BBB Tip of the Week
You answer your phone or listen to a voicemail message and hear the words: “You’ve won a grant.”
Should you be excited that money is coming your way or leery that someone is trying to con you? The answer depends on whether you applied for the grant.
Grants are only given to those who fit the criteria and apply, usually through a rigorous application process. Grants are never “won” by those who don’t apply, by those who happen to pay their taxes on time or have no criminal record or who have never declared bankruptcy. Basically, grants are never given out randomly based on demographics or because you’ve been a “good” citizen. For example, education grants have very specific requirements and application steps that require time and effort.
Scammers are hoping you don’t know this. They spoof a D.C. phone number and pretend to be from the federal government or a charitable organization. They claim that to receive the “grant” you need to pay a transfer or application fee, share your bank account number or send a check. They run off with your money and you get nothing but a cautionary tale to share.
Better Business Bureau offers the following advice about grants, so you are better informed if a con artist tries to run a fake grant scam by you:
• If you didn’t apply for a grant, whether from the federal government or some other funding agency, then you won’t be getting a legitimate call saying you received a grant.
• The federal government doesn’t charge a fee to apply for educational or other grants.
You can find information on how to qualify and apply for grants, loans and other financial aid for post-high school education at https://studentaid.ed.gov/.
If you are looking for assistance with job training, child care, health care and other needs, you can start by checking out http://www.benefits.gov/.
For a list of federal loans that are available for veterans, education, housing and disaster relief, along with other purposes, visit http://www.govloans.gov/.
For information for those serving in the military and veterans, visit https://www.usa.gov/military-and-veterans and http://www.va.gov/.
For more information on this scam or to report a scam, visit BBB at www.bbb.org or call (509) 455-4200. Also, you can sign up to receive Scam Alerts at www.bbb.org/scam.
By Erin T. Dodge, BBB editor