There is an old and on going scam to steal your money and ID.
You get a call or a letter claiming the government is giving away grant money and you qualify!!!! <---It is a scam!
You are instructed to call a number or visit a website, where you will be asked for credit card info, bank account info, and personal ID info.
They will claim to handle the grant claim for a small fee, or that you must pay taxes on the grant in advance.
You may be instructed to visit a local Walmart, Wallgreens, or some store that sells pre-paid credit cards or money cards (common types are called Green-Dot, MoneyPak, and such) or they may say you need to wire transfer cash via Western Union or such. The reason they ask you to use these type of money services is because once the transfer is complete, there is no way for you to recover the money you sent.
The only legitimate avenue for government grants is through www.grants.gov which is the official US government webs 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.
This company has scammed me and needs to be shut down. I was told I had a $ 7800.00 grant and that I need to pay upfront tax of $770.00 which they had me western union them to a Dev Paul and then when I tried to get confirmation number they got extremely rude and told me I would never see my money again! This is a serious issue that needs to addressed.
Imagine what happens if they're not getting any kind of an answer. You don't answer their calls, they're harmless. Not legal to pay a fee for grants, loans, or prize money. Also imagine what would happen if they first told you you'd have to pay 770 to get 7800, who'd listen then? The only money that's exchanged is you losing yours. Nothing is for free. Their use of dummy numbers makes them hard to catch and prosecute.
Guy told me that one of 20,000 people that have been selected by a US Government to receive a 7,800 dollars and gave me approval number to give it to his accounting officer,,,and when i called the 786 2203350 number a lady talked to me about it and wanted me to send 200 dollars to the money gramso i could receive 7800 plus my money back... thank god i asked my sister and she told me its a scam! I called the lady back and i told her "i bet you are [***] ugly [***] hell!"
I was told I have been chosen to get a government grant for $7800. i wouldn't have to pay it back. It was because I pay my taxes every year on time and that I was randomly selected.