I also got the same call 16 minutes ago from Debbie Anderson(Indian accent) claiming she's from the us department of grants and my name has been selected to receive $8000 and in return,I have to load $300 on a greendot moneypak before the grant money can be transferred.she asked if I was going to do it now and I told her that I don't have that kind of money. How on earth will the gov't give grant and want you to pay an amount before you receive it. SCAMMERS we are not dumb!!!
This is the number I was given to call for the accounts department of the US Gov Grants Dept to claim my $7000 "free" grant. I never called it as I know it's a SCAM! I work for the government and they do NOT give out free grants to random people just for paying their taxes or not having a criminal record. DO NOT call this number!
Just got the same call. I played around with "Alvin" for 10+ minutes. He made me promise that I would "only use the money for good things," like paying off debt or renovating my house - not gambling or drugs. He only had my phone number right. He had a completely different name and address for me, but then said they were having a computer problem and I needed to provide my information again. I flat out told him several times that what he was asking me to do sounded exactly like a scam, which he vigorously denied. I told him his program sounded fantastic and I was surprised I had not heard about it in the news before. I asked for his department's .gov web site so that I could learn more about it and independently find the call back phone number (instead of the one he was going to give me). Every one of his answers was the same - "Can I just tell you one thing?" After which he would hammer hard again on getting my name and address. I asked him how he would get the money to me. He said it would only take 45 minutes from the time I gave him my personal info. I asked if he was going to want my bank account information for the deposit. He said 'no' until I pressed him about how he would be able to make the deposit so quickly without my bank info. Then he said I could choose to have it "deposited" into my checking account, debit card, or credit card. Huh? He finally gave me the callback number after my repeated refusal to give him any information. It was an Oregon area code. I said, "Oh, you're right here in Oregon? I didn't know there was a Fed. grant office in Oregon. Where is your office located?" Too much fun. I hate that people do stuff like this, because they're obviously finding some suckers. But I do enjoy wasting their time and trying to figure out the finer details of their scam. I figure the longer I can keep them on the phone, the more money they've wasted on a fruitless endeavor and the less time they have spent bothering somebody else.
I just got the same call from Alvin. He told me to call this number to get my $7,000.00 dollars. What is the point he had all of the wrong info what are they trying to do. I told him he can send me the money western union, I'm not giving him my bank info. He said ok Ma'am it will be there between 45 - 50 minutes. Ma'am when you call the number please tell them you spoke with Alvin and that my money has already been approved. Wow people are still doing this. This is crazy first the you won millions in a lottery overseas, then oh you get a check in the mail for money you know is not yours to do secret shopping, what is the point these people need to get a life. There has to be a way to stop the madness.
THIS IS A SCAM. This is a version of the advance-fee-for-something scam where something is a grant, loan, lottery winnings, interest rate reduction, gift card, refund, doggie, cruise, vacation, free gas, etc., and the advance-fee is for tax, shipping, registration, insurance, secure handling, processing, etc. They may send you a fake check, may want your credit/debit card or bank account number, or tell you to wire cash via Western Union, Moneygram, etc. They can put recurrent difficult-to-cancel monthly charges or a 1-time charge on your card or bank account, and sell account info to other criminals and you'll have to replace accounts altogether. Wired-cash is irretrievable - once it's picked up at the other end, it's untraceable and gone. If they want you to call them up for instructions, they may tell you not to discuss the wire with Western Union desk clerks but the real reason is WU clerks are familiar with these scams and will warn you not to wire the money. Report to US Postal Service Inspectors https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx , the Federal Communications Commission http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm , the Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ and your state AG, as appropriate.