![\"Scammer](\"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/scammer-phone.jpg\" "\\"Scammer")
<\/a><\/p>\nScammers use anything they can in order to trick their targets. The con artists say that they are from government agencies such as the Social Security Administration<\/a>, the IRS<\/a>, and the Federal Trade Commission<\/a>. Scammers have been targeting people to trick them into applying or receiving fake grants from various government agencies. The caller requests personal information to process the grant. They may ask for your date of birth, phone number, address, social security number, annual income, bank account, or other financial information. Scammers claim that the bank account information is necessary to pay a one-time processing fee. They may also state that the free money will be direct deposited or sent through a wire transfer. The aim of a grant scam is identity theft along with draining your bank account.<\/p>\n Callers may claim they work for a government program that gives grants to people in need. Parameters are usually vague. Some offer free money to pay bills, for educational purposes, or home improvements. Anyone who calls you out of the blue and claims to work for the government is probably a scammer. \u00a0The FTC has written a guide<\/a> on identifying the calls and what to do to avoid being a victim.<\/p>\n Telemarketers and scammers always have a script to follow when making phone calls. Here are some common lines con artists might use to lure you into their scams:<\/p>\n These are facts about how the government grant process works:<\/p>\n If you receive information online about a government grant, visit the \u00a0Index of Government Agencies<\/a>. All legitimate agencies are listed. Beware of callers using a similar agency name. Scammers may also invent a fake agency name such as the Federal Grants Administration. It sounds official, but the agency doesn\u2019t exist. Legitimate agencies include:<\/p>\n Warning signs for fraud include:<\/p>\n Phone calls are the most common form of contact for government grant\u00a0scams. However, scams can take place through text message, email, or social media sites.<\/p>\n A common text message is short and contains a link. It may look like this: \u201cCongratulations! You are eligible to receive a free grant from the federal government. Click here: www.fakemessage.org\u201d<\/p>\n Emails are more elaborate and detailed. The message claims you have been chosen for a free government grant because you signed up for a website. The email explains the grant and the fact that it\u2019s free money. There is a website link or place to enter personal information. The signature shows the following fake information: name, agency, and a non-existent address in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n Con artists use social media sites to get money from potential victims. Targets receive a private message about a free grant. The message may come through as an ad or from someone on your friends list. If you receive a message from a friend, contact the friend in a separate message asking if it\u2019s legit. If the friend didn’t send the message, all parties should change passwords immediately.<\/p>\n If you receive a suspicious call, hang up. Do not press 1 to be removed or give out your personal information. The caller may make threats, but do not respond. You can block calls on your iPhone<\/a> or Android if the number is in the form of a standard number. Scammers use different numbers to confuse targets, so be aware of strange numbers.<\/p>\n Notify law enforcement via their non-emergency line if the caller makes any type of threats. You should also report the call to ftc.gov\/complaint<\/a>, Better Business Bureau<\/a>, and support@grants.gov. Include the following:<\/p>\n Remember, if you receive a call from a scammer, simply hang up. Do not answer any questions or give out personal information. Don\u2019t confirm information the caller claims to have. The best way to avoid scams is to let unknown numbers go to voicemail. Don\u2019t call back and block the phone number of any suspected scam phone call.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scammers use anything they can in order to trick their targets. The con artists say that they are from government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the IRS, and the Federal Trade Commission. Scammers have been targeting people to trick them into applying or receiving fake grants from various government agencies. The caller requests […more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[48,51,53,50,27,52],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.creativejapan.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Grant Scams<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Following the Script<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The Government Grant Process<\/h2>\n
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Investigate the Grant<\/h2>\n
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Red Flags<\/h2>\n
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Forms of Contact<\/h2>\n
Text Message<\/h3>\n
Email<\/h3>\n
Social Media Sites<\/h3>\n
Report Suspicious Activity<\/h2>\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n