The Internet is slowly becoming plagued with FREE GRANT ADS!!!!! I can tell you that you probably don’t qualify for any government grants. Don’t buy into the ads as they’re simply trying to steal as much money from you as possible.
The Internet is slowly becoming plagued with FREE GRANT ADS!!!!! I can tell you two things right now: Obama isn’t going to give you money and you probably don’t qualify for any government grants. Don’t buy into the ads as they’re simply trying to steal as much money from you as possible. With that said, let’s look at JeffsGrantsBlog.
Jeff Donahue and the Art of Deception
First, visit JeffsGrantsBlog and read his presell page. Don’t click on any links posted there. The page will open in a new window, so close it once you reach the end. Click here to visit JeffsGrantsBlog.com now.
Pretty convincing right? Jeff Donahue seems like a normal guy, just like you. He has a mortgage, utility bills, and debt. His job isn’t paying as much as he likes and he wants to change that. Well, he created a one step plan to do so. His plan consists of sending away for a “free” grant kit. After you receive that kit, the government will be unable to contain themselves from giving you as much money as you ask for. Solid plan there Jeffy boy.
Now, here are some things you might not have noticed when viewing the page. First, is the picture of Jeff’s “grant check.”
Odd how every single word in that picture is clear except for the name “Jeff Donahue.” It’s ridiculously blurry. That my friends is what we in the biz call a terrible, terrible job with Photoshop.
[Update 2/20/09 by Joe: We found the source for this image. It was stolen from a Flickr user who posted the photo to talk about her IRS refund experience. Once we alerted her to how her check was being used, she pulled the image down.]
Further down the page you encountered the following image.
Did you notice that family-man Jeff is posing with a freakin’ statue?! I didn’t at first either. I’m not going to lie as I completely thought Jeff Donahue and girlfriend just returned from a lovely fishing trip with their son too. Needless to say, his son is fake and so is the fish.
Okay, terrible pictures aside, can we trust Jeff Donahue, if that is his real name? Absolutely not. Why? Because he has multiple sites up and running that are using the same exact template with different names. Jeff is also Kevin Hoeffer at kevinsbigmoneysecret.com. You can find Jeff as Mike Donahue at mikesmoneymatters.com too. Here Jeff is now Jim Donahue at jimgotmoney.com and the list goes on and on and on.
In fact, you can find Donahue posted on the following websites:
http://www.jeffsgrantsblog.com/
http://kevinsbigmoneysecret.com/
http://www.mikesmoneymatters.com/?p=1
http://indemandglobal.com/
http://www.jimgotmoney.com/
http://www.jeffgotgrants.com/
http://www.jeffsgrant.net/
http://www.unclesamgivesback.com/
http://bobbysmoneyblog.com/
http://jamiesdebtblog.com/
http://www.davidgetsgreen.com/
http://www.mattmakescash.com/
http://presidentialgrants.org/
http://daveysmoneyblog.com/
I’m stopping here because there are over 60 more sites using the exact same template and I’m tired of looking at Jeff Donahue. Don’t believe me? Click here and check out the Google search results.
I’m personally avoiding each and every one of these websites as they’re all peddling the same garbage: Government Grant Solutions at federalgovernmentgrantsolutions.com which operates solely on hidden fees buried deep within their terms and conditions.
Once again, the government isn’t handing out free money to ordinary citizens. It doesn’t even make sense.
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50 Responses
Great info, I hate scams!!!!
Thank you for the info. You opened my eyes!
That picture is priceless … taking the old statue out for a day of fishing!
Thanks for the tip. I almost fell for the trap myself. Nice touch with the Adsense on the site though!
I find it amusing that one of the google ads on this page is for (you guessed it) JeffsGrantBlog
I was ready to sign up for the program. Then woke up and decided to see if this guy was for real. Wow! Thanks for the information. Nothing like a good scam to make you feel proud to be an American.
That IS amusing. Google should figure out a way to not place an ad when the content is trashing the ad’s source. Heh.
Let this be a lesson:
Any time you hear about something that sounds “too good to be true”, IT PROBABLY IS.
And secondly, if you still want to check it out, then do so. Type in the name of the offer and “review” at Google and usually you will find a page or three, that’s how I arrived here.
Thanks to the offer of this page for doing the research and finding about the scam. People like this guy make me sick. Is there any way we can stop people from falling for this?
What irks me is that I saw this as a Yahoo Ad and when you try and report it, it is hardered that trying to get a real grant from the Gov.
There are real Government grants out there, you just have to navigate the process. http://grants.gov/ runs you in a circle
http://grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp
http://grants.gov/assets/IndvUserGuide.pdf
http://grants.gov/assets/Individual_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf
Here is another grant scam nationalgrants.com. I was lured in and paid the money when they came to town. They promise you help with writing a Grant request for starting a business for instance…right, they then try and up-sale you. Good thing I did not buy the whole package. I am still paying on the CC debit though. I guess the word to the wise is, if it is only a certain price today only – leave the CC at home!
Go for the free info – leave your money at home though!
What really gripes me is that I was tempted to go for it because it was a sponsored link on Marketwatch.com. I know this huge spending program is going to cost us biggggg! So it is sure tempting to try to get some of it up front. I nearly fell for another SCAM!!!
Hi,I just canceled my order to find out the phone # was from google money tree,they had no information about this,now I have to cancel my credit card because of this … hole dont worry I will be calling the attourney generals office in the morning.If you are checking reviews BEWARE DONT FALL FOR THIS!
Almost fell for it and I think of myself as being pretty savvy!!! Yeah, right!! Thanks for the info as it was really helpful.
man im so glad i saw this site! something told me it was fake and just having got burnt a few months ago with a credit repair scam, i definitely was slow to do anything/ thanks so much man!
Thanks Steve for saving the day. Now if you can put this guy in Jail you would be a Saint. This has got to be against some law out there let’s find it. Let’s start with the BBB in his home town. Thanks again.
I almost bought it. The sad part is that this advertisement showed up in my yahoo e-mail. Even them don’t give a sh.. about participating in scams, they are willing to turn their eyes out as long as they get paid. Instead of providing decent service.
This is the site that advertises at yahoo:
jeffsgrantblog.com/
similar site, same man, same photos, different names though
jeffrysgrantblog.com/
I thought it sounded good, too, but I always do double research on everything. If, with just one Google search, you get negative hits on something, that’s a big red flag and that’s what happened with this Jeff Donahue thing, here. Also, his blog didn’t have enough content to really be legit. There were no copyrights, no contact links, no hosting or domain homepage, no licensing information, nothing that could lead you back to a person — just a link to the kit purchase, which doesn’t have anything to do with the person’s blog. A blog is an online diary and having a blog with the purpose of having one entry to sell an item is definitely suspicious to me.
Well, thanks for doing the research and letting everyone know concisely that this is definitely a scam.
I filled out my info, then the next page below the agreement to pay the $2.95 shipping or whatever it was, they were going to charge you $39 a month unless you cancelled, and $14 for something else & some other bs charges…I stopped right there, but was really pissed because I filled out my personal information with phone number to get to this page…now they’re probably going to sell my information…I’d like to find this clown & give him a piece of my mind or foot…
Thanks for setting up this site!!
Another tactic to steal your information and sell it out there to advertising companies…the bigger company behind this scam to get your information is JRS Media. Just click on their privacy policy. They are telling you right there that they WILL sell your information! Don’t be gullible people!
Funniest thing about all of this is that you out a guy with a “hey make free money here” scam, and then drop your own blatant scam link at the end with:
“free directory of online money making opportunities by clicking here”
THATS AWESOME!!
oh and yes I used my spam email addy to reply to this post so you cant send me more of the “truth”.
What the hell are you talking about, a blatant scam link? The free directory link doesn’t ask for your credit card number, doesn’t contain hidden charges in the terms and conditions, won’t charge you a recurring monthly fee for a junk membership you didn’t agree to, doesn’t sell your information to spammers, doesn’t promise thousands of dollars in easy money. The list of differences could go on and on. If you’re going to spout off, you should learn to read first.
I tried looking him up in Austin, TX as that is were he says he lives and works as a fire man……. nobody listed in Austin, TX. with that name, published or not !!!
If it sounds too good to be true, 95% of the time… it is !!
Thanks for the info on old “Jeff”. I knew he was a scam and I NEVER send money to anyone I don’t know, even small amounts of it. When you do all the sometimes unpleasant things I do to earn a living (there’s a lot more to nursing than emptying bedpans, but that’s still a part of the gig), you don’t want to waste a dime. However, I noticed that after you got finished ripping “Jeff” a new one, you posted some links about moneymaking opportunities at home and three paid surveys you said were legit. Could it be that you’re just another con, cleverly cloaking your own less-than-honorable intentions in righteous indignation at other scammers? I don’t believe I’ll have any of your pie, either, thanks all the same.
Thanks for posting this information!!!
I didn’t believe the claim so I googled the guy to see what others were saying. By the way, the name of Jeff Donahue on the check photo is completely horizontal, while the rest of the writing on it curves up. Take a ruler up to your screen and check it out.
let me get this straight. you’re all looking for a handouts?
what a lazy bunch of hacks. the problem starts with you
Big question?? why would yahoo put up an Ad like that if its a scam?? We really should demand yahoo to remove it!!! Heres the number http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/PRESS/contact.cfm
And yes in photoshop you can a lot better job especially with curve his name on the check to look like the rest of the text on the check. Marc
I knew it wasn’t right when I saw that he first asked his “high school friend for advice since he has been running his own business since 2004 and doing great.” Then on the bottom of this picture of his check he was so thankful for “the advice from” his “cousin”. What a CROCK, AYH!
thanks 4 the tip bro i almost fell for his shit i was 2sec from getting my credit card then my wife told me to do a review and then thats when your page poped up and i saw the add!!! thanks again and god bless you.
Did ANYone notice the type Os????? NEVER trust and ad with type Os…….
i fell just a few minutes ago for them and grants for you now i’m usually pretty smart about these things wow and come to think of it i purchased kevin’s grants too in december for my husbnd he got me twice same guy same picture with a different check and i was skeptical last year when i couldn’t leave a post and still did it i guess i really deserved to learn this lesson twice wow this is so unreal thank god it only cost me about ten dollars total but i won’t buy anythingelse on the good ole web thanks so very much for your research and information it’s been awakening
stevie wonder could see how fake this guy is.
I am glad I checked out your site. I almost paid for the kit, and then i thought twice about it. It’s sad that there are scams out there.
Yes, I almost fell for it too. Until the 3 day “trial” offer and then $79.95 PER MONTH!!!! Why does Yahoo allow this? Thank goodness I was wise enough to realize that, as the saying goes, “nothing is free”. Expecially with the government!!!!
Great! I just ordered this thing and didn’t realize about the $79.95. I went to the members website and the amount of information you have to read is so mindboggling, nobody would read it all. This is a SCAM, and there is no clear way to cancel my membership.
The same “too lazy to research this crap” people that jump on this are the same that actually believe what ehy see on tv and think thier gov cares for them.
Does anyone know how to send an email to this scumbag? Has anyone notified the FTC and FBI? And sense he is using the U.S. Postal system for fraudulent usage, he’s committing a Federal Racketeering Crime. I’m surprised the government hasn’t already gone after this scumbag. Please let us know if anyone knows an email address for this low life SOB.
Thank you, I found Jeff ad in yahoo messenger, I alway check before doing anything, and thanks to people like you I have not being scam many times,,,,, thank you again.
I’m so mad at myself because I got scammed and they put the 79.95 on my bank card where I paid the s&h of 2.95. I went thru
all of the paper work and there was no mention of the 79.95. I was trying to help my son and then this happens. I canceled my
card, so at least they can’t get anymore from me. This really hurts my finances. I tried the phone # and get no answer at all. Hope and pray someone can put these people away. Thanks for any info on this guy.
Phyllis, you can have the charge reversed on your card. I was told by someone not to sell my ex-husband’s engagement ring there was another solution and she gave me the debtgranthelp.com website. I told her thank you and here I found this. I knew it was a scam. Man, people will take advantage of anyone. Thanks to all of you for the info without you I might have believed “Jeff” or whoever he is.
got scamed oh dumb me should have realized that what sounds to good to be true usually is. its a crime to have people prey on others when they are to lazy to work and make money the old fashioned way. i am in process of contacting both the better business bureau and my states attorney general.
ok i am dumb. i bought it for 2.29. thought i was just getting a form. did get a phone call from someone who wanted to sell me an addition to the grant. kept the nos. they , gee, dont work when you try to call back. then 2 weeks later 39.95 was deducted from my account. the bank is on it. hope they can do something. as many people that have been scammed, the Justice Dept. should be doing something. the website is gone now.
it is also not that we are to lazy to work. i have worked all my life. Hard. Paid taxes in up the wazoo. times are tight and with 2 jobs going a little help would have been nice. real nice. i am raising 2 grandchildren. one 14, and one 6. I get no breaks from the gov. either. no welfare, food stamps or breaks on my income taxes. one of the jobs is retired military pay. what branch did you serve in,Wayne and for how many years? Do not call me lazy until you have walked this mile in my shoes.
sorry about the email address for this scam. i goofed it is customerservice@cshelp.org
I use photoshop alot so straight up noticed the poorly done name change and the 2nd and 3rd number change at the bottom. But posing with the statue son and fish was classic I have never laughed so hard in my life. I would give the 3 dollars or what ever he is charging for even thinking that would convince people. Sad thing is people did buy into the fake son……….
It’s weird because it appears Jeff has now moved to Canada but he is still working as a fireman.
Also, all this information is displayed on their terms. I know many of you don’t think to read the fine print but it really is the quickest way to identify a scam. Of course they aren’t going to tell you that it’s nearly impossible to cancel your account.
One final thing. One of the many I have seen here in Canada is grantsmoney.com/external/terms
I placed the link to the terms because it appears to be a company in the U.K. that owns and operates all these sites.
The Site owned and operated by grantsmoney.com c/o responsive media ltd, 31 castle street, high wycombe, hp136ru uk but oddly enough I can’t find any such company on the internet. Strange?
Many of the American sites I browsed seem to be run by a company in the Phillipines named “JRS Media”. From their terms:
“The seller is located in Pasig City, Philippines and by doing business with us you agree that this offering is made from Pasig City, Philippines and shall be governed by the laws of the Philippines … By electing to participate in this offer, you are entering into a contract.”
Sorry so many people out there are being scammed. You really are your best protection. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is but if curiousity is killing you, read a little before hand. You’ll always be thankful you did. The main reason these companies get away with what they are doing is because they actually do state that they will be charging you and that they can change their billing practices at any time. By submitting payment you are actually agreeing to their terms whether you read them or not. Yes it’s shady and yes they get by on technicalities but now you are armed against these types of scams.
“jeff” is also pulling this scam in Canada.
The text is similar,but anyone should realize that there is NO WAY that any government office, whether it be American or Canadian will send out cheques in 12 days for items such as he claims.
I also am a fireman in Texas and went to https://www.tcfp.state.tx.us/standards/certification/certification_lookup.asp
He is NOT listed as a fireman sooooo he is NOT a fireman in Texas. Liar, liar, you’re a scammer!!!!
This sucks! Yesterday l bought into his site with a pre=paid card.When the transaction went through within a minute another went through for about $40.it wasn`t oked.Again a bum site with a bull, phone number.And yes his reach is in Canada,as am l.
Great job mate. I wrote a same post on that fictional guy and I am shocked to see he has many faces. How did you track down that family photo I would like to inform the one I have as well.
Oh wow, I almost signed up but decided to check further. I found your comments and am so glad you know the real person. Thanks so much. They give you a trial for 30 minutes? then the real clicker $49.95 if you don’t cancel. the cancel is the kicker. You cannot because the number is not his. Oh God rid us of scammers.