Are free government grants legitimate? Probably not. The US federal government does give away free money in some circumstances. But if you’re being asked to pay for information or “member access” or to claim your award, you’re being misled.
The now-wiser I’ve Tried That reader, Kathryn, wrote to tell us about her experience:
I think I’m screwed because I did not read the small print from excitement about this program called Grant Research. Even my banker tried to help me. I guess I have learned my lesson the hard way. I have not even received their CD that I was suppose to get and they have charged me for S&h plus a $59.95 charge at two different times in the same month. I was talk ed to by their Manager so condenscending and still no REFUND. Thanks for sharing your website, a little late for me.
You’ve seen them all over the Internet: advertisements promising to show you how to get free government grants. (Maybe you’ll even see some advertised on this site, automatically generated by the keywords in this post.)
Free money?! Awesome! You click for info and before you know it, you’re paying for a starter kit or an exclusive Web site or processing fees, or whatever. Don’t be fooled. Here are the facts:
- Yes, the US government does give away free money in some circumstances.
- You don’t have to pay to apply or find out about grants or receive money. That’s why they’re free.
- The US government will never call you or write you saying you’ve been approved for a grant. These calls, letters, and emails are always scams.
We’re going to take a closer look this week at the “free grants” claims made online. We might even sign up for an offer and see where it leads us. Stay tuned, and remember: never pay for something that’s supposed to be free.
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9 Responses
I’m sorry you had a bad experience with this particular site. They always make it sound really good. I was doing research for a business and came upon Mathew Lesko’s site. You know the very hyper, energetic guy with ? marks on his clothing. He does have some free information and a cd and then from there you can choose your options. I have a stack of books and some CD’s that I received for free on how to get grants or loans. Check out his site. Just google “Mathew Lesko”.
I’ve Tried That…feel free to double check this also. Good luck!
Good luck guys
I have a blog discussing with a HUGE warning at the top with GIGANTIC letters about a particular government grant kit and people are calling to cancel or get refunds and the company is telling people to post the refund requests on MY site…and people are actually DOING it!
You know, these grant kit scams actually make me sick to my stomach more than any of the other hidden negative option scams, because the grant kit scams seem to really prey on the less educated population.
Don’t be shy, Paul. Link me up!
LOL.
OK. Here you go. I swear that half the time I want to laugh at this discussion and half the time I want to cry, but most of all it’s just sick:
Grants for You Now Complaints
The irony is that the company is probably helping my page rank higher for their offer in Google as it seems that Google is paying a lot more attention to user engagement nowadays.
Folks, follow Paul’s link above and see what’s going on over at his place. Take some popcorn.
Popcorn is a good idea. Pretty entertaining stuff. I know my new friend C.J. is getting a kick out of it. LOL.
Sun. Feb.8,2009
Respond to Jean “Free Government Grants”
I think I was scammed! I signed up for the free money and they charged my bank $1.95 since 2 weeks ago. I haven’t seen the CD OR the $5,000 they promised me. I didn’t see the small wordings that will charge me every month $58.95. They haven’t taken that money, YET. Do you know how I can get a refund, who do I send an email to for the refund. Please give me a respond at: katland5@live.com. Thank you for this site. I’m trying to make extra money and stupid me, I got excited and gave them my card number. -Thanks, again!
I think i’ve been scammed. I was online a few months ago and found a website that will send a cd on how to get to get free grants. I paid $1.95 for the cd, and well i still have not received anything.I have noticed that last month and this month my bank account was charged $68.13.One said 50 million grants and the other said Easy Grant Cashstore.They were both taken out on the 9th of both months. But for what? What do i do?? Please help.
The worst part of the scam is that they make you think that you are paying only a nominal fee for the cd. Then in the fine print, which we all know we should read with a magnifying glass but we don’t, they tell you that after the initial 1 week free trial, they charge you a ridiculous fee per month. When you check your account, you will also notice a small additional fee “for the international transfer of funds” as I was told. They do not do their banking in the US.
Be careful of the fine print.