(Original # that called me ( 202) 646-0007 . # I was told to call and give the " Money exceptance #" (253) 656- 6682.
Just received the same call, I was given a # and told to call "John Smith". I find it very hard to believe that the man I spoke to and could hardly understand, name is "John Smith". I was told to call him back after I reached the Western Union location provided by him. I was to wire 190.00 to cover the insurance of my grant. You see "if I had applied for the grant then the government would cover the insurance. Since I was just randomly selected I have to cover the insurance myself. "
I got the same call twice for 8,400. I did talked to him about the green dot card and he told me that would be fine. I told him I would call him back. He gave me the name George Williams to talk to when I call back. I went online to check and found your information and many others. I will not call them back. I didn't much buy into it to begin with ,but I did want to check it out. Thanks to all of you I was warned ahead of time. Thanks for posting, keep it up it is the only way to stop this.
I was got got scammed yesterday.... they took me for 130.00.... I borrowed the money from a friend to pay this now I have to come up with the money to pay them back.... This has killed me now my child isn't going to have a roof over her head.... I cant believe i would fall for something like this....
So has anyone got a lawyer yet.... I will go in with who ever to catch these ppl.... If u want u cant email me at [email protected] n put in subject grant scam..
You must call the Federal Trade Commission-FTC at 877-382-4357 to file a complaint with them. They must receive a certain amount of complaints to investigate and bring charges. So make sure you call. I DID!!! MUST GET THESE LOSERS!!!
Government Grant Scams
Although government grant scams have been around almost as long as the government itself, the majority of the sites being advertised today didn't exist before the November 2008 election.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.shtm
excerpt from FTC CONSUMER ALERT:
‘Free Government Grants’: Don’t Take Them For Grant-ed
“Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!”
Sometimes, it’s an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a “free grant” to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. Other times, it’s a phone call supposedly from a “government” agency or some other organization with an official sounding name. In either case, the claim is the same: your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted, and you’ll never have to pay the money back.
Don’t give out your bank account information to anyone you don’t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.
Don’t pay any money for a “free” government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a “free” government grant, it isn’t really free. A real government agency won’t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded — or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says he’s from the “Federal Grants Administration” doesn’t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch — or not.
Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they’re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.