Quote:
Originally posted by Coramoor
Has anyone ever heard of this company?
I recently got a phone call from them telling me that I was eligible for some gov't grant and that they were sending me the paperwork to get it....only there was a one time fee of XX amount.
I for one am extremely suspicious of phone calls like that, but I figure I might check around and see if anyone else has dealt with them or have heard anything about them.
I did look them up on the internet...but nothing about them came up, so that makes me even more leary of this offer.
|
don't do it!
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_alerts/grant.html
Definitely report to your state's Attorney General; have any details handy - time of call, number, what the caller said...
Snopes is also very handy -
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/govgrant.asp
Regarding the government grant scam, keep these three points in mind:
* The U.S. Government does not telephone people to offer them grants.
* Grants are never guaranteed, nor are they issued for no apparent purpose, so folks should be downright suspicious of any talk of grants where the words "free" or "guarantee" are bandied about.
* Real government grants require extensive documentation with great attention to detail. There is nothing simple or painless about securing a government grant.
How To Avoid Falling Victim To Prepayment Scams:
* Above all else, have nothing to do with 'deal of a lifetime' offers that require payment in advance of fees. Do not fall in with schemes whereby you are required to prepay taxes on lottery winnings, or pay to have a prize shipped to you, or are to be charged a loan application fee. Do not pay someone for the privilege of working for them.
* With regard to 'free government grants' come-ons, disabuse yourself of the notion that the U.S. government is in the business of providing grants (aka free money) to whichever of its citizens have made it their habit to pay their taxes on time. (Rather, the U.S. government offers a disincentive to those who are tardy with their payments — it assesses penalties for deadlines missed and charges interest on the amounts overdue.)
* Stop believing in the chimera of "something for nothing."
Hybrid Mode
