Government Grants Do Not Require Up-Front Payment
4/29/2015
The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (the Board) has been contacted by numerous member of the public concerning a government-grant scam. Typically, victims are receiving calls from scam artists who inform their victims that they are eligible to receive a federal government individual assistance grant in exchange for payment of a "processing fee' by the victim. In some case, the scam artist will ask for bank account information. Often, the scam artist will claim the grant is funded by the Recovery Act and invite the victim to visit the Board's website, Recovery.gov in an effort to make the call appear legitimate.
Please be advised there is no such program.
If you think you have been a victim of a government-grant scam, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) , or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357; TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enteres internet, telemarketing, identify theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure on-line database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law-enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad.
The FTC also provides more information about government-grant scams.