Heads up about that 'free' government grant application going around

I spent 4 hours filling out forms and gave them $50 for 'processing fees' before I realized the whole site was a fake. The real government grants don't ask for money upfront like that. Anyone know the actual .gov site to report these scams?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren2301mo agoTop Commenter

That $50 processing fee is basically the scammer tax for skipping the fine print. I swear they design those fake sites to look more official than the real ones, it's a whole industry. The worst part is you feel like you should have known better halfway through the second hour of forms. At least reportfraud.ftc.gov is the real deal for reporting it, so some good came from the mess.

beth1471mo ago

My buddy got caught by one last year. What's the real site to report it?

grant3471mo ago

Got caught by one" is the kind of phrase that makes me check my own email twice. I feel for your buddy. The real site is reportfraud.ftc.gov. It's the main one for the FTC. I spent way too long last time trying to find the right link and almost clicked on three fake help sites myself, which is pretty sad. Tell him to report it there and then keep an eye on his bank stuff.