Received a call today saying I was qualified to receive grant money, they asked for bank account info. As soon as it was said, I had to pay to receive money, I attempted to disconnect the call. They guy was very rude an seemed angry.

I just got a call from Martin Hernandez telling me I was getting a $7,000 grant money and I stupidly gave him my debit account number he said Mr. Rain Berry would confirm this. I couldn't reach Mr. Berry so I looked up this number 202-657-4041 and found this site. I wish I would have never believed this man. I tend to take people at their word and trust everyone until proven I shouldn't. Well, I shouldn't have trusted this man now I have to close my account. PLEASE BEWARE!!!!

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.

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.
    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.

I just got the same call from an unknown number.. The man didnt speak english very well and he said that my name and number had been selected by the governement to recieve a $7000 grant. He preceded to give me my address and asked how long i lived there.  He also wanted my bank information or credit card acct so he could deposit the money within 15 to 20 min.  I told him i was not giving my information to anyone over the phone and he gave me the call back number of 202-657-4041 then gave me a money confirmation number so that when i called back to talk to his manager rain barry i could recieve my money.  At the same time i googled the number and found everyones statements above and just kinda chuckled to myself. He then again asked me for my account information and i told him he wasnt getting my account information that i already search the number and found it is a scam and that people just dont call someone randomly and give them $7000.  He got angry and hung up on me.   Please becareful  and watch for these kind of calls

I also gave my card number, but luckily I don't use that account often and I will definitely change my card number tomorrow. The guy I talked with gave me this number to call and verify the grant. (202)657-4041. It is a land line number located in Washington, DC. He told me to ask for Mr. Raine Barry. I've tried to contact some of those SEARCH companies to get a physical address, but they all want a fee. I don't know if it's worth the bother. The first time I called the number, I could hear people talking. After that I kept getting a busy signal. In the conversation, he also told me I would receive a $7000.00 Personal Assistance Grant from the Obama Stimulation Package.

This as hole o most got me for my money or should I say my husbands money this was the worst experience of my life at the age of 19 you here the offer of 7,000 dollars your gunna jump not think at all that it all didn't add up me like a dumby gave them my husbands bank information this just happens last week but everything is resolved now but the worst thing is......is that I am very out raged because I have two kids and would if he had took out the money I would have been upset with my self that my kids now can't get what they need because some a hole has no sympathy for others

They just called me as well. I gave them a debit card number that had never been activated and never will be . I barely could understand what the man was saying. I called him Barry Rain and he got so mad and Hung up. I really don't care. Please beware of fake azz phone calls.

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 !!!

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.........  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

202-559-4661
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
202-657-4041

We are a Military section and we got this call as well .It has to be something else .

same thing happened to me.  the man hung up on me. then called me back!   scammers!!!
report them....report them....report them.

btw....this call came after applying for a payday loan online

My boyfriend just got the same call... I Googled the number and found this feed..

A man with a foreign accent calling from what sounded like a calling center called him saying he qualifies for a $7,000 grant, put him on hold and then transferred his call to a Mr. Rain Barry who explained he needed his bank acct info to transfer the funds. My boyfriend said he won't give out his bank acct information and demanded he mail him a check rather then wire the money. The caller explained the transfer fee. My boyfriend says to him that there wouldn't be a transfer fee for a check from the government for a grant and said that this is a scam. He told Mr Rain Barry that he has his phone number and will report him. Mr Rain Barry hung up on him.

SCAM!!!! Careful folks!!

fake  people and  fraud  scammers  working  out  of  the  " 202"  area  code...although  some  numbers  seem  to  be  clearly  "  offshore" as   some  can't  speak  or  understand  english  at  all !!


here's a  few  other  numbers  posted  from  the   same  area  code  offering a  wide  variety  of  scams  /  free  money / scam  giveaways and  the  usual  nonsense!!!

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....


202-657-4041
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

Caller: fraud scammersCaller: fraud scammers

i also received the same call and was wondering how the heck did these people get my prepaid cell number as well as know my name and address even before i told them anything about myself. there must be something that we all have in common like something we applied for on the net or something, for these a***s to obtain this information about us. if you all don't mind i will ask a series of guestions to find out this common thing we share and a yes or no answer will do just fine or just reply when you see what applies to you.

dating sites? (which one and is it international?)
applied for grants online?
prepaid cell service?
chat lines? (which one and is it international?)

maybe met someone online from another country and exchanged numbers
cause i know there are a lot of scammers living in nigeria and ghana
with guys pretending to be girls and vise versa searching for their soulmate.they seem real nice at first asking for your number then your money via western union or money gram and for you to send the money (get this)...to someone with a guys name acting on their behalf as an agent.
let's put our heads together and see what we come up with.

Just received the same call. I wasn't quite as bad I gave them a closed acct number. When I talked to the second guy he said I had to pay a processing fee and I told him I was on a fixed income and I just paid bills so I was broke. He told me to call him back when I get the money together. Who do we report this stuff to?

this man name rain barry called and stated that he will get me and my children and he will kill us! well I will make it known that this number 202-657-4041 should be reported before someone gets hurt. HE STATED THAT THE ADDRESS IS 800 INDEPENDENCE AVE WASHINGTON DC. I GOOGLED THE ADDRESS AND IT WAS NOT THERE.......  FOOLS AND HE STARTED STATEING SOMETHING IN ANOTHER  LANGUAGE

Called saying I was selected to get a 7,000 goverment grant because I was low income, and could they get my bank account info, of course the number that called me was unknown but they wanted me to call their branch manager back at 202-657-4041 which when I tried it was busy, but they already got my bank numbers because stupid me gave this information to the guy who called saying he was gone to deposit the money in my bank account, Oh Lord, I am on disable and can't afford for my bank account to be scammed I have automatic deposits and automatic withdrawls and hate to have to change it all, this shouldn't even be aloud to happen... What the heck is the world coming to?

I did the same thing, I'm so dumb, did you close your bank account, I gave them my numbers but there was no activity as of yet, so I took all my money out, just wondering if I should close the account, dang I hate that now I have to change all my automatic bill pay and everything..

They call and said  the US Government was going to give me $7000.00 but I had to pay $ 210.00  that would go toward helping over seas. I could use the money anyway I want to except gambling.I had to call back for a confirmation Number.

wow!!! i gave them my bank account # !!! i feel so stupid. We need to stop these b*****ds!!!

So glad I looked this up and saw everyone's post! Just received the same call like an idiot I gave them my credit card number! So I just called and canceled my card! How can we stop these people. I'm sick at my stomach at this point!! I can't believe I almost fell for this !!

SCAM!!  I called my local FBI on these people but unfortunately they do not have any jurisdiction over these people as they clearly operate abroad.  I was told to contact my congressman as they are the ones who make the laws to stop these thieves.

Same as everybody else saying I will get 7,000 to help with bills that it was from the U.S.Dept of Treasury.That I had to western union them 210.00 dollars for processing fee that was going to charity . When and changed my account and told them he got mad and sarting saying he will lick my whew ho and that my husband has a samll d****. Very mad with me. oh yes I also contacted my local FBI. please do the same to stop these people.

This is a big as scam, they said yu been elected by the gov to received a 7,000 grant but first yu must western union $210.00 of your own money to a feed the fund and after the receive their money then urs will be deposited. B***S***!!

Scam! They called saying I was going to get a government grant of $7000.00 to spend on good things to help the economy. They had strong indian accents, put me on hold for 20 minutes, had a lame excuse of why they couldn't "transfer the funds" tonite, and told me to call back tomorrow morning with $240.00 for a processing fee.

SCAMMER NUMBER, ASKING FOR MY BANK ACCT INFO SO THEY COULD SEND ME A $7000.00 GOVERNMENT GRANT!