Government Grant?
By dreamertink
@dfollin (25351)
United States
August 10, 2011 4:26pm CST
I received a phone call yesterday with a person saying that me and 1900 other people were given grants from the government.The first thing I was thinking,I almost lost my social security,medicad and I cannot get food stamps or housing assistance.The food bank has been almost empty for the last year,so how can they afford to give me and 1900 other people $5000.
Of course it would be great! I could really use it now,with having to move in about 2 weeks,no place to go yet or a way to even get there.
She asked me my house number and zip code.And how I wanted the funds,in my bank account,on my credit or debit card or by cash.
The caller gave me a file number and told me to call another phone number,tell them my file number and that person would tell me how to process to claim my funds.I called the number and gave them the file number and she pulled up my info from the computer.She verified my house number and zip code as well as the payment method that I wanted it in.
Then she tells me that I need to go to the nearest Western Union store the $5,000 will be there waiting for me,but for the clerk to release the payment along with an additional payment of $190 in it to me I have to send them $190 as a deposit to verify that I am who I say I am.
Has anyone else got a call like this?
She asked me my house number and zip code.And how I wanted the funds,in my bank account,on my credit or debit card or by cash.
The caller gave me a file number and told me to call another phone number,tell them my file number and that person would tell me how to process to claim my funds.I called the number and gave them the file number and she pulled up my info from the computer.She verified my house number and zip code as well as the payment method that I wanted it in.
Then she tells me that I need to go to the nearest Western Union store the $5,000 will be there waiting for me,but for the clerk to release the payment along with an additional payment of $190 in it to me I have to send them $190 as a deposit to verify that I am who I say I am.
Has anyone else got a call like this?5 people like this
18 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
10 Aug 11
I agree with everyone else, this doesn't sound right. If you want the real grant, you can go through FASFA to see if you qualify, but unless you filled out a form, anything else is a scam..
2 people like this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
11 Aug 11
Well that I do know, I lost a good portion of my grant because the government is poor.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Aug 11
hi carm and dfollin tell me about it. for four years and now from what I understand three more years we on Social security and SSi check have not had a cost of living raise nor will we get one fo another three years. our US is broke really and they sure as heck are not going to tell us that. thirteen trillion dollars 
2 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
11 Aug 11
Good morning ,Donna. Sounds like a sacm to me, please be careful.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
11 Aug 11
It is a scam and you should report it to the police. Do not give them anything.
2 people like this
@metahelly (42)
• Romania
11 Aug 11
It's definitely a scam... don't you ever trust people telling you won different sort of prizes, unless your participated to a competition or something. In that case they won't put you pay anything.
When it seems to good to be real it probably doesn't.
2 people like this
@pacsmachine (65)
• Philippines
11 Aug 11
This is definitely a scam. I've experienced a lot of text messages some months ago telling that my cellular phone number was chosen from a certain raffle and that I've won a certain amount. I asked my friend if this might be true. He told me that this is a mere fraud.
2 people like this
@goggles213 (735)
• Philippines
11 Aug 11
This is a scam, please don't send them any money. Your personal information has already been sent out but that's okay, just report them to your nearest law enforcement agency. Some people has been scammed thousands of dollars because of this, stop contacting them before it gets worst.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
10 Aug 11
I'm afraid this is a scam.
You might, indeed, receive a Western Union check once you hand over the $190 but, when you try to cash it, you will find that it will be a fake. Of course, you will be out of pocket by $190 and may also be in trouble for trying to pass a false check. Believe me, you will not be able to trace the scammers.
This is just a variation on several other scams of this nature.
2 people like this
@oscarbartoni (2581)
• United States
11 Aug 11
A grant is just that something without and money having to be paid for it. Any time that someone asks for money, that should be a red flag that they are just after your money and not to help ;you , just to help themselves to your money. And the place where you are to shop the money is to a post office box that cannot be traced easily and may be somewhere here in the United States of America but then some one will get it out of the box and ship it to an offshore place where the United States has no juristictions to prosecuate the bad guys.I know of a few people who fell for thes scams for thousands of dollars.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Aug 11
hi again dawn anddfollin my friend nelda fell for a similar scam and they sent her a check for four thousand five hundred dollars and the banker could not tell for sure but she got a call from this woman before she got the check then she got another call in order to get another 4,000 she had to send them four hundred dollars. b y this time they found this particular scheme on the new lists of new scams on the internet and too a different bank official verfied the
check was indeed bogus. she almost fell for this because of the personal call. I never recived a call from anyone.but I did get two bogus checks myself which I never did anyting but give all the crap to the postmaster in my city. He had a pileof ten of these bogus things all wanting to hire us as secret shoppers. loll
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Aug 11
to add in my friends case they were told to notify the local FBI and they took it from there as these people were claiming she had won altogether 8thusand five hundred dollars. oh she was so sure it was real. but of course it was bogus
1 person likes this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
10 Aug 11
Oh dear I've been receiving so many calls and e-mails of that sort. But of course I have to use my brain. How possible are those amazing opportunities that would just come and knock at my door. Surely they are nothing but scam. Any "offer" that require you to give money first is certainly a scam so better just ignore lest you be included in the list of "Scammed".
@RamRes (1723)
• Argentina
11 Aug 11
Just a scam if you think it seriously you'll find it. No government will give you a subsidy unless you explicitly request it, even less calling you from an unknown source and without signing any papers at all, moreover, they would NEVER request you money to give you money, it doesn't make sense.
That scheme is quite common though email spams chains, they give you a prize you never played for and request a small fee to cover something, but after you pay you'll never heard from them again. It's new to me that they call you on your home by phone.
It would be good if you call some authority and give them the details of the scam. Perhaps they may want to do something to stop them.
2 people like this
@stary1 (6612)
• United States
10 Aug 11
Sounds like a typical scam. Anytime anyone asks for upfront money to be wired/sent to them, be suspicious. If you tell them to take out the $190 and just release the remaining $4810, I bet they would have all types of excuses why they can't do that.
People who build false hopes like this are creeps. They prey on those who could be vulnerable and all in the name of their own personal greed. I hope karma punishes them severely.
dfollin , I am sorry for your situation and I'll say some prayers for you for your situation to improve. I wish you all the best,
. Anytime anyone asks for upfront money to be wired/sent to them, be suspicious. If you tell them to take out the $190 and just release the remaining $4810, I bet they would have all types of excuses why they can't do that.
People who build false hopes like this are creeps. They prey on those who could be vulnerable and all in the name of their own personal greed. I hope karma punishes them severely.
dfollin , I am sorry for your situation and I'll say some prayers for you for your situation to improve. I wish you all the best,
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Aug 11
dfollin oh no you did not go that far? you should have deleted it, they want your info so they can sc am you. the 5000 dollar check is bogus as any bank official wold tell you. they want one hundred ninety dollars from you and once they get it you will never see any other money . the check if you take it will just bounce,it is bogus, nobody is getting any grants, this scheme is already been on the net as fraud you have almost been taken do not take the check. yes they have scammed numerous others. nobody is going to send you and 190 0 other people a real 5000 dollar check. its a horrid scam.
twice I almost fell for these but those big checks are always bogus.
twice I almost fell for these but those big checks are always bogus.1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
20 Aug 11
I haven't got any phone calls like that, but I get emails like that all the time. I wouldn't give them any information if I had got a call like that because I'd be afraid to get lots of junk mail sent. As far as the deposit goes, I would tell them to take it out of the funds they are sending me as I don't have it (even if I did have it). They would take your money and you would never get theirs. Sounds like a scam to me!
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
10 Aug 11
This is a very common scam. I received a government grant when I went to college here. Government grants pay the college directly, not you at all! If there's any way to get that phone call traced, do it & report the bugger. Free legal assistance offices in your country might also be able to offer some good advice on what to do now, as may the police. Just keep all the records & don't destroy them. I hope you can pursue this & sort out whoever is doing this to people so that others need not suffer in the same way as you have. Hopefully there will be some compensation for you somewhere along the line.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (25351)
• United States
11 Aug 11
I had a government grant also in college and I didn't get any funds sent to me either.Once before I had a scam contact me and sent me some emails.I called the police all they said was that there was a lot of scams out there like that,for me to avoid it.Previously I did have a scam rip me off for over a thousand dollars and I was told that was too bad that if they are ever caught they will contact me.
Most recently,I got a job doing marketing.They sent me a pay check,the credit union that my account was at and I deposited the check at told me that it had cleared.I went and got the money and paid some bills.The next day the credit union called me and told me that it hadn't cleared,that the account was even a fraud!Then they told me that I had 10 days to bring the money back in to pay them back.I explained to them that they had told me that it had cleared and that I had already used the money.I was told to find a way to borrow it.
Ten days later,their security officer went to my moms house and told her what happened and said that if I didn't call him in 24 hours they would arrest me for fraud!This officer knew me and he knew that I was not purposely passing bad checks.But,he told me that if I did not sign a contract with them to pay them back in a high monthly payment(knowing that I am low income)or he would have me arrested.
1 person likes this
