Financial scams and government grant money

A lot of people actually believe that the Federal government simply hands out money to citizens on request. The government does not give cash away, but that does not prevent people from participating in a financial scam that continues to work.

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That idea that there is government grant money for anybody continues to flourish, but it just is not true; it’s just a popular financial scam. The prospect of receiving money from the Government for no reason appears to be a popular one, as late night advertising suggests that grant money is available to almost anyone for any reason. The television advertising for grant money hints that if you need money for debt consolidation or grant money to buy a house, all you have to do is apply.

Uncle Sam won't be giving money away so you can pay off your Mastercard or Discover card bill, and unlike a current financial scam that is making the rounds, he's not handing out money by simply calling Americans out of the blue. The list of things for which government money is offered is quite lengthy, and can be had directly from a federal Website. Washington does offer grants for certain things.
 

Consumers keep falling for schemes involving federal money. In a recent example, crooks who claim to represent the U.S. government are contacting their would-be victims on the telephone and declaring that the victim is permitted to receive a government grant. The amount varies, but numbers often mentioned are either $6000 or $12,000. The caller either tells the would be victim that the cash is theirs with no strings attached or that the funds will be sent once a $250 "processing fee" is remitted. The caller then requests specific information from the would be victim, including name, street address, Social Security number and checking or savings account information. The person on the phone explains that this process, "by Federal law" involves putting the funds directly into the would be victim's bank account. No check or paperwork will be sent by mail, the caller says.

There is no money; the whole purpose of the call is to obtain the would be victim's bank account information. Once he or she has the victim's personal information, the caller can either withdraw the $250 "handling fee" or simply take all the cash out of the account.

Formally filing for grant money from the government is not a simple thing to do, no matter what the guy with the question marks on his suit on it claims. Federal money is only given out to individuals who can do things that the government would really like to see accomplished. If you can create a way to take salt out of seawater cheaply, you can likely get a grant for it. These schemes continue to flourish because of the continuing belief that Uncle Sam gives away money. Washington does not hand out money; they take money, which is why we pay taxes. The process of filing for, and obtaining, a grant is a long and tedious one that involves a great deal time and a lot of paperwork.

Do not ever give personal information to someone you do not know over the telephone, as only bad things can come from that. If anyone contacts you and informs you that you are permitted to receive government grant money, end the call. You have better things to do with your time than talk to these people. You also have better things to do with your money.