Unbelievable. I got a call from an unavailable Middle Eastern sounding "gentleman". Told me the government was giving away $$ (yeah right...). Gave me a phone number to the infamous Eric Morrison in Washington DC. The number was 202-738-1696. I asked him what the scam was , he got very hostile and said the conversation was being recorded and he would report me . Report me for what? Asking what the scam was? Or for not falling for their ignorance?
Got a call today from an unknown number. I started not to answer but did anyway. It was a heavy accent guy that said I was approved for some grant money in the amount of $7,000. He said that I'm receiving this money because I haven't had any bankruptcy and no criminal record. I can receive this money two ways. Either thru my bank account or thru pre-paid card. I asked him why can't the government just send me a check (humoring him cause I'm bored). He don't answer my question but replies with we can send it thru Money Gram. Have you heard of it? I replied yes so he gave -me this money gram id number so I can receive the money and then says that I can call 202-697-9326 to have them verify the number if I needed to. Then he hung up. I know this is a scam so please don't give these people any of your information.
It is a scam.
The government does not offer grants to individuals for personal use.
It is a scam ran by off shore con artists to trick you into sending unrecoverable money to them.
They will say you need to get prepaid money cards, like Green Dot and load them with you own money or to wire transfer funds via companies like Western Union. Once you give the details from the card to the scammer, they clean out the card. Once you wire transfer money, you can not recover it.
You loose your money, you get nothing.
The only legitimate avenue for government grants is through www.grants.gov which is the official US government web site for grants.
From their FAQ concerning fraud:
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/general-support/grant-fraud.html
Please note the following:
No government grant-making agency will make phone calls; send email or letters to solicit money or personal banking information from a potential grant recipient.
There are no processing fees for federal grants.
Federal grants are not issued for personal use, but are intended for institutions and non-profits to carry out projects with a public purpose.
Know who you're dealing with on the web. Scam artists will often post a website with a name similar to a legitimate site.
If you have provided personal banking information to anyone claiming to be associated with a Federal grant agency, call your bank immediately to prevent unauthorized access to your account.
If you receive a call, mail, email, FAX, or any other form of communication soliciting you for a grant, STOP.
It is a scam.
Report it to the FTC:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0113-government-grant-scams
File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online https://ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ , or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Just had a call offering me 7,800 dollars as a government grant....wanting my personal information over the phone. I told them I wasn't giving them my personal info and they said they could wire the money through Wal-Mart. Believe me, I could use a grant around that amount, too bad it's a scam.The number showed up as unknown on my phone but they gave me a call back number 253-617-0771 for Eric Morrison.
To report the fraud, go here:
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/general-support/grant-fraud.html
Their number is listed , along with an email address, at the top of the page.
Also here:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0113-government-grant-scams