Government Scam Alert – Requesting Money

Government Scam Alert  —  The U.S. government (USA.gov website) received a comment on Facebook recently  from a woman who said the U.S. Federal Government Grants Department called and claimed she needed to pay more than $600 in order to receive federal benefits totaling $8,000.  She paid the money, never got the $8,000 and asked them how to get her money back.

The phone call was a scam. The Federal Government Grants Department doesn’t exist.  The federal government does give out grants, but they are from a specific department or agency, not the generic one used in this scam.  More importantly, the government will never call or text you to ask for money.  Most government grants are only issued after the official paperwork has been signed.  Even though the woman wrote down the phone number of the caller, it can be hard to trace it back to a real person because of tricks like caller ID spoofing.  This means that she probably won’t be able to get her money back.

Be suspicious of any call, text, or e-mail that claims to be from the government.  Scammers often use names that sound like real government agencies but aren’t.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, has more tips on spotting fake callers and other frequent scams.

You can find the official names and contact information for federal government agencies in their  A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies.  Don’t hesitate to contact the agency that claims you owe them money.  Be sure to use the contact information listed in the A-Z Index and not the contact information the caller or e-mail provides.

If you do get scammed, then you should file a complaint with the FTC and your state’s consumer agency.

Taken from USA.gov email dated 11/3/13