FTC SCAM ALERTS: Federal Government ‘Giving’ Thousands of Dollars Away

By  //  September 26, 2015

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION SCAM ALERT

The federal government is not giving away thousands of dollars in grants to people who pay their taxes on time, have no criminal records, never declared bankruptcy or were "selected in a demographic survey." Anyone who claims you’ll get ‘free money’ for those reasons is trying to scam you. (Shutterstock.com image)
The federal government is not giving away thousands of dollars in grants to people who pay their taxes on time, have no criminal records, never declared bankruptcy or were “selected in a demographic survey.” Anyone who claims you’ll get ‘free money’ for those reasons is trying to scam you. (Shutterstock.com image)

Consumer.ftc.gov – Growing up, we all learned that money doesn’t grow on trees.

Here’s another hard truth: the federal government is not giving away thousands of dollars in grants to people who pay their taxes on time, have no criminal records, never declared bankruptcy or were “selected in a demographic survey.”

Anyone who claims you’ll get ‘free money’ for those reasons is trying to scam you.

The scam starts with a call from a ‘spoofed’ phone number that seems to be from Washington, DC.

The caller gives an official-sounding agency name like the ‘Federal Grant Education Department’ or ‘US Grant Commission’ and may know your name and address.

When he finishes blabbing about the money you’ll get, there’s a catch: he wants you to pay a transfer fee or application fee, give him your bank account number, or send a check before he sends the ‘grant.’

FTC SCAM ALERTS: Stopping Unwanted Phone Calls And Text MessagesRelated Story:
FTC SCAM ALERTS: Stopping Unwanted Phone Calls And Text Messages

Save yourself time and money. Don’t respond.

If you get a call like this, hang up right away. Remember, if you didn’t apply for a federal grant, the government won’t call and offer you one. The federal government doesn’t charge a fee to apply for educational or other grants.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SCAM ALERTS