They called 4 times between 6 and 8 pm on 20th June 09.  Says "unknown name", and I don't answer if I don't know who it is.

Started receiving calls from this number on 6/19/09; 5:08pm, 5;44pm, 6;29pm and again on 6/20/09; 7;30pm, and 7;57pm. No caller ID was presented.

Started receiving calls from this number on 6/19/09; 5:08pm, 5;44pm, 6;29pm and again on 6/20/09; 7:30pm, and 7:57pm. No caller ID was presented therefore the call was not accepted.

Started receiving calls from this number on 6/19/09; 5:08pm, 5:44pm, 6:29pm and again on 6/20/09; 7:30pm, and 7:57pm. No caller ID was presented therefore the call was not accepted.

called me 16 times from this number, when I answer they hang up!...called back and put my number on do not call list..option #2...they still are calling me! and no one ever answers to speak to someone..If they keep calling, I will begin to look into harrassment charges!

I answered their call and finally someone was there! They are calling in reference to selling Government Grant Money kits.  I told the woman, that they are harrassing people with their phone calls and that I also reported them to the FTC and BBB. In addition, I let them know I placed my # on their do nt call list several times! and if they call me again, my call back to them will be my lawyer!

This number has been calling me for the past week or so.  I typically do not pick up and ignore the call, but the other day they called me at 5 minute intervals for about 3 straight hours.  I did pick up twice, no response on the other end, and then a quick hangup.  Once they left me a voicemail.  I tried to call the number back twice and got lost in their directory to add my # to the Do Not Call list - dead end!

Today they called me again, I picked up and a young man with an Indian accent actually spoke to me.  I asked him why this # had been calling my phone so much, and he said that "I contacted them and gave them my information"  Oh really, so I inquired some more.  He told me about this website that I gave my info to regarding "Free Government $$$" - grantresearchguide.com.  Of course this was not familiar to me, so I played along.  I asked him when I accessed this site and forked over my info - he claimed it was on 1/1/09 - well Buddy, I was out of town and did not have internet access!!  This had SCAM written all over it.  He asked me if I wanted Free Money From The Government, and I said not until I contact the Better Business Bureau to report all of these annoying phone calls . . . . .  soon after he hung up!  BASTARDS.  If you google the GrantResearchGuide.com - you will find tons of complaints about this company and how people were scammed out of lots of money.  I, fortunately was not taken by these fraudulent scumbags.  I would not be surprised if they do have my personal and/or bank information, so I have been vigilently checking my account balances online daily - nothing yet.  I am afraid to go to their website from my home computer as I do not want them to hook up a "phishing filter" to my computer and hijack my online banking.  THIS COMPANY IS A BUNCH OF SCAM ARTISTS - BEWARE!!!

These people have called as late as 930 at night,have them on my caller id,getting ready to sue for harassment!!!

These People call my house about 5-7 times a day. I dont have an answering machine so they let it ring about 20 times each time they call. I finally answered it last night and can you believe it they hung-up on me.

Started receiving calls from this number recently. Unknow name, no message, just 3 to 5 calls per day for last week.

Try getting woke up 13 times before 6:45 am.  Did report them to the FTC, next step lawyer!

they call me every hour but never leave a nmessage...I don't answer if  don 't know the caller so identify yourself or i won't ansewr my Phone!!

Two calls today, first time, no messages.

I've been getting phone calls from these filthy animals every half hour all day. I've gone through all the steps mentioned here - no luck. Well, I just got off the phone with the NY State Police, gave them the # and we'll see what comes out of this.

I have been getting call from these JERKS too,! I just hang up on them as soon as I get it. Don't even waste your time answering it.

ITS A SCAM - DON'T FALL FOR IT  ALL THE GRANT WEBSITES AND OFFERS THAT DO NOT HAVE .gov in the email address are SCAMS
They start by saying you pay for shipping and handling only.  Then charge you $80-$90 monthly for a worthless membership programs.  

from Federal Trade Commission website on grant scams

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


from consumeraffairs.com
Government Grant Scams
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.
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

I just a call mysaelf Thanks for the hint also. I got put on the d.n.c list. Thanx

They called me about 15 times today.  I finally just told them I refuse to order/buy anything they are offering.  I said your welcome to send me some material on what your offering to me in the regular mail but I am not buying anything.  Tell them to send you something you can sit and read it while on the toilet.  (i laugh ever time with that one)  Tell them you do not have a checking account or a credit card and they will probably take you out of the system call list quickly...used that one a few times on others... :) I will reply again if I have trouble with them tomorrow.

They call about 10 times a day and only let it ring twice.  They leave no message.  I called the number back, and pressed 1 to speak to a representative. Then I was disconnected.  I called back again and pressed 2 to have my number put on their do not call list.  This did not work as they have already called me 3 times and it's only noon.

hang ups X4

It is 9:00pm in California and as far as I know if this was a collection call it is way too late to be making it.  They have called about 5 or 6 times today.  When I picked it up the first time there was no one there.

i as well have been receiving calls from this number for the past four days. they continue to call about 5 to 6 times a day...i have not yet answered though, and dont intend to. hopefully sooner or later the calls will stop. Although i am still unsure of how they would have gotten my number

Haha, i actually have a lot of fun with these guys. They'll call me and ill just yell AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH into the phone and they hang up. Ill play a high pitch frequency noise into the phone. Ill also start asking them for their personal information and start advertising my own 'fake' program.

Me too.  Calling me 100 times a day.  Hitting #2 did nothing and they are still calling.

ive goten 10 straight calls but no answer!!!!!!!!!!

Two calls today, no voice mail was left.

I am so pissed do to my phone ringing with this #973-250-4554 from Branchvl NJ. You anwer it and noone is there and they do not leave a message. They have called 7 times today. You call the # and it says press 1 to pick to a customer & when you do it tells you do to the high call volume a customer service rep is unable to speak with. You press 2 to have your # put on the DO NOT CALL LIST and they still call you back.

Please do a follow-up because this is stupid to call people this much and you actually never talk to anyone,  but it kinda makes you want to be very cautous in answering the call because there is no telling what information is being obtained

the calls have continue even after the system tells you to dial 2 if you want your # removed from our data bank

actually i called and did #2 and it didnt work  im still getting calls does someone have another suggestion