- Report: #1489056
Complaint Review: Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation Matt Mcbride - Calgary Alberta
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Author Not Confirmed
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Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation Matt Mcbride
264 Midpark Way SE, Unit 207 Calgary, T2X1J6 Alberta, Canada
Phone:
4034738521
Web:
https://www.bbb.org/ca/ab/calgary/profile/non-profit-organizations/step-up-4-kidz-foundation-0017-10
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Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation, Matt Mcbride Set Em Up Canada Help Kidsport Set Em Up 4 Sports LTD Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation Halo Advertising Matt Mcbride Unregistered, Fraudulent, Misleading Charity Operators Calgary Alberta
I had a door to door canvasser come to my door last week from Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation, I found this odd because I had never heard of them. I had a suspicion this was the same scam as set em up Canada because the packaging looks simular to what I seen on the news but I wasn’t 100% sure.
I donated the $30 just so I could get the “information package” Then I started digging. I didn’t find much as it appears Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation website had just been created within the last couple weeks. But I did find a BBB page that lists Matt Mcbride as the owner. https://www.bbb.org/ca/ab/calgary/profile/non-profit-organizations/step-up-4-kidz-foundation-0017-109754
A simple google search of the name Matt Mcbride brings up some negative news articles. Here is one https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5305231 It appears he is no newbie to running unregistered, fraudulent, and misleading charities. The CBC article says he started in early 2019 under the name Help KidSport.
The article features interviews from business owners who say Matt Mcbride mislead them into believing he was part of KidSport (A name he chose to confuse the public into believing he was the national charity, KidSport) It says he hired dozens of employees to fundraise.
I searched KidSport Calgary door to door on google and facebook and here is what I found. https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=172859 If you go on facebook and search “Kidsport Calgary door to door” You will see post after post of Kidsport warning the public not to donate and that Matt Mcbride was fraudulently using there name.
This seemed to have gone on for months. Then it appears somewhere around Mid 2019 Matt Mcbride changed the name to Set Em Up Canada and listed the registered owner as his wife'. Catherine Turner On October 2nd the news picked up on his latest scam, Set Em Up Canada and broadcast it on live news. To hear the details, listen to this interview with Matt Mcbride https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1612508739937
It appears that after the news article took place Matt paid a total of $6,000 to people who were willing to take pictures with him on his website as a way to try to appear more legitimate. A tiny fraction of what was collected and money his staff say he never would’ve spent if the news didn’t call him out on his scam.
It appears that after the news got ahold of Set Em Up Canada that they changed the name a 3rd time. This time to Set Em Up 4 Sports LTD. Didn’t take long for the news and angry mislead donors to expose that name as well. So that takes us to where we are today. On to the Mcbrides forth name. That’s right this is his FORTH name for the same scam.
Step up 4 Kidz Foundation It appears he may have chosen this name to make donors think they were donating to the Step up 4 kids race in Calgary. As Matt Mcbride seems to have a long history of lying to and misleading people. Here is the website for Step Up 4 Kidz Foundation. They are using the same pictures on there site as they used on their last two websites. https://stepup4kidz.ca/
Previous and current Names Help Kidsport Set Em Up Canada Set Em Up 4 Sports LTD Step up 4 Kidz Foundation Halo Advertising In all of these cases, it appears he made up his own charity. And then hired his own company halo advertising to collect donations. And paid most of the money collected to himself.
The BBB page for Halo advertising lists the Owner as Catherine Turner, which cbc said, is Matt Mcbrides wife. https://www.bbb.org/ca/ab/calgary/profile/advertising-agencies/halo-advertising-0017-106466/complaints Currently going door to door as Step up 4 Kidz Foundation
If your up for a read, here are some articles where former staff disclose the details of how they were paid. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/c0mvei/set_em_up_kids_canada_scammed_me/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/e7c2cj/halo_advertising_set_em_up_4_sports_job_seekers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/e9e543/step_up_4_kidz_is_owned_by_matt_mcbride_the_same/
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Matt
calgary,Alberta,
Canada
We absolutely have not been acting fraudulent.
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, February 10, 2020
In no way shape or form have we conducted any fraudulent activities. These allegations were first created by two young ladies we had to release for theft of the organization. They then spent months creating fake accounts on many different sites, blogs and webcasts insisting that we were frauds.
We have faught this on every area and it is becoming un sustainable. There is zero evidence in any of the allegations, and they are all completely contrived. Unfortunaley a number of people in the public eye have now jumped on the wagon of hate towards us again with zero evidence what so ever.
We are fully registered and operate legally. We have never harmed anyone or hurt anything. We would appreciate mor dilignece when it comes to this, as this is affecting peoples lives greatly.
We are willing to provide and answer any inquiries regarding any part of what we are trying to accomplish. To date not a SINGLE person with all these allegations has come to see us, called us or checked in on any of this information.
If you notice that every paragrah starts with "It seems."
This is very bad evidence to try to destroy an organization we have spent a ton of time and money on growing. We are all for honest critisicm, but we have yet to see one real complaint made other than
"We think Matt McBride steals all the money."
Please help us stop this smere campaign as it is becoming hard to operate a very good and positive thing. Thank you
