Untitled Document

INTERNATIONAL
NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE ASSOCIATION
An organization whose goal is to foster the preservation, appreciation,
and advancement of the Native American flute

Consumer/Retail Alert

UPDATE - August, 2007: Giovanni de Carlo, the self-proclaimed "flute keeper," has surfaced in Europe.

INAFA has recently received numerous complaints and advisories from people in Europe about the whereabouts and their dealings with Giovanni de Carlo, also known as "Gio", "The Flute Keeper," and "Tdom Bah Toden Xkee." INAFA continues to council caution in doing business or hiring this individual. Please research and verify his credentials and award claims carefully. According to the Kiowa, they have no record of this person as being a member of any type of the their tribal nation. The Native American Church does not recognize him as being a legitimate shaman, nor is he listed as a member of the church itself. Please contact INAFA if you have seen this individual, so that we may notify the appropriate authorities.

Here is a recent statement that INAFA received concerning the self-proclaimed Flute Keeper. As these people are concerned about their personal safety, complete names are being kept private:

"Dear Sir, presently an american speaking individual tours throughout northern Germany and The Netherlands. He Claims to belong to the Kiowa people. He offers a.o. native american flute concerts, hand made native american flutes and workshops to learn making them. For his flute production he uses a modern carpenter's machine shop as can be seen at his website. His remarks about native american indian people, their history and the rôle of the white people in relation to them are rather nebulous and aggressive. His claims about his position in the native american and international music world (awards, recognition etc.) are rather bold. At so called Pow Wows he arranges naming ceremonies according to Indian heritage culture as he claims. The Kiowa Tribe Enrollment office has informed us officially with a document signed by the Notary Public that the subject person is not shown on the current membership roll of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma."

"My partner and I talked with Gio after a concert in Offenbach/near Frankfurt. Giovanni de Carlo invited my partner to do a concert together and gave us a date, when he have time for this and we should organize this for him. This was very short-thermed so that I didn´t research for him more than I did find on his gilamusic – site.We did the Concert and I really don’t like this Gio and his way to treat the people and he was obviously not spirituell or shaman or in any way in contact with mother earth that was my experience with him. We don’t have troubles with him, but he was not really comfort with the money he got, he tried to exert pressure on my partner with the arguments that he can help him to get successful through his Name (Thom Bah Toden Kxee, Grammy etc.) but I had the feeling that its not good to do any more business with him and so we did not.

I hope it will help you and preserve people for more troubles with him."

E-mail Scam: "Songs of the Mountain Flute Teacher Needed"
Trangressor's E-mail: david_gibson001@yahoo.com and/or john_sarantos@yahoo.com

There is a new scam being sent out via e-mail to INAFA members. The heading is: Songs of the Mountain Flute Teacher Needed. It is specific to the Native American flute, so it is someone with ill intentions toward the organization. We are working with Yahoo to find the identity of the culprit, even though we have a good idea already about who it is. In the meantime, do not respond to an e-mail that comes from "Rev. David Gibson" whose e-mail is: david_gibson001@yahoo.com When you respond to him, he gives INAFA's address for contact purposes and, I assume, to exchange monies. INAFA has nothing to do with this person. Here is a sample e-mail from this person and a return response from him when an INAFA member wrote him back:

david_gibson001@yahoo.com writes:

Hello

Good day to you over there, I am Rev. David Gibson I need a tutor for my child base on you advert (John), I got your advert while surfing through the internet and i really want my child to be taught by you.John is 18 year old and easily catch up. Although, i understand you are in (USA} but i've arranged with my cousin living in the state that my child is coming to stay with her from the France for his period of tutoring and she had agreed with me. I want you to get back to me with following details:

1)your present residence address and tel #
2)total cost of tutoring for 2 months(1 hoursper day)
3)your years of teaching experience.

Payment via cashier's check or money order, looking forward to hearing from you soonest.

Regards.

david_gibson001@yahoo.com replies:

Thanks for your urgent response well my cousin live at 3351 Mintonville Point Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435 so my son will be staying with her for the period of the lesson ok so if you get this right i will like you to get back to me with the tuition fees so that we can proceed from there ok

Cheers
Rev David.

UPDATE - December, 2005: Giovanni de Carlo, the self-proclaimed "flute keeper," has surfaced in a new venture. His new Web site is: www.gilamusic.com His new contact information is as follows:

Giovanni de Carlo
14609 Saticoy, #21
Van Nuys, CA 91405
Phone: 1-818-988-3090
E-mail: flutes@usa.com

Important: Much of the biography for the so-called "Flute Keeper" is pure fiction, including his false assertion that he received a NAMMY and a GRAMMY for his recording, Sacred Ground. Look deeper into his claims; you will find further falsehoods.

This is an UPDATE concerning the warning given about Giovanni de Carlo(Gio), who refers to himself as "The Flute Keeper." The original warning was as follows:

Transgression: Giovanni de Carlo attends powwows or arts/crafts events and purchases Native American flute-related materials using worthless checks and a worthless debit card. He wrote a bad check to one particular flute maker at the Tulsa Indian Art Festival for 45 books, one flute, and two CDs. Giovanni de Carlo cannot be located to make restitution for his bad debt. The flute maker who was victimized by Gio has filed a report with the Tulsa police department. This is only one example of de Carlo's activities.

Gio also bills himself as being a GRAMMY Award winner and a NAMMY Award nominee. Neither claim is true, and both entities have been notified of his false promotional claims. At present, Giovanni de Carlo is doing workshops for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians in Oregon. The Human Services Program Manager, Lorre G. Lewis, Ph.D., for the tribal community contacted the INAFA when she saw our consumer alert on our Web site. He was also recently seen at a festival in Venice Beach, California, and is rumoured to be heading to Greece, next.

Recently, Gio found the INAFA consumer warning on our Web site. He wrote INAFA an e-mail that was completely filled with rage and very unsavory, threatening language. Local authorities have been made aware of the threat made by Giovanni de Carlo against the INAFA and Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl. Since then, INAFA has received numerous e-mails from other people who have been victimized by Gio. Many people have written to INAFA expressing appreciation for the warning about him, and, as a result, have opted not to do business with de Carlo.

Gio’s present contact information is only a Web site address on which he does not list an address or a phone number. If one wants to order something from him, the only way to do so is by contacting him via e-mail. His present Web site is: www.theflutekeeper.com.

Other addresses that we have on file for de Carlo are as follows:

Giovanni de Carlo Publishing, Inc./ Tax ID: 36-428-3574 (Illinois)
4619 San Dario Avenue, #502
Laredo, TX 78041-5773

and...

Giovanni de Carlo
1626 West 18th Pl 3-Rr
Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: 312-492-8651
E-mail: the_flute_keeper@oklahoma.usa.com

In addition, de Carlo has another address listing him in Idaho.

INAFA encourages its members to use caution when doing business with this individual. And, if you have further information, please contact INAFA immediately and we will put you in contact with the appropriate individuals/authorities.

eBay Warning:

Currently, there is are individuals in the eBay auctions who are using fraudulent techniques to obtain money from unsuccessful bidders in the Native American flute category. These perpetrators act as the eBay seller of a flute, using an unidentified e-mail address. They target bidders who have lost an auction. They send an e-mail to unsuccessful bidders after an auction closed, offering them a "second chance" to purchase the flute. They also indicates in their e-mail that the winning bidder decided against the purchase, due to the flute being more expensive than they realized they could afford. These perpetrators then offer the "second chance" deal and, if the buyer replies to the e-mail expressing an interest in the purchase, they proceed to instruct the new buyer where to to send their money. INAFA urges caution when using eBay, especially when the above-described situation manifests.

It has been brought to my attention, by various flute makers, performers, and retailers, that there is a particularly heinous scam being carried out by an individual from Puerto Rico. His name and contact information is as follows:

Andres Velez-Arvelo
P.O. Box 364505
San Juan or Guaynabo, PR 00936-4505
Phone: 787 720-3284 or 787 402-2337 or 787-990-9378 (pager)

Under the guise of seeking out materials such as flutes, books, tapes, and CDs for an extravagant flute workshop or gathering that he is hosting, Andres Velez contacts various flute makers, performers, and retailers asking them to send materials to him C.O.D. or on invoice. When the materials arrive, Velez either does not pay the invoice or he writes a worthless check if it is a C.O.D. order.

Velez has done his research on the topic of the Native American flute. He knows all of the terminology and drops all of the correct names. He has even stated that he knows me, Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, and talks knowledgeably about the International Native American Flute Association. I assure you that I do not know this individual, I have never met him or spoken with him, and I definitely do not endorse him or his actions.

As the executive director of the International Native American Flute Association, I strongly urge you to avoid this individual. Do not deal with him on any level. He is the consummate "con" man. In addition, please remember that C.O.D. no longer means that the customer or receiver of the merchandise pays in cash when he or she has the goods in hand. Giving the postal carrier a check is the standard now. Finally, I encourage everyone to contact the Postmaster about this individual and utilize any other legal undertakings that will lead to the capture and prosecution of this dishonest individual. Velez's disgraceful actions are completely contrary to the inherent nature of both the Native American flute and the Native American culture.

Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, Executive Director
International Native American Flute Association