Grant Scams Target Students!
Grant scams have greatly increased in the last few years, and many people have become a victim of this scam. - Due to less and less money being allotted to schools for education, parents and students have been scrambling to find more money so their child is able to continue schooling; thus, more and more have been falling victim to this compassionless crime.
Click identity theft scams to see a complete list of scams.
Thieves capitalize on the fact that parents and students who are strapped for cash will jump at the chance when the thief informs you you’ve qualified for a government grant or your child has won a scholarship.
The thief tells you that all you have to do is pay a processing fee or give your credit card number to hold the award. ZAP! There goes your money and ID.
Government grant agencies/scholarship-awarding organizations typically won’t initiate correspondence or require fees up front.
Beware of offers that use P.O. Boxes for the return address or demand immediate responses.
- "Free grants" are advertised all the time in national papers and magazines. Ads that offer “free government grants” are 98% scams.
Grant Scams Run The Gambit Saying:
- Receive free government grants!
- Government gives away free money!
- Get your government grant today!
- $100,000 free from the government!
These scammers will claim you can receive free grant money for not only educational costs, but expenses for home business and repairs for your home and even bills that are unpaid.
- I’ve had friends that received phone calls from what they thought was a person stating they were from a government agency, and sounded so official; my friends thought this was the “real deal”.
- My friends were all told the money didn’t need to be paid back and was free.
Generally, the scammer states you are eligible for the grant money, asks for a checking account number saying this will cover a processing fee, and the free grant money will be deposited directly into your account.
Scammers normally follow a script when asking you these personal questions.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) says most free grant money scams, whether advertised in a magazine, paper, or by phone, are grant scams.
See nigerian scams for more.
Tips When Dealing With Free Grants;
- Don’t pay money for “free” government grants.
- Don’t give out any personal information, especially your checking account number. You’ll not only get scammed regarding the grant, but give the thief “free” access to your bank account, and it is a perfect identity theft scam.
- Don’t believe a caller just because he states he works for a government agency such as Federal Administration for Grants; there is no such agency.
- Check to see if there is such a listing in the blue pages of your phone book.
- Control the calls you receive. Area codes can be disguised in your caller ID system. The scammer can be calling from anywhere in the world, even though the area code looks to be Boston or AZ, etc.
Stop telemarketing calls by placing your phone number in the Do Not Call Registry.
- Online - donotcall.gov
- Phone - 1-888-382-1222
- TTY - 1-866-290-4236
Click here for more at do not call list.
Report grant scams to the FTC Federal Trade Commission. Visit FTC.gov or call 1-877-382-4357, TTY – 1866-653-4261.
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