Victim Location 75762
Type of a scam Government Grant
Ph# was 208-505-4333 and the caller’s name was Alan Martin and he said her name had been drawn for a grant. If she paid $1000, she received $30,000; if she pays $2000, she gets $50,000 and on up and up! He contacted her on Facebook and she thought it was her friend!!!
She gave him her name, address, ph# and how much Social Security she receives monthly. When she calls the number back, it goes to a voice mail. She is to FedEx the $$$, but she stopped before getting an address to send the $$ to. All communication was by "texting" – no verbal communication.
Victim Location 82935
Type of a scam Government Grant
Got a message from relatives claiming to have received $50,000.00 from a gov grant..This program is a worldwide promotional tour embarked on for the disabled, Unemployed, Student, Workers, Retired, Young & Old people.The IMF grant isn’t a loan and you do not have to pay it back,Are you ready to apply now?.. This is the message. It asks for alot of personal information to apply. And I’m being pestered to text the number right away.. Its supposed to be under the name of Attorney Rachel Alex.
Victim Location 45238
Total money lost $2,000
Type of a scam Government Grant
It started I get a message on Messenger on Facebook. It was on March 27th at 11a.m. I got a message from a friend who got hacked. It asked me how I am doing, and I told her fine. And she said well I am doing pretty good, and happy for my life and then she said have you heard about the IMF giving out grants. So, I asked her what is IMF, and she said you haven’t heard about the International Monetary Fund Program going around to help and support the retired, widow, unemployed, disabled, full-part-time workers financially with fund and grant all over the world? I responded to her and I said, no tell me about it and what I need to do to get in the program. She responded back, she said it’s a God blessing, should I link you with the attorney now (Marion Key), so that you can contact her and apply too? And I said, yes, please. So, then she sent me a message and a link, she asked me to click on the link, it would direct me to her Face page, send her a friend request and message her that you want to apply for IMF grant now. Then she responded did you get her Facebook page? So, I responded, not yet, I’m driving. I said just as soon as I get on the lot. This Facebook is new to me, I am still trying to learn how to work out things. Then she responded, should I tell her to send you friend request now, so you can accept it and apply now? Then she said I got $100,000 from them I didn’t have to pay it back, I was only asked to pay $2,000, for the delivery fee. And it was delivered to me after 24 hours that I paid the fee. So, then I respond, would you please? Thanks so much for the information. She said ok, I will tell her to do that now. Then she said, ok I told her to send you a friend request now, accept it and message her. Then she said, I was so scared, I know I should have gone for the $800,000, but I was so happy when I got the $100,000. Then she said because I was told you would have to pay $10,000 to get the $800,000. That’s when I went to her and got in touch with the attorney so this is what the attorney said. She said, hello, your friend said you wanted to apply for the grant money. Then she asked me are you ready to proceed now? I respond yes, I am. So, this is what she said, this is a federal government and private grant foundations issue billions of dollars in grant money to a variety of groups each year. Grants are awarded to individuals each and every day, grant programs are not loans, you decide how much you need. As long as the amount is lawful, and you meet the foundation’s and government agencies’ requirements, the money is your’s to keep and never needs to be repaid. Grant money is non-taxable and interest free, so you would have to fill some form so you can proceed. Then she asked me my name, address, and my age, married, phone number, monthly income, and my email. Then she asked me did I have a car. Then she asked me reason for applying. Then I responded I need the help in maintaining my house and car and that my grandson was living with me. She said ok, you have to hold because your information will be verified and saved into our database system. So, your grant money willn’t be sent to the wrong person. So, I said ok. Then she said when looking for financial assistance, remember there is a difference between loans and grants, you are required to pay back a loan often with interest, you are not required to pay back a grant, you only pay for the delivery fee, and you will get your grant money to you after 24 hours you pay the fee. And I said ok, then she got charges and winning prizes you pay $2,000 and get $100,000,00 USD you pay $3,500 and you get $150,000,00 USD and you pay $4,500 and get $200,000,00 USD you pay $5,500 and you get $250,000,00 USD you pay $6,500 and you get $300,000,00 USD then $7,500 and you get $350,000,00 USD you pay $8,500 and you get $400,000,00 USD you pay $9,500 and you get $450,000,00 USD you pay $10,000 and you get the $500,000,00 USD you pay $11,000 and get $550,000,00 USD you pay $12,000 and you get $700,000,00 USD you pay $13,000 and get $900,000,00 USD. Then she said you would have the choose the amount that you know that you can pay the fee now so that we can process your information. Then I said, well I have to figure out how to come up with $2,000. So, she responded, well how much do you have with you right now? So, I said $1,000. She said, ok well you would have to go to a Money Gram store right now and pay the $1,000 and you will promise to pay the rest when you get the grant money delivered to you. So, I said promise, but I can’t do it right now, I’m at work and my route doesn’t end until 5 o’clock. So, that’s when she sent me the address: Claude Cole 132 Villages Ave Uniontown, AL 36786. This is the information where to make the payment to when you get to the store. Do you know Money Gram store? I told her I could find one, I would have to look it up. Then she asked me send me your work address, so I can locate the nearest Money Gram or Western Union store, so I responded I think the Kroger’s over here has a Western Union store. Then she said ok let me know when you get off at work. Do you get the information where to make the payment to? So, I said Claude Cole and she said yes. So, I said ok, I gotta go to work I’ll talk to you at 5 o’clock. She said send me the reference number once you make the payment. And I said will do, and she said ok, then she said you have to keep this away from people for your security reasons, ok? So, at 5 o’clock she said hello, are you off work now? So, she kept messaging, hello, have you made the payment now? Then she said, I just need to know if you are still ready? Then I had responded I just got off work, two drivers didn’t show up. I don’t take my phone on the bus, they don’t like us to, we could lose our job if we were found being on the phone, they have cameras on the bus. Then she responded I have been trying to reach you since you said you would be off at 5p.m. Are you on your way to the store now? So, I said my bank is closed. Then she asked me, you could use your card to cash money. Then she asked me how much can you collect with your card per day? So, I wrote only $500, but by me withdrawing my house note this morning, my card is done for the day. She responded, so would you be making the payment tomorrow morning? So, she said what time would you be able to make the payment tomorrow? I responded it can be done at 9:30. She responded, ok what time are you going to work tomorrow, so I said I should be off by 9:15 and she responded you will be going to work by what time because should I know to need the exact time you will be making the payment, so I can know when your grant will be delivered to you. So, then I told her I would be getting off at that time, I have a split shift. She said in the morning, right? I said yes. Then she said ok, what time should I text you tomorrow, because I tried all my best to reach you today. So, I responded 9:15 so she said ok I will text you tomorrow, you will have to keep this away from people until your grant money is being delivered to you for your safety and safety delivery as well. So, I said ok, and she said have a blessed day. And I responded you too. So the next morning on March 28th at 8:19a.m. I said good morning I’m at the bank this one opens at 8:30a.m. they also have a Western Union here. So, she said, ok send me the MTCN number once you make the payment. You don’t have to tell them about your gran money, just tell them you are sending money to a relative. She says send me the MTCN number once you make the payment, I said ok. I sent her the number, she said ok hold on so that we can confirm your payment, send me the picture of the receipt. Ok, she said I will get back to you shortly. So, I took the picture how to send it to you. She said I got the picture I will get back to you shortly. Then she said are you going to work today, I said I just got off at 8:05 I go back at 1:30. She said ok, what time will you be at home tomorrow because your grant money will be delivered to you tomorrow. And I said I should be at home at 9 o’clock 9:30, what time do I need to be there? So, then she said it will be delivered to you by 10a.m. tomorrow, but you have to keep this away from people, until it’s been delivered to you. She said for your safety and for the UPS courier safety delivery. I said ok, I’ll be there no one knows my business but me. Then she said ok, thanks for your understanding and she said do you have a credit card. And I said yea. Is it a credit card or a debit card, and I said credit. She said ok we’ll be updating you, have a blessed day. And I responded you too lady. So, then I get a call at 4:41 and says hello are you off work, and it says missed call from her, then she said I need to talk to you, pls message when you can. And I said I am here, ok I was told that they don’t allow someone to pay rest fee after they got it delivered to them, so you would have to pay your rest $1,000 before they will allow your grant money to be delivered to you. When will you be making the rest $1,000? So, I responded look I guess you have to send the money back I don’t have it. But she said you promised to make it, when you get it that is why they said they don’t allow it no more. You just have to try to pay the rest fee so that it can be delivered to you. And I responded you asked me to send the rest of the money when I get the grant money, I promised to send you the rest. She said ok I will try to help you, I need you to be honest with me, what time of credit do you have? And I said the kind I have is a credit and debit bank card. Yes, I am talking about the credit card, I will send you a form to fill right now on the credit card she said. And I responded this credit card is from my checking and savings, I gave you the $1,200 I had. Ok, everything will be fine, just trust me, madam. She wanted me to send her the name of my card and I wouldn’t do that, and date it was issued. So, my response you can send me my money back through Western Union and I won’t have to send it, but you told me that I could send you the money later. So, she was saying yes, I am trying to help you. After that I got a message from my friend, and she was saying Good morning, how are you doing, and I told her I was disappointed and told her what had happened cause she told me that I could pay the other $1,000 later after I get the grant. So, then she said ok, I told the fee was $2,000, it happened to one of my friends yesterday too, she told her that they don’t allow the half fee, so she managed to pay the rest and it was delivered to her. She is an honest woman, they did accept it before, but due to some situation it was cancelled. She is an honest woman, you can tell her when you will have the rest. After I paid the rest of it, she says it was supposed to be delivered to me this past Saturday. Then she was saying that your grant money will be delivered to you tomorrow, you just need to make sure you are at home. Then she said, ok but I would like to inform you of this before it happens, sometimes you might be asked to pay for an IRS fee before the IRS will allow the UPS courier to deliver your grant money, but we haven’t gotten any message about that now, I am just letting you know in case. Your friend also made the fee, but it happened once in a time. Then I said come on I just paid $2,000 and now there is another fee, you never said anything about this fee. She said the fee is $55,000. And I said no, the only fee you told me I had to pay was the $2,000 and I said this is crazy and it seems like a scam. She said note this after you get your grant money delivered to you, you won’t be in need for you to pay any tax fee. You already told me it was non-taxable. So, Saturday came and there was no pay. And I sent her message it’s 10:03 what’s happening and she said I’m in a meeting and I was told that you would have to pay the IRS fee before they would allow. That’s when she had said if I paid the money it could be delivered in the next four hours. So, that was it I didn’t respond anymore. She’s been sending me messages but I haven’t been responding. Then my friend responded, and said you have been ignoring, and she said what is going on have I offended you. So that was it, and I didn’t respond back.