Tulsa Fitness Trainers Scammed By CPR Certification Teacher

A Tulsa fitness trainer has a warning for others, after she said she was scammed by a woman claiming to offer CPR certification. She said she and other trainers paid the woman $55 each and took a three hour class from her, but never received their certification cards.

The woman said on her Linked-In page she's a certified CPR instructor with the American Red Cross and associated with the American Heart Association, but, both agencies said that wasn't the case.

Monique Washington is a fitness trainer with a studio in Brookside called Physiques by Monique.

She and other fitness trainers are required to get CPR Certification. They ran across Jessica Huff's Linked-In page and hired her because it said her company, Heart Smart, LLC out of Glenpool offers the training and is associated with the Red Cross and the Heart Association.

"We sit through a three hour class. It seemed legit. She used an Ipad for a visual aid. We did CPR on dummies. She brought dummies. The only thing she didn't have was the AED, so we didn't learn the AED component of it," Washington said.

She said Huff told them they'd get their certification cards in the mail, but, after ten days and no cards, they said they began trying to contact Huff.

Washington said their $55 checks were all cashed, but, she noticed her check was endorsed by someone named Danielle Locust.

"I was more upset. It's not the $55, I'm not going to go broke over $55, but she wasted my time. She sat there, we had conversations, she said her husband left her, personal conversations and all the while, her knowing she as just going to rip us off," she said.

The American Red Cross had no record of a Jessica Huff and the American Heart Association said she used to be a certified instructor with them, but was released. The state shows Huff's business, Heart Smart, LLC, is inactive.

"I think she needs to give the money back, there's no telling how much money she's made off this, how many people she's scammed," Washington said.

When contacted, Huff said she thought Washington and the other trainers had received their cards and said she would check into it. When asked her why the check would be endorsed by Danielle Locust, she said she had no idea.

Huff also said, she had proof of her association with the Red Cross and Heart Association and would email the documentation, I never received an email.

After discovering her business was inactive with the state, I left her message and sent her an email, but, never heard back from her.

If you need CPR certification for you or your employees, contact the Red Cross and Heart Association directly.

Washington and the other trainers must take the class all over again.