My fiancee received a call from a guy claiming that he was from the US treasury grant dept and that he had been approved for a 9000 dollar grant and the only thing he had to do was send 250 to release the funds and within 45 mins the money would be available for withdrawal. He then called back and said that he would need another 650 dollars for security purposes to make sure that the money would go to the correct person. Grants are free and does not require money to be sent to receive money you also would have to apply for a grant. Be aware this is a scam no matter how convincing the caller may sound. If you a receive a call from this or any other number that begins with the 202 area code district of Columbia please don't fall victim!!!!
You're absolutely right - this is a scam. More here on grants:
As per the Federal Grants website at http://www.grants.gov
YOU WILL NOT BE CONTACTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO OFFER YOU A GRANT.
The government does not contact people to offer them money. If you do qualify for a government grant, the government does not request payment for it.
THERE ARE NO FEES ASSOCIATED WITH APPLYING FOR A GOVERNMENT GRANT.
Providing financial information to prove that you qualify for a government grant is typical, but you should never pay money to apply for a grant. People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be "federal government" officials, don't be fooled by these scams that request money from you.
ALL GOVERNMENT GRANTS INVOLVE AN APPLICATION PROCESS
If you have not submitted an application for a government grant and someone claims you have been awarded one, it's a scam. Grant money is not given over the phone for a fee. In order to qualify for a grant you must apply for the specific opportunity that you are qualified to apply for.
GOVERNMENT GRANTS ARE AWARDED FOR EXPLICIT OPPORTUNITIES
Government Grants are typically awarded to states, cities, educational institutions, nonprofits and other organizations to fund research and other projects.
GOVERNMENT GRANT APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION IS FREE
Be cautious of offers that ask for your personal information (especially financial) when requesting a fee to access grant information. You can always access free information about government grants and other benefits at Grants.gov and Govbenefits.gov
If you get this call, please report it to:
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/general-support/grant-fraud.html