I'm entitled to a government grant, supposedly? I never applied...

[tjdee]

I just got a call from someone claiming that the federal government wants to give me a grant for a couple thousand dollars. All I have to do is pay a processing fee of about 300 bucks. They wanted my bank information in order to "verify" that I have a valid checking account.

The site she gave me is http://www.governmentgrants.com

Scam, right?

[Avalux]

1. Sounds like a scam to me -

You didn't apply, and they want 300 bucks to "process" the grant along with your bank info. Hmmmmm. I'd pass on that one. :hi:

[tjdee]

4. That's what I thought.

But she made it sound pretty legit, I didn't catch on until midway through the conversation.

[yardwork]

2. never give out your bank account info!

Nobody will give anybody a grant unless they apply. This is a scam.

[tjdee]

3. I didn't give out my account number, but I did give the bank name...

and she had my address already.

So I'm still okay, right?

She said she needed to "verify some information". She had my address already, and she asked if I was still using X bank. I said no, Y bank relexively--and that was the last information I gave her.

I think in my head, I went...oh, the fed directly deposited my refund into my old bank, that's how she knows--but I caught on right after that.

:scared:

[Avalux]

5. Should be OK as long as you didn't give any personal info

Did she give you a phone # to call her back or do you have the # on caller ID? I'd follow up on it.

[tjdee]

7. I'm going to try to, yeah.

It makes me so mad, because just an hour before I was trying to resolve an issue with Comcast (bastions of hell) and yelling about how i have no money.

And then they call and try to take advantage of me?

:grr:

[sundog]

6. scam

if it was really a gov't grant, it would be .gov

[tjdee]

8. That's what I said, and she said they were a "third party" for the fed.

Like the fed authorizes them, or something really trumped up and fake sounding.

[borlis]

9. I got a couple of calls like that also.

They told me I was entitled to a $5000 grant. I told them it had to have some strings attached....the government usually doesn't just give money away. They insisted it was legit. I told them that it probably had some hidden agenda like I would have to send my kids to Iraq or something and I hung up.