A Joshua Tree man was recently conned by scammers posing as members of a grant application committee. According to Sheriff’s reports, the victim was contacted online by the scammers who invited the victim to apply for a grant. The scammers told the victim to purchase Google Play gift cards and send them the codes for the grant application. The victim complied, handing over an unknown amount of money to the scammers. Reporter Cassidy Taylor joins us now with tips on how to avoid this scam…
Sometimes, it’s an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a “free grant” to pay for various expenses. Other times, it’s a phone call supposedly from a government agency or some other organization with an official sounding name. In either case, the claim is the same: your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted, and you’ll never have to pay the money back. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that “money for nothing” grant offers usually are scams, no matter where you see them.
To avoid this scam, don’t give out your bank account information to anyone you don’t know, and don’t pay any money for a “free” government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a “free” government grant, it isn’t really free and just because they say they are from the government, doesn’t mean that they are. Also, phone numbers can deceive and pretend to call from a local area code or one from Washington, D.C. Finally, if they ask for money or mention a “processing fee,” you’re most likely better off by hanging up.
You can report this kind of scam and other scams to the FTC by calling 877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or by filing a complaint online.
Complaint Website: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/?pid=B
