Advance fee scam. When you get paid at work, do you send your employer a check for the tax, in advance? Or is it take off at the source? NEVER pay money to get money. Green Dot (Money Pak) is a wire transfer CASH service. These services are NEVER to be used for business transactions, or to send money to someone you do not personally know. You are sending untraceable cash.

Got a call telling me i had received a $7500 grant. i needed to buy a green dot money pak for $299. then they said i also had to pay a california 9% tax of $675 to receive the $7500 also. sounds fishy. when i called the number back they did answer federal reserve bank.

This a scam and they using the US government name to "give out grants", they got all my personal information wit out me telling them anything.

They're Indian scammers-- they buy and sell information from information brokers on the street,  who've gotten it from a variety of sources.  Payday loan applications are a prime sort of information for scammers. Also unscrupulous employees of firms that handle a lot of personal data  like insurance companies are another source of information.  

DO NOT CALL ANYBODY.   This is a total scam.   They want a creditor debit card number so that can take your money.  And basically clean out your accounts.

Called saying I could get a grant of 7500 because of my clean record.. Thank goodness I didn't fall for it! It's a scam! God bless

They told me i has to pay 290 for the 7,500. It was also a male with indian accent, they told me to call the managers number (202)697-9394  whos name is jasmine, but im glad i did research on it before i did anything

I also received a call from these people, but I looked the number up before sending them anything. after reading everyone's post i immediately called the number back and asked for Alina. She was suprised when I asked for her by name, but told me she was the one on the line so i unleashed a diatribe. I don't think that i acomplished anything but it made me feel better, I hope she gets multiple calls like that every day

Grant for 7500 if I called this number 202 697 9394.   Did not call. Looked it up first figuring it was a scam.

Got a call. No message left.

FBI will be looking into this

Ditto.  Got the lady but got diconnected.  Tried to call back, no go.  Should have looked online before i called the 202 number and then call and give the blues.  Bottom line - bogus.

To report the fraud, go here:
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/general-support/grant-fraud.html
Their number is listed , along with an email address, at the top of the page.
Also here:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0113-government-grant-scams

I also got the same call by the name he gave me was Brian Wilson.

A lady friend of mine got the same call promising a govt grant of 7500. That same horrible woman,on a conference call with my friend and her bank,became very rude and abussive then hung up on them! All attempts to call now are being blocked,myself included! Anyone up for a class action law suit? Reach me: analogkid_8@hotmail.com

Yes it is totally bogus.  when I asked why I had to call when I got to CVS she said "forget it! forget it!"  Can someone please bring these online con artists to jail?

I received a call yesterday, Thanksgiving, from a man with a heavy Middle Eastern accent from a private number.  I could not understand anything he said except a few words here and there.  I did get $7,500 and tax free, I told him no thanks and hung up immediately.  What a crock!

Thank you for this site. I received the same call and instead of me calling the number I checked online. The call was from an unknown call but they wanted me to call the 202-697-9394 number and speak to Alina Flores.Last week I received a similar call stating I was eligible for the grant money but needed to send $3 for shipping and handling of the application. When I asked for a phone number to call them back the guy became mad and upset. Then started asking what was wrong with me and hung up in my face.
FYI: our information is online. I went online looking for government grants but I know I didn't apply for a grant. So why would the government call me to say I am getting a grant.

I too received a call from an unknown #. When I answered there was a man with an Indian accent telling me I was to receive 7500 in gov grants. After giving him my b-day (stupid) I received my ID # and was told to call 2026979394. I called and was thrown off by the women's short temper. (I had trouble hearing what she was saying so she began yelling everything into the phone). I then told her I'd call her back when I got to a western union and immediately looked the # up. Thank God!! I have three little ones and am barely making it. They would have put me out on the street with their scam :(

All as above stated. Alina got angry with me when I asked her questions about all of this. She said to go to a CVS, Walgreens or Walmart and then call her back when I reached the parking lot. I needed to take $290 cash with me. Wow, weird stuff! I too am wondering why this can go through from  the supposed "US Grant Department in Washington, DC they said. The more I asked questions, Alina became angry and then hung up on me. Yes, they even called my cell phone and had my home address. Will anything be done about this since I'm reporting it?

Im an 18 year old college student so when I received a call frm them about a 7500 grant I started writing the information down that they told me. When I was told to send them $290 I asked my mom she said no don't do it. When I called back I asked them how did they get my information and how did I know this was real she said forget it your not getting it and hung up later by the name of Alina

I got a call from a blocked number, and was told that a grant had been issued in my name from the Federal Grant in the amount of $7,500.00, and to call a person by the name of Alina at 2026979394, and to give her an I.D. number of R F 707. Then to go to the nearest Western Union Outlet to pick up the Grant Money.
Returning the call, from the outlet store I was then asked to send $290.00 to Lebanon, wait 10 minutes and I would get back the $290.00 Plus $7,500.00 totaling $7,790.00. How many people are privy to our personal information? Looking up the phone numbers brought me to this sight, why hasn't a trap & trace been put on these phone numbers?

I too received a call from a male with an India accent.....saying that I have received a grant from the Federal Grants. I am not sure if I will call the call back # with the confirmation #. But this man had my information, where would he have gotten it from?

A male with an Indian accent called me late evening promising me grant money in the amount of $7,500. Yet, I would have to make a security deposit of $280.00 by sending it to a Maria Zumiga over in INDIA. I mindlessly did it and contacted them to receive my money. Then they informed me I would have to pay another 649.00 tax charge so that my money would be placed off hold. I wasn't going to fall for that again; which led me to do some research. I wish this was my first step.