Grant scams are a common type of fraud that can cost you money, time, or trouble with law enforcement. Grant scammers often target people who are looking for financial help and offer to pay their debt in exchange for pre-determined payments. Grant scams come in many forms and can be very convincing.
To help you out of such scams, we’ll be having a look at 5 grant scams to avoid in 2022 below. So, stay tuned as we kick things off!
Common Grant Money Scams
1. Get rich quick schemes
Get rich quick schemes are scams. They promise you a lot of money and they will take your money if you don’t do something specific like read an ad or download an app.
They’re all over the internet, but here are some examples:
You’ll get rich by opening up a business with this guy who claims to have access to vast sums of cash, but only if you buy his product/service first.
You can make lots of money by buying stock in companies that will soon go public (or already have). The catch? You have to invest in something called “private equity” instead of traditional stocks—and then wait for years before seeing any return on those investments!
2. Advance fee scams
Advance fee scams are a type of fraud that require a payment before you get your grant. This is often done through email or by phone. The scammer will tell you that there is some kind of problem with your application and needs to be fixed before submitting it on time for review, then asks for money in order to resolve this issue. If this happens, report it immediately!
3. Social Media Alerts
Grant scams are especially common on social media platforms such as Facebook, when fraudulent parties acting as friends send naïve business owners messages proposing government grant opportunities. These messages attempt to attract viewers to websites such as GoFreeGovernmentMoney.com. Even simply visiting that website can expose consumers to phishing; however, completing the “application” can result in absolute calamity.
4. False claims of government affiliation
You can’t be charged for a grant. Government agencies don’t charge for grants and they don’t ask you to pay anything up front. If you’re asked to send money or credit card information, run away!
The government doesn’t need your personal information in order to process your request or award the funds. This is also true for any other kind of mailing—that’s just standard practice when dealing with private organizations and businesses, so please don’t worry too much about phishing emails that claim otherwise!
5. Phone Calls and Robocalls
Grant fraudsters also contact their victims via phone calls. They disguise themselves as federal personnel and set their location to a popular place such as Washington DC, so you’ll think they’re legitimate based on the caller ID. They may also use robocalls, which should be avoided in any situation, including federal grant offers. Don’t be a victim if you notice stuff like that!
Conclusion
We hope this guide has helped you avoid some of the most common grant scams in 2022. These schemes are easy to spot and can be easily avoided by asking a few simple questions, like who is asking for the money? If they have no answers, walk away from their offer!
