They called me and told me I had received a government grant, but when I called it sounds like it may be a scam

I have recieved a similar call offering a 5k grant but i can barely understand the man who claims to be MARK ROBINSON i reiceved a call from 202 657 4791.  I was told i can call him back on 202 657 6029.  Both numbers according to whitepages .com are cell phone numbers. THIS HAS TO BE A SCAM! can anyone confirm this for me?

yeah but i think thats not scam. coz i have been received the amout which they said. ie,$7000.00 but tthey charged $99 as a processing fee.

Who are these people?

I too got a call ....15,000  gov. grant just call john sellers back...this person also wanted my personal info....NOT!! I dont give it and I dont call #'s i dont know.

Kevin Cooper is representing the US Gov. giving $ 10,000.00 grant if and after you make a $99.00 donation to a charity outside the country.

Also Brad Johnson

I just received  a call from John Sellers.  If he thinks I am calling the 202 657-6964 # he is a fool.  If the gov't is going to give you money.  They will just send it to you.  I am so tired of my phone ringing off the hook with these scams

real talk we need to get this guy locked up because he is praying on people and money is hard to come whenb he called me the guy name was kevin cooper lets get this guy a** locked up fast i have wrote a report to the fbi already please help

He also uses the name of Kevin Cooper as well as John Sellers.  Same person

You were very lucky you didn't have the $.  If you want to help a 3rd world country go to the country and help or look into the organization first to do so.

I have received several calls from this man.  I let him give his spill ($15,000 grant) and then stated he wasn't truthful. He gave me a web sight "governmentgrants.com" When he told me that several 3rd world countries where in need of help and that I would have to sent $99 via Western Union Transfer. I told him any one could set up a sight on the computer and that this sounded like a scam.
I called the number he gave me three times in a row to get the same voice three times in a row.
I don't ever get the same damn person.  Just to find out that it's a cell phone.  DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THIS SCAM.

first, a guy name CHRIS DAVIS - Texas rangers baseball players name- called me and he said i was approved for $15,000 and he gave me the number (202) 657-6964 to call and he also gave me an approval number which he said is confidential. so i called the 202.... number and an ALEX COOPER answered. he talked to me about the same thing as the first guy i talked to. then later on Alex Cooper told me that i will only get the grant only if i make a donation/a processing fee which is worth $99.00.. he asked for my bank account information. of course i didn't give it to him. i told him i don't have any. then he said i can make the donation through western union. he gave me the information of who will receive the ''DONATION''.                                                    

NAME: RAJESH KUMAR                      CITY: DELHI             STATE: DELHI            COUNTRY: INDIA

i didn't send him any money. i am not stupid to send money to people i don't even know.



-to whoever is trying to track down the person hopefully you can use the information that i mentioned.

Same thing here!!!!

1) there's no indian/pakistany named john sellers
2) there's no such government agency in america called the "ministry of health and human resources"
3) there's no list created by the federal government that tallies taxpayers who pay on time
4) a grant's a grant, and if they give me cash, i can use it for any purpose-including drugs or prostitution

i just received a similar call from another indian chap named john sellers!  the amount was $15k and i didn't have to give them anything...at least not until i call back 202.657.6964 and give them a "grant approval" number.  the generous government agency?  the "ministry of health and human affairs".

I was told I was getting a $1000 grant (only!) because I pay my taxes and don't have a criminal record.  The number came up unknown, but when I asked for a number the Bollywood aspiring actor gave it to me.  Sounded like the same person who tried to tell me my son needed to reorder his Zoloft (he's in the military, not home and not taking drugs) and the same one who told me my son had signed up for a call from "college finder," but since he wasn't home, did I want to further my education?  I am a retired, overeducated teacher!

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

so i just got the call too and when i called the number they gave me about 2 min later i got a message machine ...both voices the one who called me and the one on the machine were female and of the east indian accent....just waiting now to get a bill on my phone for 5000$

i just got the same call but im running the number first..too bad i dont have 99$

informing me of a grant for me 10,000. tax free, no pay back but need to upfront donation of 99.00 to a third world country.  Say they are from the us gov, grant section.