How To Avoid A Grant Scam

Jeffrey Simmons
Published Jul 17, 2024

Foremost, you should never pay for a grant service. Applying for a federal grant is free. Many sites will offer a grant writing service or promise that you have a better chance to be approved for a grant if you put down your credit card. This is almost always false. Please avoid this mistake and refuse to give your credit card or bank account information.

There are a variety of ways that scammers target people. They may call them or post an ad on the internet. They may also put ads on television. People may be told that they can get a grant to pay for college tuition, buy a house or pay their bills. The method that they use to contact people does not matter. The pitch is the same.

The Federal Trade Commission has stated that agencies that target people saying that they can get a grant without paying anything are almost always a scam. The FTC helps protect people from dishonest business practices. Many people will place ads on the internet and in the newspapers in order to target people. They may post a number and instruct people to all them.

Many people will call people and say that they are from a real organization. For example, they may use the term "Federal Grants Agency." The company may start asking you questions as soon as they get you on the phone. They will also tell you that you have been pre-approved. No authentic agency will call you and tell you that you have pre-qualified for a grant. That is why the FTC has stated that these grants are always scams.

The scammers will ask people to provide their financial information after they tell them that they have qualified for a grant. The scammers will probably tell you that they need this information in order to give you your funds. They may also tell you that you need to send in money in order to cover the processing fees. There are different methods that the scammers can use in order to get your money.

Regardless of the way that they try to get your money, it is always a scam. There are ways that you can you can prevent yourself from getting scammed.

1.) Do not share any of your financial information. Scammers are known for using whatever tactics they can to get people to share their information. You should not give out any of your personal information to someone that you do not know.

2.) You should not pay anything for a grant. A legitimate company will not ask you to pay anything for a free grant. They also will not charge you anything to provide a list of grants. You can find a list of grants at the public library. You can also visit grants.gov to get a list of grants.

3.) You will need to do research on the name of the agency. A scammer can give you a name that does not exist, but it sounds legitimate. You can find out whether the company is legitimate by doing an internet search. You can also look in the phone book.

4.) There are ways that phone numbers can be disguised. This means that they can disguise a number to make it look like it is coming from one place, and it is actually coming from another place.

5.) Be Careful About the Calls You Accept. If you register your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry, then you will be less likely to get these types of phone calls. You will need to call 1-888-382-1222 if you want to put your number on the do not call list. You can also visit donotcall.gov to register. If you have a smart phone, then there are apps that you can use in order to block wanted calls.

6.) You will need to get in touch with the Federal Trade Commission. You can contact the FTC if you have already been scammed. The method that the scammers used to contact you does not matter. You can file a complaint and register a fraud complaint. You will need to call ftccomplaintassistant.gov. You can also call 1-877-382-4357.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that if an offer sounds like a scam, then it probably is. Government agencies do not contact people and tell them that they have been awarded a free grant. It is also important for you to warn your family members and friends about the different scams that are out there. Many people do not realize that there are a lot of grant scams.

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