(801) 899-9324

repeated calls - I just blocked the number after reading these posts

yes and did not answer call im on a block list the goverment only contacts people by mail if these calls do not stop i will trun them over they r harressing all u need to do is a reverse look up to c who is calling

this is a scam call im on a do not call list when dealing with the goverment they will notify u by mail only i will not answer this number if these call keep gomming to me i will report as harrssing thank u

I had 3 callers call me Kevin white # 8018999324 john carry 2402447766 and martin young 3155674636 they was saying I will have to pay a 3.50 fee for the grant money ask for my account information to get the fee .told then to pay a 150.00 deposit and you will get the deposit refunded also 500.00 for tax fees and 800.00 dollars for the federal government and lawyer fees to get the grant money approved.

This person claimed to be from 'The Government' stating that I had 'won' a free grant, and the reason why is because the government just thought I needed extra money.

Apprehensive, I asked who he was affiliated with? What company he represents, how he even obtained my phone number. He just kept continually saying "Ma'am Listen to me, Okay? Listen to me. I am from The Government and this is why I have your information. Okay? Do you Believe Me?" and many other bizarre things.
After several minutes of me telling him I did not apply for anything, I did not submit my information anywhere, I did not request a phone call, he just kept getting more and more adamant that I listen to him and not ask any questions.

What stood out the most was when he continued to repeat the same statement which made me very wary, "Yes Ma'am, I know you are confused about this but The Government has chosen you to get this free grant. You have been chosen to get free money based on your financial situation and you can use it any way you want to. It does not have to be for education or anything else but what you want to spend it on, OK? Do you believe me?"

Even if I asked a completely different question to clarify what he was talking about or how 'The Government' would choose me out of so many people to just give a grant to, he would just keep saying the same thing until I said OK to what he said.

He knew my name, physical address, and email address (or at least he was reading it off a screen and would not attempt to pronunciate my information). He then guided me to the following site - www.grants.gov - and tried to make me pay him $3.80 so he could provide me with a Username and Password to have 'unlimited access' to the grant system and I would be getting anywhere from $2,000 to $7,000.

At the bottom of the Login page, it clearly says the following:

"Warning Notice!

This is a U.S. Government computer system, which may be accessed and used only for authorized Government business by authorized personnel. Unauthorized access or use of this computer system may subject violators to criminal, civil, and/or administrative action.

All information on this computer system may be intercepted, recorded, read, copied, and disclosed by and to authorized personnel for official purposes, including criminal investigations. Such information includes sensitive data encrypted to comply with confidentiality and privacy requirements. Access or use of this computer system by any person, whether authorized or unauthorized, constitutes consent to these terms.

NOTICE: The Grants.gov system contains personally identifiable information (PII) and proprietary business information that should be disseminated only to those within your agency, organization, or to individuals with a need to know the information in the course of their official duties. Such information when output in any form from the Grants.gov system must be handled and protected in accordance with applicable federal laws and Executive Orders (including Executive Order 13556 of November 4, 2010, Controlled Unclassified Information and its implementing guidance), as well as agency directives, policies, regulations, standards, and operational requirements."

I had asked him to call me back in a half hour just to pass time and research more into this prior to giving my banking information to ANYONE unfamiliar to me.

The site he directed me to actually has a section about Fraudulent Activity - (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/general-support/grant-fraud.html)

This reads that recently, and around this time of the year, people have been calling unsuspecting citizens of the United States claiming to be from 'The Government' or 'Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR)' and asking a 'processing fee' to get free money.

I am quoting the jist of what this page explains:

"No government grant-making agency will make phone calls; send email or letters to solicit money or personal banking information from a potential grant recipient.

There are no processing fees for federal grants.
Federal grants are not issued for personal use, but are intended for institutions and non-profits to carry out projects with a public purpose.

Know who you're dealing with on the web. Scam artists will often post a website with a name similar to a legitimate site.

If you have provided personal banking information to anyone claiming to be associated with a Federal grant agency, call your bank immediately to prevent unauthorized access to your account.

To obtain Federal grant information and applications, visit the following web sites: www.grants.gov, www.usa.gov, www.govbenefits.gov."

When he called me back a Half Hour later as promised, I immediately asked for his first and Last Name. The man claimed to be named 'Jeff Smith' but had a very heavy Middle-Eastern accent as if he was overseas and was very pushy about me listening to him again. He was very eager for me to give him my Credit/Debit Card number to process the $3.80 he wanted.

When I confronted him with the information I had found, and asked again why he would be asking me for a processing fee of any kind if I qualified for a Grant I did not initiate, he got even more pushy; he started saying that a lot of people think this is a scam when really it's not and I just need to trust him and listen to him and stop talking.

I then ended the call with this person, warning that I am going to report this number as a Scamming number.

BE WARNED!! NO GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WILL CALL YOU AND ASK FOR MONEY TO MAKE A GRANT GO THROUGH!!

Please be careful out there, everyone, and if it seems too good to be true it just may be.