• "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• You have not won big bucks from a benign benefactor, a pot of pesos from PCH, dinero from a doctor, a car from a caller, or a grant from a gracious government
• The tooth fairy really does not exist
• Everything you read on the internet or hear on the phone is not necessarily true.
• It is illegal to ask for money for a loan or prize, before awarding the loan or prize!
• "Free Trips" are loaded with mandatory & costly extras, and you usually must give them your card number after listening to a loooong spiel at a hotel.
• Microsoft or a different famous software company, or one of their agents did NOT cold call you to fix your computer.
• The moon is not made of green cheese.
• The IRS will snailmail you, rather than phone you, if there is a problem.
• Jackalope milk is not an aphrodisiac.
• If you Vanilla Card, GreenDot, MoneyGram, Western Union, iTunes or use ANY gift/money/reload PIN-type card to send money to a scammer, the money is gone. In fact, as of June, 2016, it is ILLEGAL for telemarketers to ask for payment via these methods.
• You should beware of Geeks bearing gifts, specially if the gift is a wooden horse with termites, or a statement that your computer is infected.
• 876 is NOT your lucky number, and it will cost you money to call that area code!
• The number you see on your Caller ID may not be the number of the person who called you!
• The Do Not Call List works as intended. It is NOT a call blocker!
More information regarding those facts (and others) may be found at
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/facts.html
Remember to return here, to 800notes.com, after you look at any of the information at that site, either to post more information, or to let us know you avoided the scam.
said I would get a 10,000 grant that I didn't have to pay back. they knew all my information...I just had to pay 280.00 and use a Id number they gave me.
• "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• You have not won big bucks from a benign benefactor, a pot of pesos from PCH, dinero from a doctor, a car from a caller, or a grant from a gracious government
• The tooth fairy really does not exist
• Everything you read on the internet or hear on the phone is not necessarily true.
• It is illegal to ask for money for a loan or prize, before awarding the loan or prize!
• "Free Trips" are loaded with mandatory & costly extras, and you usually must give them your card number after listening to a loooong spiel at a hotel.
• Microsoft or a different famous software company, or one of their agents did NOT cold call you to fix your computer.
• The moon is not made of green cheese.
• The IRS will snailmail you, rather than phone you, if there is a problem.
• Jackalope milk is not an aphrodisiac.
• If you Vanilla Card, GreenDot, MoneyGram, Western Union, iTunes or use ANY gift/money/reload PIN-type card to send money to a scammer, the money is gone. In fact, as of June, 2016, it is ILLEGAL for telemarketers to ask for payment via these methods.
• You should beware of Geeks bearing gifts, specially if the gift is a wooden horse with termites, or a statement that your computer is infected.
• 876 is NOT your lucky number, and it will cost you money to call that area code!
• The number you see on your Caller ID may not be the number of the person who called you!
• The Do Not Call List works as intended. It is NOT a call blocker!
More information regarding those facts (and others) may be found at
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/facts.html
Remember to return here, to 800notes.com, after you look at any of the information at that site, either to post more information, or to let us know you avoided the scam.
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, Walgreen, 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, MoneyGram, 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 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.