Might want to check those numbers here my friend: http://800notes.com/forum/ta-55ea60849e887f9/ ... -and-scam-calls

I got the same call,  I think it is a scam.  The company's website is very scammie in its presentation... In that there is no contact info and I looked for any business information on the web, like Corsera, and white pages.com.  they do not exist in Boston or anywhere else that I can see.  I am in Boston.  The phone number is not a boston phone number with an area 202.  Going to add the number to my block list.

I got an almost identical call today March 18th.  She said her name was Michelle Samares and wanted quotes on really boring business cards (single sided, matte, black and white with Times New Roman lettering) and didn't have a lot of specifics but claimed to be needing to order business cards for dozens of clients so the names addresses and phone numbers would vary.  Her first quote was for 21 sets.  She requested an account with a net 30 but said the checks go out every 24 hours.  She said I would be getting a call from Dun and Bradstreet to verify the quality of the transaction I had with her.  Her email was a little weird management1925@yahoo.com which arose suspicion since usually big companies have internal email addys.  She seemed friendly but spoke with a strong foreign accent.  She said she was from a Boston company called "Business Credit Approve" so I mentionned I was from Boston also but she didn't identify with anything Boston related I brought up, leading me to believe she really isn't in Boston.  The whole thing smells a little fishy.  I just don't understand what the scam accomplishes....

Who is using this number?

usual AND  never ending  fake /  fraud  / bogus /   scam  /  fraud  calls   ringing  in  with a  "  202"  area  code  !!!

more  than likely   (  99  %  )   one   of  the   several   "  202"  area  code  fraud  scams   going  around !!!

PLEASE  NOTE !!!   THESE  SCAMMERS  ARE ALSO IMPERSONATING   THE  US  GOV'T /  SEVERAL  GOV'T  OFFICES AND   PERSONS....BEWARE !!!

- also  impersonating    US  MARSHALLS /   DEA AND  DRUG  ENFORCEMENT  etc....

some  are landlines...many  are  cell phones...some  are  spoofed  and  linked  to  offshore foreign countries !!!!

we've  traced  back  most  of  these  numbers  to  offshore  foreign    call centers  in  INDIA /  THAILAND / AFRICA  /  JAMAICA  ETC....

here's a  few  other  numbers  posted  from  the   same  area  code  offering a  wide  variety  of  scams  /  fake  emails and  scams  after  posting  something  on   craigslist   (  old  scam  )  ...... collecting  for  non  existant  "  payday  loans "....free  money / scam  giveaways /  $1,000's  in  free  gov't  money /  fake   vehicle  extended  warranties  etc.............  etc  etc.....stories  change  out  all the  time......and  the  usual  nonsense!!!

**   mysteriously  call to  claim  they  have  several  thousand  of  dollars  to  send  you....just  provide  you  bank  account and  credit  card   right  away   etc etc.........scam scam

several  of  these are  the  usual   long  ongoing  scams   such  as  :  you  have  won a  free  walmart /  bestbuy  gift  card....or  you  have  won a  free  ipad  etc......all  long  ongoing  scams

202-621-0436  ( offshore  foreign  call center ? )  poor  english and  violent on the  phone!  claim  to  be  giving  away  $1,000's  in  free cash....just  give  them all your  personal  info  etc........

202-657-4485
202-684-6393
202-607-2732
202-657-6800
202-905-0682
202-215-2622
202-202-0000  ( fake  #  )
202-559-4661
202-684-6796
202-615-1823
202-239-0331
202-407-7213
202-657-6252
202-559-0667
202-558-4605
202-684-8305
202-785-5534
202-827-0661
202-621-0667
202-534-3926
202-599-8726
202-286-0705
202-559-0687
202-779-8686
202-234-3930
202-683-9875
202-405-4852
202-599-7894
202-895-0900
202-779-8686
202-738-5647
202-417-7606
202-403-4812
202-379-1926
202-644-8750
202-595-9420
202-870-5859
202-380-3449
202-674-8706
202-730-9951
202-684-2191
202-674-8789
202-615-5910
202-417-4483
202-664-2228
202-506-8939
202-640-5461
202-559-4645
202-674-2106
202-239-2860
202-470-0037
202-239-1271
202-379-1935
202-470-6720
202-505-6138
202-650-6145
202-715-6610
202-684-8622
202-800-5517
202-559-4664
202-436-9919
202-241-4267
202-827-0660
202-599-8821
202-407-9217
202-280-7882
202-391-0961
202-640-5457
202-640-5495
202-640-2926
202-559-7869
202-434-1317
202-738-9778
202-644-8989
202-730-9945
202-580-8490
202-506-9957
202-241-5691
202-803-4978



Caller: 202 AREA CODE FRAUD SCAMS

Telephone Prefix 202-621-0041
Service Provider
     LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS
Type
     CLEC
Location
     WASHINGTON, DC


Telephone Technical Information
Central Office Code
     WASHDC5K117
Rate Center
     WASHINGTON ZONE 1 (DC)
LATA
     23

i got a call from a "michelle" who claims to be from a company called credit approved in boston. she didnt have an a company email or a website for the so called "Credit Approve" business she was calling from, and the only email she gave me was (202) 621-0041.  she requested a quote VIA EMAIL ONLY urgently for 20 sets of business cards... very plain ones... sounded like a scam to me, anyone know about these people?

ITS A VERY OLD SCAM  - NEVER PAY FOR GRANTS OR TO FIND OUT ABOUT GRANTS. \

INFO IS ALREADY FREE!


Government Grant Scams
Although government grant scams have been around almost as long as the government itself, the majority of the sites being advertised today didn't exist before the November 2008 election.

The "free money" scam has been around almost as long as the human species.

It has more variations than a bulldog has wrinkles but you can count on one thing: the government (any government) does not simply give money away to individuals. Anyone who tells you differently has larceny in his heart.

If you give him your bank account number, he will soon have your funds in his pocket.

It does no good to list all of the names used by these bunko artists because a.) they change all the time and b.) every single free-money government-grant offer is a scam. Period.

In one e-book, The Truth Behind Government Grants Exposed, the author (whoever he or it might be) admits that grants are not easy to get. The e-book goes so far as to say, "Now, I know what you must be thinking, but don't be discouraged because understanding that you do not qualify for the majority of Federal and Private Grants is the first step to actually getting a grant."

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/grant_scam_ads.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_alerts/grant.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/ftc_stimulus_scam.html

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE      
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.shtm

?Free Government Grants?: Don?t Take Them For Grant-ed
?Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!?
Sometimes, it?s an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a ?free grant? to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. Other times, it?s a phone call supposedly from a ?government? agency or some other organization with an official sounding name. In either case, the claim is the same: your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted, and you?ll never have to pay the money back.
But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation?s consumer protection agency, says that ?money for nothing? grant offers usually are scams, whether you see them in your local paper or a national magazine, or hear about them on the phone.
Some scam artists advertise ?free grants? in the classifieds, inviting readers to call a toll-free number for more information. Others are more bold: they call you out of the blue. They lie about where they?re calling from, or they claim legitimacy using an official-sounding name like the ?Federal Grants Administration.? They may ask you some basic questions to determine if you ?qualify? to receive a grant. FTC attorneys say calls and come-ons for free money invariably are rip offs.
Grant scammers generally follow a script: they congratulate you on your eligibility, then ask for your checking account information so they can ?deposit your grant directly into your account,? or cover a one-time ?processing fee.? The caller may even reassure you that you can get a refund if you?re not satisfied. In fact, you?ll never see the grant they promise; they will disappear with your money.
The FTC says following a few basic rules can keep consumers from losing money to these ?government grant? scams:
    Don?t give out your bank account information to anyone you don?t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don?t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.
    Don?t pay any money for a ?free? government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a ?free? government grant, it isn?t really free. A real government agency won?t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded ? or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
    Look-alikes aren?t the real thing. Just because the caller says he?s from the ?Federal Grants Administration? doesn?t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch ? or not.
    Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they?re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
    Take control of the calls you receive. If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visit www.donotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.
    File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov, or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
September 2006


Feds: Scammers Falsely "Guaranteed" Government Grants
Court halts operators' deceptive pitches for grant writing book and services


By James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 24, 2009

A federal judge has stopped an operation from falsely claiming that it could help consumers secure a "$25,000 Grant" -- guaranteed -- from the U.S. government.
The case is part of a Federal Trade Commission crackdown on scammers trying to capitalize on the economic downturn by targeting people facing financial hardship.
In the complaint the FTC, jointly with the attorneys general of Kansas, Minnesota, and North Carolina, charged that Grant Writers Institute, LLC and its related entities (together, GWI) falsely told consumers that they were eligible for grants as part of the recently announced economic stimulus package .
According to the complaint, the false and deceptive claims by GWI violate federal law, state consumer protection laws, and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. The complaint seeks a court order permanently stopping the defendants' illegal conduct and forcing them to return money to consumers injured by the scheme.
"Stamping out grant fraud and other types of schemes that take advantage of consumers in dire financial shape continues to be one of the Federal Trade Commission's highest priorities," said David Vladeck, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. "There is no such thing as a guaranteed grant. But to consumers in financial trouble, the chance for extra income -- guaranteed or otherwise -- can unfortunately be a huge draw."
The FTC says since at least 2007, GWI has mass mailed postcards to consumers across the country falsely claiming that the consumers "are Guaranteed a $25,000 Grant from the U.S. Government." Consumers who call the number are pitched a $59 book titled "Professional Grant Writer 'The Definitive Guide to Grant Writing Success.'"
The company's telemarketers falsely claim that the book will explain how to get government grants  -- including the "guaranteed" $25,000 grant. GWI and its North Carolina-based telemarketers, also named as defendants in the complaint, then call consumers who have bought the book, trying to get them to pay hundreds of dollars or more for grant research, writing, or coaching services, falsely claiming a 70 percent success rate in securing grant funding.
In reality, few, if any consumers ever receive any grant money.
The Commission contends that in addition to falsely claiming consumers were "guaranteed" to receive grants, GWI used the current government stimulus package to make its pitch. For example, when consumers called the number on the mass-mailed postcard, they heard a recording that said, "If you've been reading the papers you know that recently our government released $700 billion into the private sector. What you probably don't know is that there is another $300 billion that must be given away this year to people just like you."
The recording continues, "And if you're one of the lucky few who knows how to find and apply for these grants, you will receive a check for $25,000 or more, and we guarantee it . . . If you don't get a check for $25,000 or more, you pay nothing."
The following were named as defendants:
? Affiliate Strategies, Inc.;
? Landmark Publishing Group, LLC (d/b/a G.F. Institute and Grant Funding Institute);
? Grant Writers Institute, LLC;
? Answer Customers, LLC;
? Apex Holdings International, LLC;
? Brett Blackman, individually and as an officer, manager, and/or member of Affiliate Strategies, Inc., Landmark Publishing Group, LLC, Grant Writers Institute, LLC, Answer Customers, LLC, and Apex Holdings International, LLC;
? Jordan Sevy, individually and as a manager of Landmark Publishing Group, LLC;
? James Rulison, individually and as president of Answer Customers, LLC, all located in Kansas.
The complaint also names the following North Carolina entities as defendants:
? Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC (d/b/a Grant Writers Research Network);
? Martin Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC; and
? Alicia Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC.



Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/07 ... l#ixzz0NENGCoRV

The man on the other end told me he was with a federal government grant agency and that I was eligible (due to my demographics) to recieve a $10,000 grant from the federal government. He asked for verification that I was over 18, asked me to verify my current address, asked what bank I was banking at and for how long I had been banking there. He then asked if I would like to recieve the money via direct deposit to my bank account or on my plastics charge card. I told him bak acount to see what kind of information he would ask for. He asked for the routing number- I told him I didn't have it. He said I could call back with it and talk to a "senior representative" who then wouldhave me verify even more information to recieve my monies. Sounds like a big time scam! Don't fall for it...

who does this number belong to.