Specifically, Federal government agencies and employees never ask people to wire money or use a prepaid debit card to pay for anything. A real government agency won't ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded-or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. If you have to pay money to claim a "free" government grant, it isn't a government grant and it isn't really free. Don't pay any money for a "free" government grant.Don't share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Don't give out your bank account information to anyone you don't know.The FTC says following a few basic rules can keep you from losing money to these "government grant" scams: If you think that someone has fraudulently represented or HHS, contact the HHS Fraud Hotline at 1-80 and email Things You Should Do to Protect Yourself from Scammers You will not be contacted by the government to make you pay for a grant.ALL government grants involve an application process to carry out projects with a public purpose and are not intended for personal use.There are no fees associated with applying for a government grant.The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is.The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet.Government grant applications and information about them are free.Quick Facts about the Government Grant Process If you're not sure whether you're dealing with the government, look up the official number of the agency. Scammers might have personal information about you before they call, so don't take that as a sign they're the real thing. You can't rely on caller ID because scammers know how to rig it to show you the wrong information (aka "spoofing"). Although it may look like they’re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. HHS never endorses or uses private companies or individuals for these purposes. Fraudsters in the past have used the words and letters of HHS programs to give the false impression that their costly seminars or pay-per-use grant application tools are approved, endorsed, or authorized by HHS. It is illegal to ask you to pay to apply for or to increase your odds of being awarded a federal grant.īe careful to watch for scammers that falsely use HHS symbols and language to trick you and others. People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be "federal government" officials-don’t be fooled by these scams that request money from you.
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