Government Grant Scams

A man named Eric ** who supposedly works at US Reserve Federal Bank scammed my husband into receiving an $8,000 grant that he supposedly qualified for. A man with an Indian accent tricked my husband in sending money through Western Union for charity. Who the hell pays for a grant? If you're asking to receive money, why do you have to spend it to get it? That doesn't make sense. When asked to speak to a supervisor, he said that he can't transfer. Why, because he's a fraud.

Although I am pissed about the situation that money is lost and about a thousand dollars will not be seen. And I think these frauds are in a different country that uses an American number to get what they want, using fake names and details of the organization they work for. And they won't refund my money unless I pay 650 something dollars for the tax fee like what the **, are you for real? Now, I'm going through a full investigation to get answers and get my money back. These other country men are outsmarting us and taking what we have, and because of my husband's stupidity, our vehicle and home have been taken away. So please, let others know, spread the word and don't fall for something stupid as my husband did.

I was just called stating I was selected to receive $7,000 government grant for filing my taxes on time. I asked a lot of questions and was told that the government selected 1,500 people to receive this grant money. Then, I was told it had to be deposited into a bank account or debit card (first red flag). Then, I was told to call Mark at 202-683-9904 to verify my information and give him my confirmation number and the money would be deposited in my account within 40 minutes.

I called Mark and he verified my information, and then proceeded to tell me I had to send $250 for a charity to receive the grant money (red flag). I then told him I didn't have the money and he said he would keep the funds on hold. I wanted to research this because it didn't sound right. Sure enough, here is a site about this scam. I can't believe with all the complaints, the government isn't doing anything.

I don't answer my phone unless I know who it is. So when I saw Colorado on the caller ID, I thought it was a friend who moved, calling me and I picked up. A heavy Indian-accented woman called asking for my husband. I asked her what the call was in regards to. She said he has been selected to receive a grant due to his good credit rating that she could tell me about it because I was his wife. She went on and on about the grant, but I couldn't understand most of what she said, except that she was calling from the "United States Grant Dept." located in Washington.

Since I was by my computer, I googled it and found no such department. I added "scam" to my search and I came upon this site. When she asked me how I would like to receive the money, I asked if she could email my husband with more info and let him reply if he sees it fit to do so. She said, "Okay, let me see." There was a long pause with some background noise and then I got disconnected. Good riddance. The call came from **.

Scam via phone 202-657-4050 - I received a call today from Mark ** who happened to have the strongest Indian accent ever. How would a Mark ** be an Indian guy? I am sorry, but I would expect an Indian name to begin with. So, he has been calling for months, but I never pick up. This time he says I received a $10,000 grant from the US Grant Government Department for paying my bills on time. Okay. I listened along. He asked me if I wanted cash or something else that I don't remember. Then he said to me that my approval number is **; then he gave my Western Union swift number and told me to deposit $149.00 in order to receive the grant. I said fine, sure, I will do it tomorrow morning. So, now he said he would call again after I did the transfer. I would love to catch this guy. Any detective around here? Doesn't the government want to catch these people? He always calls from an unknown number.

On 5/1/12, I was called by an 800 number and a lady with a foreign accent told me I was randomly selected in my area to receive a US government grant in the amount of $7000 that could be used anyway I wanted as long as it wasn't used for anything illegal. I asked her numerous times if this was for real and every time she said, "Yes, it was." She gave me a confirmation number and said I was to call a Jess ** at ** as soon as we hung up. So I did. I gave him that number. He verified some information and told me that once I Western Union $122.00 for a processing fee, the $7000 would be transferred into my account within 30-40 minutes. So I borrowed the money and sent it to some Asik ** in India. I called him back and he said he had to call my bank; but thankfully by the time I wired the money, my bank was closed. When I told him that he said he'd call me back within half an hour and he called 40 minutes later and left a message stating that if the money wasn't in my account by midnight, I was to call him in the morning.

It wasn't there, so I called him and he gave me a tracking number and said I had to call the Federal Reserve Bank with that tracking number and they would help me. The number he gave me for F.R. Bank was **. I called and it rang and rang then went to answering machine and it was a Nick ** stating to leave a message and he would call back if the call was important to him. He didn't even state in his message that he was with the Federal Reserve Bank. Right then, I knew how stupid I was for believing in these horrible people and called the police who told me they could do nothing for me and that they get approximately 3000 calls a year on this same scam.

Well, if they are getting so many calls and this is happening to people all over the US, then why doesn't anyone do something about it to stop this? That's what I want to know. I'm on short-term disability due to nerve damage in my hands and have been going through surgeries on both arms for the last two years now. No, my SSI isn't coming out of anyone else's pockets; it comes out of what I've paid into my own Social Security from working since the age of 15. Anyway, I can't afford to lose any amount of money right now and my stupidity is that I'm too trusting and I actually believed these jerks. I won't be making that mistake again, that's for sure.

Some guy with a heavy Indian accent called me today and said that I had been chosen to receive this $7,000 grant. He asked me for my bank account and my age and address. He also asked me if I was single or married. I told him that I didn't have a bank account and he said I could use any plastic card! I already knew this was a scam, so I gave him a fake number to see what he was going to say or do next. He proceeded to give me a confirmation number and a telephone number to call so that I could get my money deposited into my account within 45 minutes. He told me to call a (202) 470-5006 number and to speak with Sam **. He said, "If the number is busy, just keep calling till someone answers." So I called the number, Sam ** answered and I told him that I was calling about the grant and he asked me for the confirmation code. But before I gave it to him, I asked for more information on this grant and he just hung up on me!

$7,000 scam - I was called from an unknown number. They said, "You have been selected." They wanted bank information and for me to go down to a Western Union and give them $310. Well, they aren't getting it from me and if they try to debit my card, they will be denied because there is only 32 cents. Ha ha on them.

Money lost from scam - A man called, said he was an agent and that my name and phone number was selected for a U.S. government grant.

I received a call from (203) 756-9834 for the second time this week. The lady had a heavy accent (Indian?). She said that I was selected to receive a $7000 grant from the U.S. government to be used to pay bills, remodel my home or a couple of other things. I was selected because I paid my taxes on time and had not filed bankruptcy (I'm pretty sure the government would take the money I owe them before sending me free money). She verified my name and then asked me for my bank account or debit card information so they could wire it to the account within 45 minutes. I said that I was not comfortable giving my info out over the phone. She asked why and I said that there are a lot of scams out there. Her reply was, "Yes, in the United States, there are a lot of scams." That would really make me think that she is not in the US and I would hope that if we can afford to give free money out, we could afford to hire a person here to make those calls - if they were true. As much as I could use $7000, it is not worth the risk of what money is in the account to try to see if it is real.

US Grants Scam Phone Calls at 315-215-1684 - Like many of the reviews, this came by phone. Similar situation in that I would receive $7000 by cash, debit or credit card for paying bills on time and paying taxes. Supposedly 1500 people in Colorado were to be recipients. Heavy Indian accent, background noise, and the number in the subject line was one that I was to call back to for the "Senior Grant Verification" person. He asked my age (probably preying on the elderly), if I was married or single and validated my address. He pushed for a bank account or credit card and I refused to give that information. When I said I wanted him to just send the check, he said they only paid by cash or by wiring money into a bank account to a credit card. I asked "how" he was going to get the cash to me and he wrapped up the call again, with the number I was to call.

My thought is that if this is accurate, the government already knows how to reach me and probably wouldn't outsource grant deliveries through foreign countries. I've had a similar experience with a pharmaceutical company that would not remove me from their call list and there was nothing local or federal law agencies could do because the caller was from another country. The phone number had to be changed and unlisted to get rid of them.

Beware of 202-405-4852. What a fraud/scam. According to the scammers, they said I was selected for an $8,000 grant money from the government and I would need to provide either my bank account information or a credit card information so the money could get wired in 45 minutes. Really? Since when can you wire money to a credit card? Either way it's a big fraud. They also read back my address, so beware. Haha - do they think we are that stupid? I was on the phone with the guy with a strong accent and he sounded like he was at a party. I kept asking him over and over different questions until he eventually hung up. Hopefully, no one falls for this scam. I tried calling the number back, but of course it is not in service.

My wife and I have been contacted twice with the Dept. of US Grants scam. Heavy accent as so many others. He gave his name as Sam **, phone number was 202-640-5457. We were to receive 7,000.00 dollars for paying our taxes and paying our bills on time. I have asked them to remove us from their list and donate the money to the deficit. Can't these guys be stopped?

As all the other people listed, I received an "unknown number" call on my cell phone. The third one today. The first two just made a tone and then disconnected. This one, however, had a man with a strong accent. Since he sounded like a telemarketer, I didn't pay attention to the name he gave. Yet he did the whole spiel of "I was selected to receive a $7000 grant from the government for not filing bankruptcy and paying my taxes online". He said that I must use the money for home repairs, education and such nothing illegal like gambling. As soon as he said he could direct deposit it into my bank account, I said I don't give that information out over the phone. He then said "I guess you'll be a grand loser then". I said that will be fine. It's better than you being a winner with my banking information and he hung up. Being that my cell number is on the do not contact list, I wonder how these individuals are getting my number and what other information they may have that is private and confidential.

I also got a call, early this morning with Korean accent. He told me that I was randomly selected to receive $7,000 which I won't have to pay for my entire lifetime because I was a good citizen, I paid my taxes and I did not file for any bankruptcy and all that stuff. He gave me a number of a person which I have to contact so that certain person can issue the check. He told me to call Kathryn ** with this number 202-407-9813. The thing is, I just got here in the USA, and I've been here for just 6 months. I don't have a job and basically I did not file for any income tax but still he insisted that I have to accept it.

Then after the call, I searched it on the web, Federal Government Grant Department which he told me was a branch of the White House. And I found out that a lot of people were complaining about this stuff. Well, I just hope they find something else for a living and not by scamming other poor citizens just like me. Even if I'm the poorest, I still deserve some dignity. God bless us all.

Grant Scams Posing as US Treasury - I have been getting phone calls on my cell phone from an unknown number for the last several months. The caller never leaves a message, and anytime I had answered the phone, there seemed to be no one on the line. That is until today when I answered and spoke to a man with an Indian accent, who told me his name was "Robaj" or some variation. He told me I was selected for a $7,000 grant from the department of US Grants and Treasury (don't think that actually exists) for being a good citizen and paying my taxes. He asked for my information, beginning with my address, which I told him he should already have, since he knew my name, phone number, and that I'd paid my bills and taxes on time.

I have gotten scam emails before and was curios to hear this man's explanation for why he was calling me, so I asked him very specific questions about the selection process, the origin of the money he promised, the name of the head of this department, and his physical location. He never answered a single question, but continued to talk in circles, reverting back to the original script he began with. From there, things got a little heated; I mentioned that I believed him to be participating in a scam and that I would not give him any of my personal information until he could verify his legitimacy.

I told him I planned on reporting his call and notifying necessary employees, to which he responded, "Go ahead and bring the police to Washington DC, Lynnwood to get me fired so I can see your **." That is when I let him know that I doubted very much I would find him anywhere in DC, and that I suspected it might be easier to find him in India. He had already given the name of a "Senior Account Manager", Patrick **, his phone number and a confirmation number to "receive my funds". I called the number he gave me: **, and spoke to another man with an Indian accent, though less pronounced, who claimed to be this Patrick ** person.

I told him of my unsettling experience with his so-called employee, and instead of apologizing, commiserating, or explaining the program further, he simply asked for my confirmation code. When I pushed him on the issue, letting him know I was skeptical, he asked for the confirmation code again, and when I let him know I would not give him any information until he could explain himself and his "department", he hung up on me. How is it that these people can be posing as government officials, questioning my patriotism because I don't jump head over heels to give them my identity, and suffer no consequences?

202-405-4852 calls many times a day. I would like for the phone calls from this number to stop. I have not answered them, because I have googled the number and I see that it is a scam.

Today, I received a call from 202-405-4852 and spoke with a woman with an extremely heavy accent. She said her name and the name of whatever "company she worked for" and informed me that I had been selected along with 1500 other Americans to receive $8400 tax-free as a yearly government selection process. I replied that the government has all of my information, including bank accounts, and that they could just direct deposit the money just like they do my paychecks since I already work directly for them (I am in the military). She then hung up on me.

I have received several phone calls from an individual claiming to be from the US Dept. of Government Grants. I was told that I have been chosen to receive $7,800 because of my good credit, no bankruptcy, etc, and that I should go to Western Union to pick it up but give them a security deposit - "red flag". If I won it, I shouldn't have to pay to get it. I have a feeling this is a scam. The sad part is that I could really use this money because I'm a single parent continuing her education in the medical field. I have been applying for various scholarships over the last six months without being a winner and I have an excellent GPA. I deserve this money and it would help with my tuition fees.

Today, I received a call from a number saying I qualify for a government grant of $7000. I gave my 16-digit credit card number, but now I am afraid what will happen to me. I got a number where I should call and verify things like account number, etc., to transfer the funds. I don't know what should I do now to stop any fraud from happening to me.

First, I would like to say that I'm sorry to hear about everybody's experience and I am very well tired of our people getting scammed. We all have kids and I think it is so gross how people could be so convincing. So, anyhow, for the most part my situation: I was called by a rep/lady on 4/14/2012 who said I qualify for a grant. As well as everyone else, I was thinking of all the bills and loans I needed to pay off and I really wasn't thinking it could be a scam. So I gave my account number to the lady rep and my bank caught it because of another situation where I got a check for $4,300 in which I opened up a bank account and deposited the check in there. I'm paying that off right now on top of my bills. This needs to stop. I have kids that are still little and need things and I'm still struggling as it so I want to call the news because this is messing people's lives up. I would be a fool to accept another phone call from anyone that is not a family or friend! God bless us all and shame on you people that are scams.

This man with a very heavy foreign accent called my phone and said I was receiving a $10,000 Government Grant for paying my taxes every year and to call this 202-241-1504 or 242-241-3446 number and gave me an access code to give when I called. I asked around about it a little first and thankfully, my father had heard of this scam and showed all the complaints to me right here on the internet. As I was typing this complaint, they called back again. I told him I knew it was a scam and to quit calling my phone. He continued to talk as I hung up on him. Watch out, they haven't been doing it for a while, but here they come again!

I got a call from 1-202-405-4852. It was a man with a very heavy accent and hard to understand. He said I had been selected to receive a grant of $8,400 for home improvement, medical bill or further education. I had to answer a bunch of yes/no questions to "prove" who I was. The guy wanted my bank account, debit card or plastic card number to wire me the money. I have been scammed before so I hung up on the man.

I had a call from a couple of Indian-sounding people who told me that I would receive $7830 in school grants that I would not pay back. Unfortunately, it looks like I was had also. I went to the Western Union in Honolulu and they asked me to wire $320 to them so they can release the money. Then they called back to ask if I can pay $750 so they can pay the tax fees for Hawaii. In total, I'm out $970. I plan to file a complaint with the authorities and have these idiots tracked down. At least, I didn't give them all of my money and I do get paid next week.

My husband received a call the other day from a woman with a strong foreign accent stating that she was from the White House and was calling people who qualified for a $10,000 loan. She gave some confirmation number to give to a so-called man named Justin who also had a foreign accent. We called him and he told us that in order to get this money from the US government, we had to make a monetary donation of $120 to a foreign country that had some kind of natural disaster and he would wire it into our bank account within 40 minutes. We gave them our debit card number. We thought about all the bills we could pay with $10,000. Well, we went to the Western Union in Kroger's while they were still on the phone (shame to say it). They seemed so legit and nice before the money. They told us that this donation was non-refundable. That's a big lie. You can get your money back from Western Union as long as it is under 72 hours: check your Western Union receipt. Once the money was wired to a Linda ** in Goa, India, he suddenly had to leave work.

The next day, there's still no money in the account, so we called him back. They made up another lie saying, "Georgia has to pay $780 on the taxes in order to get your $10,000 check." He told us to send $780 to a Gloria ** in India. We knew then that it was a scam. We played like we were sending him additional money and he was so friendly again. Once we gave him a fictitious MTCN number, he put us on hold and came back to the phone saying that that number wasn't correct. We told him the cashier made a mistake and we then gave him another fake number. He thought this was the legit number, so he made sure to tell us to hurry with the number because his shift was over. He put us on hold and came back to the phone and said that the number was wrong again and were we messing with him. We told him, "How does it feel ** to play with people's emotions? Did you really think you were going to get more money out of us? Look who's laughing now!"

This so-called Justin got mad and hung the phone up. His number is **. They even gave us a security code that we should not let anyone know about, including family members (so we won't be robbed). This is really so you won't be talked out of being a victim of this scam! People if it's a grant, it is free! You don't have to pay a fee for them to send you your money. These monsters make it sound like a real business. They even answer the phone saying, "federal grant building in Washington D.C." You have to love it when they say they are going to put you on three-way to speak to one of the head managers at the Federal Bank of New York (the house of free grants). Yeah right! If it sounds too good to be true, trust me: it is.

This woman elaborately convinced me that I qualified for a grant for my film. I had to pay her like 50 bucks to enter the competition for grant. Then I lost the grant. Then she started in on me to spend like 10 thousand dollars for my work to get a tweak up. How rotten does this smell? I do want an attorney to contact me.

A man called and said I had been chosen to receive government grant in the amount of $10,000.00 and that it was a once in a lifetime deal. He asked me for my account information. No, I did not give it to him. I asked why he wanted it. He replied there is a processing fee of $1000.00 and it had to be paid up front and that they were not allowed to deduct it from the $10,000.00 and that I would also have to donate a $1000.00 to some charity. He gave me a confirmation number with a phone number. He told me to call it back and to wait at least an hour before I called because the account manager was very busy.

I was called at 11:51 on Tuesday, 4-9-2012. This man Michael ** was telling that I was in about 10,000 people in the United States that was going to receive a $7,000 a Government Grant, no taxes and didn't have to pay it back. He said all he needed was my account number to send the money today. He said they only give the money to good people. When I asked him how he got my name and number, he said it was off of a Government List of all the people who have paid their taxes and paid all of their bills on time. I didn't give him any information. Every time I asked for a call back number, he seemed to get angry like I didn't believe him which I didn't anyway. The fact of the matter is how much information he already had about me made me very nervous and upset. Someone needs to do something about these people because they are going to take advantage of a lot of innocent people.

I guess I am feeling happy and mad at the same time. I just got a call from the same people from 202-405-4852. Just the same as all of the other comments, I was told that I was chosen this year to receive $8400 from the government and that I would not have to pay back. I was given a confirmation number and a phone number to call to claim my money. The guy sounded so believable, or maybe, I just needed it to be true.

But anyway, I knew something was wrong when the lady told me that I would have to send $195 through Western Union for a charity and call her back with the confirmation number. I asked her if there was any way that I could send it after I get the money. The lady told me no and that I would have to send it first. At that point, I was mad that I gave them my account number.

But thankfully, I just opened up that bank account, and there was no money in it. However, I am very happy that I've seen this website, and now, I am mad again, because while I was on hold, I thought of everything that I would be able to pay and do with this money. Foreigners must really feel that Americans are really gullible in order to try something like this on all of these people. I am about to call the news about this, so that they can openly make people aware of this unbelievable scam.

Today at 9:09am, I received the second call about a government grant that I had been awarded. The number on my phone came from 231-542-6784 and the man was from India since he had a very strong accent. I told him it was a scam since this is the second call from them I have received within the past two weeks. The first call told me to send $250 to cover the IRS taxes for the grant, so I told the Indian man that it was a scam because the government doesn't charge tax on a grant. He became abusive after I told him my husband was a tax accountant. He asked to speak to my husband who was on another line at the time, and couldn't answer him. I told the man this and he then said "Well, **!" and hung up the phone.

I have never been sworn at on the phone by a telemarketer before, so I was very surprised. Please stop these scammers since people are being duped by them. I never give my credit or debit card number over the phone unless I am absolutely sure to whom I am giving it, beware! They are out there preying on people who are desperate for money. No one gives away money and asks for a fee!

My husband has been receiving calls from an unknown number for about a month now and it's at the same time everyday. At first, he would answer and there would be no sound and the call would immediately drop. Then today, he received the call again and it was some guy with a very thick accent telling him he had just received a $7000 government grant. My husband would ask him if he was being serious and the guy with a very neutral tone of voice would say "yes, this is not a game and you should believe me". My husband called me immediately and I told him it was a complete scam. He was given this number 208 657 4227 and a confirmation number to receive his money. All I can say is to please watch out for any calls about grants and free money because we are in a country that does not give away money like that.