AG Consultants warns consumers on online community-service hour logs

AG Consultants issued a consumer advisory on Sept. 16, 2026, urging people ordered to complete community service to verify in writing whether online hour logs and certificates will be accepted by their court, probation officer or school. The warning centers on The Foundation of Change, a Michigan-registered nonprofit that markets online community-service programs and documentation for court-facing submission.

Why it matters: - People who rely on an online certificate or hour log could lose time and money if a court, probation department or school rejects the documentation. - Rejected hours can force individuals to restart community-service requirements. - The advisory also points to possible regulatory scrutiny of a nonprofit that markets court-facing documentation across multiple states.

What happened: - AG Consultants issued a consumer advisory on Sept. 16, 2026. - The advisory urges individuals required to complete court-ordered or probation-mandated community service to verify acceptance before buying any online program. - The warning focuses on The Foundation of Change, a Michigan-registered nonprofit that markets online community-service programs and sells certificates and hour logs for submission to courts, probation departments and schools.

The details: - AG Consultants reviewed public marketing materials, state-targeted web pages, paid advertising and participant-facing documentation tied to The Foundation of Change. - The reviewed materials use terms such as "Court-Approved" and "Probation-Compliant." - The materials also make acceptance claims for all 58 California counties, all 67 Florida counties, all 17 Nevada counties and all 50 states. - AG Consultants said it did not identify a written court order, approval letter, statewide authorization or other documentary evidence supporting blanket court approval for those claims. - Independent consumer reviews preserved from public platforms reported cases in which certificates or hours were rejected by courts. - At least one reviewer said the court said the activity "doesn't count" and required the hours to be restarted. - AG Consultants noted that one state-targeted page included an FAQ stating that acceptance is controlled by individual courts and should be confirmed with the specific court. - That FAQ language sits alongside the same page's categorical county-wide acceptance claims.

Between the lines: - The advisory suggests a mismatch between broad marketing language and the more limited reality of court-by-court acceptance. - For consumers, the key risk is not whether an online program issues a certificate, but whether the relevant authority will honor it. - The presence of a built-in FAQ advising direct confirmation may undercut the certainty implied by the broader acceptance claims.

What's next: - AG Consultants said it is referring the compiled information and supporting documentation to the Michigan Attorney General's office and to the Internal Revenue Service's federal tax-exempt-organization authorities. - The referral is informational and is not a formal legal finding about The Foundation of Change or its operations. - Consumers who already bought documentation from The Foundation of Change or a similar provider and had it questioned or rejected are being told to keep all records and contact an attorney or the appropriate consumer-protection authority in their state. - AG Consultants recommends that consumers contact a court clerk, probation officer, attorney or referring agency directly before paying for any online community-service program. - AG Consultants also recommends asking for written confirmation and keeping receipts, emails, certificates, hour logs, activity reports and other communications.

The bottom line: - The advisory's message is simple: verify acceptance first, pay later, because a certificate is only useful if the receiving authority accepts it. - For more information, see the company's announcement.