon illegally used a videotape of his 700 Club interview on his www.DrGreg.org web site and demanded that it be removed. It has been removed.
Are you shocked that this book is still available? For the latest information, go to the Update section, which will be available soon.
2002-? -President of Geneva Cross, career placement company
For someone who claims to be a psychologist, it seems odd that Mr. Cynaumon would become the president of a career placement company. He took over the company known as Careers 20/20 and other titles and his connection to the previous president Charles Dimon (and several aliases) is unclear. (See prweb.com for the press release.) His term as president appears to have been fairly short. In that time, the company had an overwhelming number of customer claims about false and deceptive advertising with many Better Business Bureau complaints and a class-action suit. In the appendix, I have added some of the documentation, but one of the better stories was reported by Fox Channel 11 news in Los Angeles (see fox11la.com. For those who are interested, go to lasuperiorcourt.org and purchase the default decision (BC288069) against Mr. Cynaumon and others. Update 6/1/04: According to a telephone call to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Charles Dimon has been arrested.
Were you ripped off by Geneva Cross? I have receive some email from those who were scammed by Mr. Cynaumon's company. If you were scammed, please contact me at gadams@research.com and tell me your story.
2003-Author of Discover Your Child’s DQ Factor: The Discipline Quotient System
According to the quote by Dr. Laura Schlessinger, MFCC on the book cover:
“DQ Factor is an intelligent, compassionate, and powerful technique for parenting—especially in situations where your children’s misbehaviors make you feel frustrated and hopelessly out of control.”
Mr. Cynaumon says that his book is based on “one of the largest psychological family studies in recent years.” His “research team” was supposed to have transcribed the audio and video tapes of 147 families. Then Mr. Cynaumon said that he created the Discipline Quotient (DQ) system. I say that it is a total fraud. He made up his study.
He even made up the information on the cover pages, Acknowledgements, and Introduction sections of the book. The Acknowledgements section shows an obvious issue. If this study really occurred, Mr. Cynaumon should have acknowledged all members of his research team by name. He did not provide any names. The Introduction section immediately provides more fraudulent claims. Mr. Cynaumon describes himself as an “ex-cop turned therapist and radio talk show host” (p. xi) and then later says “Over the years of conducting a daily, four-hour talk show in Los Angeles…” (p. xi). Of course, he does not have a four-hour LA talk show. Later he described himself as a “Christian therapist” (p. xv) and “I have regularly attended and have been on pastoral staff of a mainstream Bible-teaching church” (p. xvi). Again, as already noted Mr. Cynaumon is not a psychologist or a therapist. The pastor of his church said (December, 2003) that Mr. Cynaumon had been a lay counselor for about 1½ years six years earlier. He was never a paid staff member. His disdain for psychologists/therapists from accredited universities by name calling with his phrase “pointy-headed shrinks” shows up in the Introduction (p. xi) and other places in this and other books and in his interviews.
(It is interesting that below his name on the front cover it says that he is the “Co-Developer of The Phonics Game” Of course, he isn’t. How do I know? He told me; he said that Myrna Culbreath was the creator of the game. Also, given my report on The Phonics Game's fraudulent claims, Mr. Cynaumon’s decision to fraudulently take credit as being the co-developer of this product seems bizarre.)
Discovering that Mr. Cynaumon’s so-called “study” is a fraud should have been obvious based on one sentence on page 22 (in bold): “Since the average family spent approximately 1.7 hours together on weekdays and 2.3 hours together on weekends. I found that one six-hour cassette tape generally did the trick.” (p. 22). Of course, anyone who has purchased audio cassette tapes knows that the maximum tape length is two hours. Six-hour audio cassette tapes do not exist.
Then there is the improbable statistic. Mr. Cynaumon states “I asked the parent(s) of each of the 147 families to record all significant interaction they had with their children during certain hours of the day” (p. 22). Notice that he states the parent(s) were to observe their children. When you add up the number of married parents or single moms and dads, the total is 147 (p. 23). When you add up the number of children observed, the number equals 147, which would mean that every family had only one child. That is an improbable statistic.
Based on the so-called observations, Mr. Cynaumon created a system that was supposed to be 93.8% or 88.9% successful in identifying a child into one of four categories:
DQ Factor #1-Bears: The Strong-Willed Controllers in the Zoo
DQ Factor #2-Monkeys: The Manipulators and Attention-Getters in the Zoo
DQ Factor #3-Porcupines: The Revenge-Seekers in the Zoo
DQ Factor #4-Lambs: The Defeatists in the Zoo
What is very bothersome about his supposed observations is the astronomically high rates of corporal punishment, often bordering on child abuse. For example, for monkeys the observers rated simple spanking effective 36% of the time and aggressive spanking (“taking the child’s pants down, to spanking him with an open palm, to utilizing a spanking instrument such as a wooden spoon, wooden hanger, paddle, etc.) effective 21% of the time (p. 139). Then, Mr. Cynaumon writes “There were no abuse issues throughout this study” (p. 139). That would be an amazing finding given the high rates of aggressive spanking. Also, because 62 of the 147 children were 13-18, it is improbable that parents would attempt aggressive spanking involving pulling down pants with teenagers. Because Mr. Cynaumon’s advice is based on this zoo animal rating scale, his comments appear to be research-based when they are not. Thus, consumers are misled.
2003-2004: Spokesperson for CortiSlim: This section will be the week of June 21st.
For an excellent review of CortiSlim, go to the review by Online Athletic Club onlineathleticclub.com.
Here is what Mr. Cynaumon says about CortiSlim in a nationally distributed television advertisement. The name “Dr. Greg Cynaumon” appears on the screen and he identifies himself as “Dr. Greg Cynaumon” and states that you can “drop 15 to 50 pounds quickly and keep it off for life.” Where is the evidence for this short- and long-term claim?
Also, Mr. Cynaumon placed a review of Shawn Talbott’s Cortisol Connection book on Amazon as if he was an outside expert. He does not reveal his connection to the product. (Again, he pretends to be a psychologist.)
“As a clinical psychologist, I've studied the subject of cortisol and how it affects weight loss and multiple other health-related aspects. Beyond a doubt, this is the definitive work on the subject. Dr. Talbott is ahead of the curve with his research and perspective. If, as a consumer, you are interested in the "facts" about cortisol and how it can help you to lose weight and maintain good health, this book is mandatory reading!”
Other Recent Activities by Mr. Cynaumon Based on His Web Sites
The following are Mr. Cynaumon’s web sites. I have linked every page. If the links do not connect, it may mean that Mr. Cynaumon has removed those web pages.
Update (6/7/04) The www.bestsellingbooks.net web site has been removed.
Dr. Greg.org web site: drgreg.org
This web site has changed since my initial review. Go to the 6/7/04 Update.
On his home page he states:
“ Dr. Greg is perhaps the only THERAPIST in the world with a background including VICE AND NARCOTICS DETECTIVE, SWAT HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR, AUTHOR OF 12 BOOKS, TALK RADIO SHOW HOST and CO-CREATOR of two of the best selling products on TV in the past 10 years – THE PHONICS GAME® and CORTISLIM®.”
(Here he claims to have co-created Cortislim and The Phonics Game.)
drgreg.org
“Highly decorated during his ten-year law enforcement career, Greg retired and started his counseling practice.” If he started a counseling practice, he would be practicing without a license.
cynaumonbooks.com
(On this page you can purchase Truth or Lie – Becoming a Human Lie Detector.)
Update 5/24/04: This has changed; now he says that this book is not available.
drgreg.org
(This page describes his advertising work. As noted earlier, there have been problems with false advertising with The Phonics Game and CortiSlim.)
cynaumonbooks.com
(This is described as the “Read Dr. Laura’s Endorsement,” but it really takes you back to the Books web page.)
drgreg.org
“Dr. Greg and co-host Jonnel Goddard from Breakthroughs television program.”
(I could find nothing about Breakthroughs TV, except on this web site.)
drgreg.org (Update: This page has been changed due to his illegal use of a 700 Club videotape.)
(This is supposed to be an example of Breakthroughs TV, but it is really a clip from his appearance on The 700 Club, in which he impersonated a psychologist.)
6/7/04 Update: This web page has changed. A 700 Club representative told me that Cynaumon was using the video clip without their permission. It appears that they requested that he removed that video clip.
BooksellingBooks.net web site bestsellingbook.net
Update (5/20/04) -- This web site has been removed.
bestsellingbook.net
On this page, he says “Dr. Greg opened and maintained a family counseling practice. During that period he also gained popularity as a nationally syndicated radio talk show host with his own program focusing on counseling and family issues. It was during this time that he met colleague and friend Dr. Laura Schlessinger.”
Also, he says “Dr. Greg is also a notable game and toy inventor with a string of successes including The Dr. Laura Schlessinger Game for Parker Brothers, The Tonight Show Game for Mattel…”
(According to a Parker Brothers representative, the “Dr Laura Game” has been defunct for 4 years. A Mattel representative states that there never was a Tonight Show Game.)
bestsellingbook.net
(This is his test for getting published.)
bestsellingbook.net
Again, here Mr. Cynaumon states that he is “The host of a daily radio talk show and a family therapist.”
6/17/04 Update
(I appreciate Jan Hartleben Slusser's feedback for this update.)
Why doesn’t Greg Cynaumon truthfully answer his Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)?
Greg Cynaumon added a page to his DrGreg.org web site to answer his Frequently Asked Questions drgreg.org. Based on the questions asked, it appears that they come from this edresearch.com report. Unfortunately, Mr. Cynaumon still can’t seem to tell the truth. In his FAQs section, he rapidly increased the number of his fraudulent statements.
The first question is, “Are you the formulator of CortiSlim?”
Actually, what he claims to be is the co-creator of CortiSlim (according to the Dr. Greg home page drgreg.org. In his response, he notes, “As for being the CortiSlim formulator -- 9 out of 10 times I can differentiate between a beaker and a test tube, but that’s about the extent of my chemistry intelligence.”
Then he talks about being a “life-long dieter” and he says that he contacted Dr. Talbott about his vision of a doable diet product. (In an infomercial, Mr. Cynaumon says that Dr. Talbott contacted him.) Then Mr. Cynaumon states, “So, I suppose you could say I helped in the concept of CortiSlim, but seriously, without Doctor Talbott, I’d still be sitting in my office (putting on weight) and wondering if it could be done.” It is unclear what being a life-long dieter has to do with the discussion of formulating/co-creating CortiSlim.
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of “creator” is “one that creates usually by bringing something new or original into being.” Mr. Cynaumon clearly states that he did not originate the formulation of CortiSlim, but he still calls himself the co-creator. This is an issue over and over in Mr. Cynaumon’s claims. If Nike or Volkswagen hires an advertising (marketing) firm for an ad campaign, we don’t say that the advertising company co-created Air Jordan’s or the Beetle. But Mr. Cynaumon likes to call himself a co-creator when he just helped in creating the advertising campaign. Based on this logic, there must be a dozen or two advertising agencies that could claim to be the co-creators of the Chevrolet.
Another question is, “The public knows you best as Dr. Greg… what are you a doctor of?”
His answer is, “Despite holding a doctorate in psychology, I practiced -- and was registered with the Board of Psychology, Medical Board of California as a Psychological Assistant (License/Registration number PSB19757) up to 1993.” Here he admits, in a very roundabout way, he was never licensed as a psychologist; however, I have documentation in which he wrote to others stating that he was a licensed California psychologist. Also, his Psychological Assistant licensure, which required the supervision of a licensed psychologist, began April 18, 1992 and according to Mr. Cynaumon’s statement it lasted up to 1993, which would mean no more than 8 months as a psychological assistant. The following is the result of a California Board of Psychology records search:
BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY
Licensee Name: CYNAUMON GREGORY
License Type: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANT
License Number: PSB19757
License Status: CANCELLED Definition REGISTRATION TERMINATED UPON REQUEST DefinitionExpiration Date: August 01, 1996
Issue Date: April 18, 1992
Address: 260 NEWPORT CENTER DR #430
City: NEWPORT BEACH
State: CA
Zip: 92660
County: ORANGE
Actions: No
Then he states, “Some people ask me why I don’t economize on words and just call myself a psychologist? It may sound like technical mumbo-jumbo, but psychologists cannot call themselves psychologists if they are not currently licensed to practice psychology.” But he does. He is illegally using the protected psychologist title. Here are but a few of over 20 places that Mr. Cynaumon has called himself a psychologist. (Some of these links may no longer work because The 700 Club and maybe others have removed mention of Mr. Cynaumon from their web site after they read this report.): (September 27, 2004: Please note that I removed one of the original web links. The author was stunned that Mr. Cynaumon had lied to her about being a psychologist and he had not informed her that he was not a psychologist -- as he said that he would based of his agreement with the California Board of Psychology. For that reason, I removed her web link.)
Christianity Today
christianitytoday.com
Coast-to-Coast
coasttocoastam.com
Friends of Southern California’s Highways
fixtraffic.org
ParentMinistries.org
parentministry.org
Rama and Dan’s Conversations with Greatness
conversationswithgreatness.com
Growing Reader Phonics Bible review
parable.com
Amazon book review of Shawn Talbott’s book
amazon.com
Then he finishes this section by saying, “Because I no longer practice, I have naturally not renewed my State license/registration.” Mr. Cynaumon, remember you never were a licensed psychologist so how could you renew your nonexistent license?
Pretending to be a psychologist is a serious offense. The following information is from the California Board of Psychology regulations psychboard.ca.gov
2903. No person may engage in the practice of psychology, or represent himself or herself to be a psychologist, without a license granted under this chapter, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. The practice of psychology is defined as rendering or offering to render for a fee to individuals, groups, organizations or the public any psychological service involving the application of psychological principles, methods, and procedures of understanding, predicting, and influencing behavior, such as the principles pertaining to learning, perception, motivation, emotions, and interpersonal relationships; and the methods and procedures of interviewing, counseling, psychotherapy, behavior modification, and hypnosis; and of constructing, administering, and interpreting tests of mental abilities, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, personality characteristics, emotions, and motivations.
Causes for Disciplinary Action
2960. The board may refuse to issue any registration or license, or may issue a registration or license with terms and conditions, or may suspend or revoke the registration or license of any registrant or licensee if the applicant, registrant, or licensee has been guilty of unprofessional conduct. Unprofessional conduct shall include, but not be limited to (Note: I have highlighted only the three most relevant misconducts.)
• (c) Fraudulently or neglectfully misrepresenting the type or status of license or registration actually held.
• (n) The commission of any dishonest, corrupt, or fraudulent act.
• (p) Functioning outside of his or her particular field or fields of competence as established by his or her education, training, and experience.
Misdemeanor
2970. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by both.
Based on Mr. Cynaumon’s own admissions, he is illegally calling himself a psychologist.
What can you do? If Mr. Cynaumon’s fraudulent use of the psychologist title bothers you, submit a complaint to the California Board of Psychology psychboard.ca.gov. For his address, give his drgreg.org web site and for his telephone number, give his publicist Anthony Mora Communications at 310-207-4285. For documentation, cut and paste the web page addresses that are given above.
Mr. Cynaumon pretending to be a marriage and family therapist
Mr. Cynaumon mentions the psychologist title, but left out his illegal use of the marriage and family therapist title (or variations). The following are the California Board of Behavioral Sciences regulations:
§ 4987.7. NAME
The name of a marriage and family therapy corporation shall contain one or more of the words "marriage," "family," and "child" together with one or more of the words "counseling," "counselor," or "therapist," and wording or abbreviations denoting corporate existence. A marriage and family therapy corporation that conducts business under a fictitious business name shall not use any name that is false, misleading or deceptive, and shall inform the patient, prior to the commencement of treatment, that the business is conducted by a marriage and family therapy corporation.
Leg.H. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1986, ch. 1365, sec. 4; amended and renumbered by Stats. 1999, ch. 657, sec. 9; Stats. 2002, ch. 1013, Sec. 42.)
ARTICLE 3. PENALTIES
§ 4983. VIOLATION; MISDEMEANOR; PUNISHMENT
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by both.
Leg.H. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1986, ch. 1365, sec. 4.)
The following is the result of a California Board of Behavioral Sciences records search:
Search Results for Marriage and Family Therapists (Licensees, Interns)
The information on this page is updated five days a week (Monday - Friday).
To see all the information for a licensee, click on the highlighted name. This will also include disciplinary actions if any are present.
No records returned
Of course, sometimes he skirts this issue by calling himself a “therapist.” However, doesn’t that assume he has a private practice? He says he has a private practice (e.g., God Still Speaks Through Dreams published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.) and yet, in the FAQ’s web page, he says, “I cheerfully gave up my practice (see: HMO reimbursement) – partly to pacify my attention deficit issues (see: can’t sit in a chair for 8 hours) that seemed to exacerbate in a therapeutic milieu, as well as to pursue other interests.”
Here are a few of many places where Mr. Cynaumon calls himself a therapist:
Focus on the Family
dvlp.family.org
Dr. Laura
drlaura.com
CortiSlim
cortislim.com
BookReview.com
bookreview.com
Free-Press-Release
free-press-release.com and type "tv dr" in the Search window
Health Products-USA.com
healthproducts-usa.com
Amazon.com Japan
amazon.co.jp
PR Web
prweb.com
What can you do? If Mr. Cynaumon’s fraudulent use of the marriage and family therapist title bothers you, submit a complaint to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences bbs.ca.gov. For his address, give his drgreg.org web site and for his telephone number, give his publicist Anthony Mora Communications at 310-207-4285. For documentation, cut and paste the web page addresses that are given above.
Mr. Cynaumon pretending to be a school psychologist
Mr. Cynaumon didn’t defend his illegal use of the school psychologist title. Mr. Cynaumon appeared on the Montel Williams Show as a school psychologist on April 11, 1996 (“How Can We Make Our Schools Better?”) and April 12, 1996 (“How Parents, Teachers & Children Work Together to Improve the Quality of Education in America”). Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education of the United States Department of Education, and Dr. Sheldon Richman, senior editor of the Cato Institute, appeared with Mr. Cynaumon.
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Last Name: * First Name:
No Records found matching search criteria.
What is amazing is that even though this information was in the original Phonics Game report, Mr. Cynaumon continues to cite his appearance on the Montel Williams Show (taken from his drgreg.org web site):
" Dr. Greg is our go-to expert on all psychology-related issues."
Montel Williams Show
Next question is “Where did you attend college?”
Mr. Cynaumon mentions that he could not afford to get into a Top 10 school and decided to go to Sierra University. Then he mentions that his college went bankrupt and closed. That’s not quite the story. The following is from our original Phonics Game report:
“When questioned about his doctorate in the spring of 1998, Mr. Cynaumon became evasive and said that he received his doctorate in child psychology from Sierra University. Later, we questioned his degree for two reasons. First, his name was not listed in Dissertations Abstracts, a publication describing doctoral dissertations. Second, he said that he received his degree from Sierra University, but a review indicated that there is no current university by that name. His response was that the school did exist, but he refused to respond to any more questions about his background. He even refused to give the name of the city where Sierra University had been located.
His unusual reaction led to further investigation. A search of the Los Angeles Times' archives showed only two articles about Sierra University. It was described by a Los Angeles Times reporter as "a correspondence school." Both stories were about a fraud lawsuit brought by a student against Sierra University for poor quality instruction, including post-graduate courses taught by instructors with only community college experience. A representative from the California Bureau of Private and Post-Secondary Education stated that Sierra University had a short history in California and was decertified in 1995 due to not meeting minimal standards.”
It appears that the reason for the Sierra University bankruptcy was that when the State shut them down, they had no students.
In the FAQs web page, Mr. Cynaumon states that his dissertation was on “the dynamic of single parent families.” According to Dissertations Abstracts, there is no dissertation by Greg Cynaumon.
Also, Mr. Cynaumon states that his doctorate is from Sierra University. However, elsewhere he says that his doctorate is from a big school -- UCLA. (“Ex-hostage negotiator helps parents, kids change behavior” by Tom Snyder. Orange County Register, January 23, 1997).
The next is not a question, but the next topic is: I understand you were a syndicated radio talk show host.
Mr. Cynaumon states, “He (the station manager) tried syndicating my program to Portland and I think St. Louis.” (It appears that they didn’t actually add Portland.) Then Mr. Cynaumon says, “I think St. Louis hated me and/or the show because it wasn’t long before I was back to being Southern California Live.” Huh? He doesn’t even know what happened to his radio talk show – doesn’t that seem odd? He doesn’t remember if he had St. Louis callers on his radio show. At most, he had a radio show in two markets in the early 1990s. That is not a nationally syndicated radio show and he is still making that claim in a May 25, 2004 infomercial. In that TV infomercial, someone calls in and mentions that he heard about CortiSlim on Mr. Cynaumon’s radio show. He doesn’t have a radio show.
Next question is, “How many books have you written?”
Mr. Cynaumon says, “At last count, a dozen starting with my first book (Helping Single Parents with Troubled Kids, NAVPRESS), which was actually my doctoral project in college. Most of my books have been in the parenting and marriage genre. My favorite book, however, is God Still Speaks Through Dreams and was based on my greatest interest in both college and in practice – dream analysis. The book is a compilation of dreams, mostly from a religious perspective, that I’d helped people to analyze over the years in my practice, while lecturing on the topic, and during my radio program.” Remember he does not have a radio show or a private psychology practice.
Besides that, if you look at his web site, there are not 12 books; some are unpublished games or what are clearly not books. Look at the list:
• Dream Analysis Handbook (not currently available)
• God Still Speaks Through Dreams
• Empowering Single Parents
• Married But Feeling Alone
• Hassle-Free Homework System
• Mind Games – Using Psychology to Get Your Way (not currently available)
• The Phonics Game (reading system)
• Dream Interpretation Dictionary (not currently available)
• DQ Factor – The Discipline Quotient System
• Helping Single Parents With Troubled Kids
• Alienating Your Kids in 10 Easy Steps
• Bible Trivia Quiz Book
• Truth or Lie – Becoming a Human Lie Detector (not currently available)
Mr. Cynaumon added “(not currently available)” to several titles after our 3/4/04 report was published.
What about “Hassle-Free Homework System?” Do a search on Amazon amazon.com
sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6130670-3680865?v=glance&s=books and what you get is:
Hassle-Free Homework: A Six-Week Plan for Parents and Children to Take the Pain Out of Homework by Faith Clark, Cecil Clark, Marta Vogel Publisher: Doubleday Books; 1st ed edition (August 1, 1989).
Notice that Mr. Cynaumon is not listed as an author.
The question is, “If Mr. Cynaumon claims to be the author of 12 books, why does he show only 5 books (2 of which are out-of-print) on his “Book” web page?”
Mr. Cynaumon also describes his authorship of games. A comparison between his March and June web sites shows that he dropped his claimed authorship of The Tonight Show game, even thought he still claims credit for that game in his author description for his book God Still Speaks Through Dreams nelsonministryservices.com. [By the way, that description also says that he lives in Los Angeles (he doesn’t) and “has developed games and toys for Focus on the Family” (according to his own web site, he hasn’t.)]
In the FAQ’s web page, he describes this scenario:
“ I also put together a Tonight Show Game with Jay Leno and Mattel. Great game (I say modestly) and ready to go until Mr. Leno (after two meetings) decided he thought a board game might be too light-hearted and could cause people to not take him seriously. Okay…”
It appears that what he really saying is that the game wasn’t published. If it wasn't published, why did he list it?
Next: "You were involved with the Phonics Game. Did you invent that program?"
Mr. Cynaumon states, “No. I would differentiate my role from the actual inventor. I was more of a co-developer or co-creator helping to refine the program and make it more ‘playable’ for children and their parents.” Again, Mr. Cynaumon seems to not know the definition of “creator” when he was in charge of marketing. Later he states, “I was brought into the company (A Better Way of Learning) to refine the product and to take the project to market as its spokesperson. It was a very successful television and radio campaign.” What he really created was a marketing campaign based on fraudulent advertising and he pretended to be various outside experts (e.g., school psychologist, educational therapist, educational psychologist, therapist, child psychologist, and other professions).
In this FAQs section, he describes himself for as the co-creator, but in other documents he calls himself the Phonics Game creator
thomasnelson.com. Given the widespread circulation of our Phonics Game expose, I am amazed that he would bring up this topic.
The last question is, “Is your life different since becoming so visible in the media?”
Mr. Cynaumon says, “One guy has gone as far as to dedicate a portion of his web site to what a horrible person I am. He started his web site years back when I was the spokesperson for the Phonics Game and he had some sort of reading or phonics product. Then he followed me to CortiSlim and hates me just as much now. In fact, his web site issued a million dollar challenge to me, but he neglected to mention that he has no money.”
Yes, he is talking about me and no, I’ve never had a reading or phonics product and I don't hate him. I just wish that he would stop ripping off people with fraudulent advertising. Mr. Cynaumon has never contacted me about the $1,000,000 Challenge. The Challenge is so simple; all he has to prove some very simple claims that he has made over and over:
• CortiSlim will cause a 15-50 pound weight loss that will last a lifetime (as he says in his CortiSlim commercial).
• Greg Cynaumon is a licensed psychologist.
• Greg Cynaumon conducted the family observation study described in his book Discover Your Child’s DQ Factor (published by Integrity Publishers).
• Greg Cynaumon is a licensed school psychologist as he claimed when he appeared on the Montel Williams Show with a top-level U.S. Department of Education administrator
• Greg Cynaumon is a licensed marriage and family therapist and nationally syndicated radio show host whose experiences were the basis for his book God Still Speaks through Dreams (published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
What is also interesting is that he has not tried to sue me. If my claims were untrue, wouldn’t you think that he would sue? All I want to do is let people who make fraudulent claims know that they cannot continue to make false claims without being exposed.
(I am pleased that Mr. Cynaumon tried to clarify his positions by adding the FAQs page to his web site. It provided more documentation of his fraudulent claims.)
9/29/04 Update
First, I will respond to a frequent lie by Greg Cynaumon. He says that he is the creator or co-creator of The Phonics Game (http://www.nelsonministryservices.com/nms/bio.asp?cid=2194). To find out who the real creators are you just need to look at The Phonics Game kit. When you open The Phonics Game kit, every card shows the 1997 copyright date and then it says "Co-creators Myrna Culbreath and Sondra Marshak." It appears that Mr. Cynaumon is not telling the truth about being the creator of this game.
Greg Cynaumon finally gets caught and must admit that he is not a psychologist or marriage and family therapist.
Greg Cynaumon was ordered by the California Boards of Psychology and Behavior Sciences to stop calling himself a psychologist and marriage and family therapist. As part of these decisions, Cynaumon must people who he fraudulently described himself with having those professional titles. Cynaumon was required to request that they make the proper corrections in regards to his misuse of professional titles. Because Cynaumon was a psychological assistant for less than a year, he is now calling himself a “former therapist,” which skirts the law but is legal.
Some of these corrections are downright amusing and nonsensical. For example, here is his correction from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0897933915/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/102-8770696-4068954?%5Fencoding=UTF8&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER):
"Note from Dr. Greg. Per my direction, an assistant in my office entered this review of Dr. Talbott's book. I need to clarify an error in this submission. My assistant should have listed me as a "former therapist" as I have not been in practice for many years and am not a licensed psycholgoist (sic). The review of Dr. Talbott's book is exactly as I reviewed it, however.)
As a clinical psychologist, I've studied the subject of cortisol and how it affects weight loss and multiple other health-related aspects. Beyond a doubt, this is the definitive work on the subject. Dr. Talbott is ahead of the curve with his research and perspective. If, as a consumer, you are interested in the "facts" about cortisol and how it can help you to lose weight and maintain good health, this book is mandatory reading!"
What? -- an assistant emailed a three-sentence review to Amazon.com for Mr. Cynaumon? Does that mean that an assistant also wrote the rest of the review?
I bet that it is possible that you find even stranger revised comments by Mr. Cynaumon. If you discover other strange comments by Mr. Cynaumon or his assistant about Cynaumon not being a psychologist or marriage and family therapist, please email me and I will post them gadams@edresearch.com.
He made promises to the Board of Psychology and Board of Behavior Sciences, but he lied. As of this date, he has not contacted many of the web sites in which he used those false professional titles and there are many unchanged references to him being a psychologist and marriage/family therapist. In the web links below and cited earlier in this June update of this report, Cynaumon called himself a psychologist. (September 27, 2004: Please note that I removed one of the original web links. The author was stunned that Mr. Cynaumon had lied to her about being a psychologist and he had not informed her that he was not a psychologist -- as he said that he would based of his agreement with the California Board of Psychology. For that reason, I removed her web link. By the way, the link was to a book about business ethics in which he called himself a psychologist.)
Christianity Today
christianitytoday.com
Coast-to-Coast
coasttocoastam.com
Friends of Southern California’s Highways
fixtraffic.org
ParentMinistries.org
parentministry.org
Rama and Dan’s Conversations with Greatness
conversationswithgreatness.com
Growing Reader Phonics Bible review
parable.com
Amazon book review of Shawn Talbott’s book
amazon.com
If you hit these links above, you will notice that Mr. Cynaumon broke the law by not removing the false claims of being a psychologist. Mr. Cynaumon is defying his agreement with the California Board of Psychology.
Now please review the web links in which Mr. Cynaumon claimed to be a marriage/family therapist:
Focus on the Family
dvlp.family.org
Dr. Laura
drlaura.com
CortiSlim
cortislim.com
BookReview.com
bookreview.com
Free-Press-Release
free-press-release.com and type "tv dr" in the Search window
Health Products-USA.com
healthproducts-usa.com
Amazon.com Japan
amazon.co.jp
PR Web
prweb.com
Again, in most cases he did not contact the web link owners to inform them that he was not a marriage/family therapist. Mr. Cynaumon is defying his agreement with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Why is Mr. Cynaumon proud of his history of false advertising and connections with companies that have bad Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission reports?
On his web site, there is a section called "Dr. Greg's Infinity Advertising Group" (http://www.drgreg.org/infinity.html). Let's review the companies he mentions as good examples:
CortiSlim (Window Rock Enterprises)
Here is what the Better Business Bureau says about Window Rock Enterprises, the owner of CortiSlim.
"Some complainants allege after agreeing to purchase one bottle of the Cortislim product, they continually receive monthly shipments without their authorization. Charge cards or bank accounts are debited accordingly. Customers complain they are unable to stop the auto ship program due to inability to contact the company. Complainants allege, e-mails, calls and letters are not answered by the company, and the customer service line is always answered by voicemail with a full mailbox. A few customers complain the product does not work, or they experience complications such as increased blood pressure or insulin levels.
The company responds to all complaints presented by the Bureau by investigating the allegations, and taking appropriate actions to resolve problems. In most cases, refunds or credits are issued, and accounts are closed when requested. Allegations of unauthorized deliveries and charges are apologized for, however, explanations are not offered.
This company may use a marketing method known as negative option cancellation. With this method, products and services are sent to consumers unsolicited, and unauthorized charges appear on credit cards. Usually, materials sent with the product or service will allow a specified time period for cancellation and return without penalty or obligation. However, many overlook the advisory, and are unaware of the charge until their next monthly credit card statement. In some cases, consumers find they are unable to contact the company to arrange returns or ask for credit. Most credit card issuers will allow the cardholder 60 days to dispute an unauthorized or inaccurate charge. Review your monthly statement carefully. If you discover a charge which is unfamiliar, investigate and dispute the amount with your card issuer as soon as possible to protect yourself from making unwanted purchases." (Report on 9/29/04)
For the latest report, go to the Better Business Bureau web site (http://search.bbb.org/results.html) and type "Window Rock Enterprises" and "CA" for the state.
Also, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter about possible claims. Go to FDA warning letter to read the warning letter.
The Phonics Game (A Better Way of Learning)
Here is what the Better Business Bureau says about A Better Way of Learning, the owner of The Phonics Game when Mr. Cynaumon was the vice president of marketing:
"Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau. An unsatisfactory record is given when a pattern in the company's customer complaints causes us concern, when the company does not respond to complaints, or when it will not substantiate its advertising claims.
In this case, although the company has responded to some customer complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau, others remain unanswered and one remains unresolved because the customer was not satisfied with the company's response." (9/29/04)
For the latest report, go to the Better Business Bureau web site (http://search.bbb.org/results.html) and type "A Better Way of Learning" and "CA" for the state.
Hooked on Phonics
Here is what the Better Business Bureau says about Hooked on Phonics:
Complainants allege unauthorized charges to credit or debit cards, and difficulty obtaining credits or refunds. Some customers complain that the price of the program was misrepresented, or that incentive items promised as free gifts are never delivered. Many claim the company debits their bank accounts after cancelling and returning products.
The company responds to most complaints by issuing credits or refunds, sending gift items, or by making other monetary adjustments. (9/29/04)
For the latest report, go to the Better Business Bureau web site (http://search.bbb.org/results.html) and type "Hooked on Phonics" and "CA" for the state.
Prolong (an engine lubricant)
Although Mr. Cynaumon this company as a success story, it appears that it may have gone out of business (www.prolong.com). Here is what the Better Business Bureau says about this company:
"Some complainants allege the lubricant does not perform as advertised, or damages vehicle parts instead of extending their durability. Other complainants report the company fails to fill orders for the product, and they experience difficulty obntaining refunds.
The company responds by issuing refunds, shipping products, or stating customers failed to provide any technical documentations to support their claims. One complaint was closed as disputed; the customer was not satisfied with the company's response." (9/29/04)
For the latest report, go to the Better Business Bureau web site (http://search.bbb.org/results.html) and type "Prolong Super" and "CA" for the state. Also, the BBB provides the FTC ruling against the company as part of the same report.
On September 2, 1999, this company and the Federal Trade Commission entered into a Consent Agreement filed in U S District Court's Central Division of California (Docket # C-3906). The agreement was signed without admission of wrongdoing, and to settle charges brought forth in a previous Complaint filing by the Commission. The complaint alleged the firm made unsubstantiated claims regarding its product Prolong Engine Treatment Concentrate, such as; the additive reduced engine wear; or that it protected against engine breakdowns. The Consent agreement requires the company to substantiate claims made for any product relating to its performance, benefits, efficiency, attributes or use. In addition, the order would bar any future misrepresentations relating to tests, studies or research, misleading demonstrations, pictures, experiments or tests relating to any products' features, superiority or comparability. The Commission will maintain jurisdiction until termination of the Order on November 22, 2019. (9/29/04)
In summary, why is Mr. Cynaumon so proud of his marketing reputation? You would think that most people would attempt to hide this history of questionable behavior.
What you can do to bring Mr. Cynaumon to justice
Put the words “Cynaumon” and “psychologist” into a Goggle search. If you get any hits in which he calls himself a psychologist, you can forward this information to the California Board of Psychology Kathi_Burns@dca.ca.gov. Also, you can put in the words “Cynaumon” and “family therapist” or “marriage therapist” into a Goggle search. If you get any hits in which he calls himself a marriage therapist and family therapist, you can forward this information to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences BBS_WebMaster@dca.ca.gov . Remember, he can legally use the term “former therapist.” Also, I would appreciate it if you could send a cc: copy to me of your complaint gadams@edresearch.com.
The goal of this process is to make sure that Greg Cynaumon never fraudulently uses the protected titles of psychologist or marriage and family therapist again.
You can protest Cynaumon's lenient penalties by contacting:
Investigator Carol Mona in the Orange County District Attorney's office (carol.mona@da.ocgov.com) and request that they prosecute Cynaumon's fraudulent activities. Refer to the story on this www.edresearch.com web site.
Tom Dresslar from the California Attorney General's Office (tom.dresslar@doj.ca.gov). Because Cynaumon violated at least two state laws involving impersonating people with professionally protected titles, his office should take action. Refer to the story on this www.edresearch.com web site.
For the rest of this update, visit the new Hall of Shame. Read about Laura Schlessinger, Integrity Publishers, and Thomas Nelson Publishers and their assistance with Mr. Cynaumon’s on-going fraud.
CortiSlim
Many readers have waited patiently for an update of Mr. Cynaumon's connection to CortiSlim. I promise that the wait is almost over. Part of the reason for the delay is that Window Rock Enterprises, Inc., the owner of CortiSlim, has been issued a warning letter by the Food and Drug Administration (warning letter) that they must prove their various advertising claims. Their deadline is near. I promise that there will be an update involving CortiSlim in a few days.
For now, let me give you a brief story involving Mr. Cynaumon and CortiSlim that I received from one of my readers. Mr. Cynaumon, as the spokesperson for CortiSlim, was supposed to present a $7,000 check at a local Los Angeles-area school because their cheerleaders' costumes were stolen. On the day before the scheduled ceremony, I was told that Fox 11 New in Los Angeles did a brief story about Mr. Cynaumon's background. The next day he didn't show up for the ceremony. The reason given was that he is shy. A shy spokesperson? He has not been shy enough to go on various radio and TV talk shows and lie about being a clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, school psychologist, national talk show host, and other professions.
Appendix
The following information came from The Phonics Game report on this web site. It provides several examples of Mr. Cynaumon's questionable activities when he worked for A Better Way of Learning, the then publisher of The Phonics Game. For more information, read the whole report.
The Identity of "Dr." Greg Cynaumon while Promoting The Phonics Game
The following is from the original 1998-1999 Phonics Game report. I have included this section to show Mr. Cynaumon's history of fraudulent behavior.
Note: The Phonics Game company has removed all links in this story. Because they have been removed, the links are noted but not activated.
"The other prominent person in The Phonics Game advertising is "Dr." Cynaumon. His profession is unclear in their advertising. In various places, Mr. Cynaumon describes himself as a
sociologist (audio interview),
child development specialist (print advertising and web site),
school psychologist (web sites, audio interview, and television show interviews),
Minirth-Meier therapist (web sites),
educational therapist (inside cover of The Junior Phonics Game and web sites),
educational psychologist (audio interviews, print advertising, and web sites),
psychologist (television interviews, audio interviews, web sites, and print advertising), and
child psychologist (personal communication, television and radio interviews, web sites, and print advertising)
In an interview on The Phonics Game web site, he gives the illusion of being an outside expert (e.g., a school psychologist) from California. This interview was removed. The California Department of Education says that he is not; there is no Mr. Cynaumon listed as a licensed school psychologist. In reality, Coleman Kane, the Chief Operating Officer of A Better Way of Learning, admitted that Mr. Cynaumon was a former vice president of the company. When questioned about his doctorate in the spring of 1998, Mr. Cynaumon became evasive and said that he received his doctorate in child psychology from Sierra University. Later, we questioned his degree for two reasons. First, his name was not listed in Dissertations Abstracts, a publication describing doctoral dissertations. Second, he said that he received his degree from Sierra University, but a review indicated that there is no current university by that name. His response was that the school did exist, but he refused to respond to any more questions about his background. He even refused to give the name of the city where Sierra University had been located.
His unusual reaction led to further investigation. A search of the Los Angeles Times' archives showed only two articles about Sierra University. It was described by a Los Angeles Times reporter as a "a correspondence school." Both stories were about a fraud lawsuit brought by a student against Sierra University for poor quality instruction, including post-graduate courses taught by instructors with only community college experience. A representative from the California Bureau of Private and Post-Secondary Education stated that Sierra University had a short history in California and was decertified in 1995 due to not meeting minimal standards. Because it was located in Costa Mesa, we contacted Costa Mesa Pilot newspaper reporters for more information about Sierra University, but they had never heard of it.
It appears that Mr. Cynaumon was illegally using several professional titles. He says that he is a "school psychologist," but according to the California Department of Education he isn't. He says that he is an "educational psychologist" and implies that he is a "marriage, family, and child counselor," but according to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences he isn't. He says that he is a "child psychologist" and "psychologist," but according to the California Board of Psychology he isn 't.
Examples of Advertising Claims While Mr. Cynaumon was the Vice President of Marketing
Testimonials
Because the company cannot prove the effectiveness of The Phonics Game based on research, we reviewed some Phonics Game testimonials in our original report. Claims by Pam Barret, a teacher, and Chuck Jones, the principal, of Tovashal Elementary School are prominent in The Phonics Game web site and magazine and other advertising. Ms. Barret claimed that every student in her first grade class was above grade level in reading. The information director of Murrieta Valley Unified School District (Murrieta, CA) provided school achievement scores that do not match those claims.
When we contacted Chuck Jones about the discrepancy, he restated his belief that all of Ms. Barret's students were probably above grade level, although the actual achievement scores showed otherwise. Mr. Jones was then asked if each of Ms. Barret’s students improved one letter-grade and increased IQ scores by 10 points. Mr. Jones said that while good reading skills are important, other factors (such as student motivation) influence classroom grades. Also, he would not support the claim that using The Phonics Game resulted in a 10-point IQ increase.
The district's director of curriculum provided a different picture from that given by Ms. Barret and Mr. Jones. When he reviewed Ms. Barret's achievement data, he noted that Ms. Barret's claim that 100% of her children were above grade level was untrue. For example, he said that on the reading test’s Phonemic Awareness subscale (a skill that is supposed to be taught in The Phonics Game), 31% of her students scored below or well below average.
It is interesting that the company said that we were in error about the story and yet they removed the "Triumph at Tovashal" story a few days after our report was published. The "Triumph at Tovashal" story, however, is available on another site (without the more than ten spelling and grammar errors in the original story, www.cdipage.com/tovashal.htm).
Until approximately February 2, 1999, there was a letter from Pam Barret in the testimonial section of The Phonics Game web site. Before responding to their criticism, it should be noted that the letter on the web site does not match Ms. Barret’s actual letter that the company sent us. Because the company refused to answer questions about Ms. Barret, we were unable to discover the reason for this discrepancy.
According to A Better Way of Learning, we were in error about test results for Pam Barret’s class. Their director of education explains that, "Pam Barret's assertion that her class was at or above grade level was based on the Early Literacy Assessment, Total Reading, administered in June, 1998" and goes on to describe her 20 students. How can that be? The date of her letter is February 16, 1997. How can she be talking about June 1998 test results in February 1997? Also, her testimonial that was still on their web site on February 2, 1999 states that she had 32 students. Because of this discrepancy, we will rely on information provided by the two school district officials (the information director and curriculum director), which shows that all of her students were not at or above grade level.
Also, Ms. Barret states that she bought The Phonics Game after hearing advertisements about it. In truth, she may have helped develop The Phonics Game (see "The Phonics Game Kit" section below for further explanation).
We conducted a small study on the impact of The Phonics Game on students’ IQ scores. We administered an IQ test to one student and then he received 18 hours of The Phonics Game instruction. Upon retesting, his IQ score was the same, given normal random factors. The advertised 10-point IQ score increase did not occur.
In a December 3, 1998 letter from attorney Carmen Smith Jr., he states that "You also misstate or mislead your readers concerning I.Q. improvement (sic). Although there is a body of research that shows a positive correlation between reading ability and I.Q. scores, to our knowledge A Better Way of Learning, Inc. has never authorized any claim to be made that its product will, in fact, improve I.Q. scores by ten points." Previous E-mails clearly show that A Better Way of Learning representatives appeared to give the illusion that A Better Way of Learning products improve IQ. This claim of IQ improvement was also made in The Junior Phonics Game manual, interviews with Myrna Culbreath and with Mr. Cynaumon, their previous web site (9/7/98, but since removed), an advertisement by one of their distributors (www.cdipage.com/jphonics.htm), and a brochure received on February 2, 1999. While A Better Way of Learning staff state that they have never made such a claim, there are many examples that show they have consistently made claims that their reading program impacts IQ improvement.
False Representations by Greg Cynaumon
The following are just a few of the false representations by Greg Cynaumon:
Mr. Cynaumon described himself as if he is an independent expert. Depending on the advertisement or interview, Mr. Cynaumon describes himself as a sociologist, child development specialist, school psychologist, psychologist, therapist, educational psychologist, and child psychologist.
*Mr. Cynaumon was a vice president of A Better Way of Learning and will not describe his educational background. Various California agencies do not support his use of many professional titles. REMOVED - We believe that our documentation supports our claim. Mr. Cynaumon was featured on their web site, their television infomercial, and in their print information after the company stated that he was not affiliated with the company.
On several web pages, they say they have educational experts or consultants available to provide free professional advice to help parents (e.g., www.PHONICSGAME.com).
*In truth, the "experts" and "consultants" are actually order takers for The Phonics Game. REMOVED - Order takers were labeled "educational consultants (3/11/98), then "educational experts" (9/6/98), then "educational representatives" after our original report (12/3/98), then representatives (12/8/98), and finally "customer care representatives" in 2/99. Also, we received a Phonics Game brochure on February 2, 1999 and the order takers were labeled "educational consultants." When we called the company, the order taker stated that he was simply an order taker and was not a consultant.
Misrepresentation of Information
The following are some of the examples of the misrepresentation:
In the "Teachers Magazines have a lot to say about The Phonics Game" section (www.PHONICSGAME.com/frmain.htm), they say, "Here's what two leading National Teacher Magazines (sic) had to say about The Phonics Game!" The quote from Teaching PreK-8 magazine is "The Phonics Game is fun, easy to follow, and most of all, successful."
*In truth, a search of this magazine found no such quote. There is an ad for The Phonics Game, but even the ad does not have that quote. Recently, the quote has changed, but it still does not exist in the magazine. REMOVED – The Teaching PreK-8 cover was used without permission and removed after we contacted the publisher. See the comment in the next section.
Also in the "Teachers Magazines have a lot to say about The Phonics Game" section (www.PHONICSGAME.com/frmain.htm), they provide the following quote that they say is from Learning magazine, "The Phonics Game Provides (sic) everything you need to implement a successful phonics strategy in your classroom."
*The problem is that there is no such quote in the review. The actual content basically describes the contents of the kit, which is shown later on the web page. Recently, the quote has changed, but it still does not exist in the magazine. REMOVED – A Better Way of Learning complained that we made an error. They said that the quotes for these magazines were one way and then accidentally switched. Also, they said that they would send corrected information. Two months later what they sent us proved our point. Neither magazine had either quote.
In the "Phonics in the News" section of their web site (www.PHONICSGAME.com/news.htm), there were TIME and Newsweek magazine covers of issues about reading instruction and two Los Angeles Times articles. The magazine stories appear to be connected to The Phonics Game and the newspaper stories appear to be about phonics. REMOVED - Actually, previously that section also had a link described as "The Press Talks About Our Products" when the stories were not about The Phonics Game, but were about phonics and education in general.
*The magazine covers were illegally reproduced and the stories have nothing to do with The Phonics Game. The Newsweek cover has been removed. However, it appears that the illegally reproduced Newsweek story is still being used by one of The Phonics Game distributors. See www.cdipage.com/phonics.htm ; however, the original article did not have excessive typos. Newsweek and TIME covers were removed after we contacted their reporters. The newspaper articles are not about phonics. The first Los Angeles Times article had several errors; the title "Why Schools Are Failing" does not match the real title "Why Our Schools Are Failing" and contains two grammar errors. It is interesting that they included the article titled "Reading Blues" by Richard Lee Colvin, also wrote an article critical of expensive home reading programs. REMOVED - Both stories were removed and replaced by two Los Angeles Times stories about phonics instruction (with copyright releases). It is ironic that the company selected an article by Duke Helfand. They did not include his Los Angeles Times article "Phonics Spells Business for Entrepreneurs" November 29, 1998 in which Helfand specifically mentioned The Phonics Game in the context of expensive, unproven reading programs.
The Phonics Game is supposed to teach phonics, but their featured example is incorrect (www.PHONICSGAME.com/howyou.htm). They show a child sounding out the word "phonics" as "p....h...."
*Of course, they should show "ph" making an "f" sound. REMOVED - The company stated that the example was for spelling, not reading. However, the spelling program does not teach this differentiation.
Also in that section (www.PHONICSGAME.com/howyou.htm), they state that "less than 4% of school children read at the proper grade level."
*REMOVED - This information is incorrect.
In several places, they make similar assertions (e.g., www.PHONICSGAME.com/question.htm) such as, "Experts agree and common sense dictates that children learn best when engaged in game-based activities."
*There is no proof that a game format improves the speed of knowledge acquisition. This assertion is currently located at www.phonicsgame.com/OnlineOrdering/83_faqs.htm . We could find no research proof for this statement. We requested research evidence from the company, but they refused to respond to our requests for proof.
Rather than review every ad for The Phonics Game, the following is a review of just one of their brochures. We do not know if the company has removed this advertisement.
"Give your children The Phonics Game Advantage and let them play their way to better grades in all subjects."
*ALL subjects - How can a reading program improve a student's grades in physics or algebra?
"Who needs phonics? Concerned parents like you, who have children who are experiencing anxiety over school."
*There are many reasons for school anxiety (for example, a bully). How does this program cure all types of school anxiety?
"Who needs phonics? Older children & teenagers, who have study problems."
*There are many reasons for study problems (for example, a lack of organization). How does this program cure all types of study skill problems?
"Who needs phonics? Older children & teenagers, who have trouble retaining test information."
*Although better reading is helpful, there are many reasons for the lack of information retention. For example, perhaps the student did not study long enough or simply did not understand the underlying concepts of what was being taught.
"Who needs phonics? Adults, who become sleepy when they read."
*The claim that this game will cure "the sleepy-tired syndrome" is made often in their advertising. There are many reasons why adults become sleepy (for example, the lack of sleep from the previous night) and they provide no proof that this syndrome even exists.
"It's (The Phonics Game) the most impressive reading improvement program to come along in 50 years!"
*If true, why isn't this program mentioned in any book on reading instruction? Obviously, this is a wild exaggeration.
Questionable Testimonials
There are (were) many questionable testimonials. We have limited our review to three home-use examples, but many other questionable testimonials are on their web site. REMOVED - All parent testimonials, except one, were removed. The one that was retained was from an adult who said the Phonics Game improved his spelling. After our report, they corrected his spelling error in the story.
This is the story of Christine’s success (www.PHONICSGAME.com/testimon.htm): "For Christine, ‘F’s’ became ‘A’s’ and fears became strengths. Now an outgoing, articulate high school student, she competes on the debate team, plays soccer and is a member of the cheerleading squad. ‘She would never have been able to do that before The Phonics Game. She actually looks forward to her homework assignments now!’ her mom added proudly."
*How could The Phonics Game lead to success on the cheerleading squad and the soccer field? REMOVED - We requested documentation from the company about this claim. We were refused.
Marshal (or Marshall – it is spelled both ways) Dismuke said that his child read above grade level in only 3 hours (www.PHONICSGAME.com/monthly.htm).
*Besides the fact that the claim seems dubious, how does a parent know what "above grade level" would be? REMOVED - We requested documentation from the company about this claim. We were refused.
Gerald’s reading level supposedly went from zero to 5th grade in only 10 hours.
*The idea that someone could improve 5 grade levels or that someone would be retested after only 10 hours of instruction is doubtful. REMOVED - We requested documentation from the company about this claim. We were refused.
There is a short questionnaire at the end of the testimonial section, which includes the following: "You struggle with spelling? (Good thing your secretary or wife is a good speller!)."
* Female readers may be offended by this sexist comment (and poor grammar). REMOVED"
Cynaumon was in charge of marketing and even falsely states that he was the co-creator of The Phonics Game. The above section shows that Cynaumon has a history of fraudulent behavior.
Updates and More Information about Greg Cynaumon
I will put updates of this report here as I contact Mr. Cynaumon’s publishers and others to ask for more information.
If you have more information or you would like updates of this report, please contact me at gadams@edresearch.com.
Again, I would like to thank Micheal Fanning, who contacted me about Mr. Cynaumon last fall, and Jan Hartleben Slusser, who was a co-author on the original Phonics Game report.
Originally published 3/3/04
Latest update: 10/11/04
© edresearch.com, 2004 - All Rights Reserved
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