Fraudsters in the past have used the words and letters of HHS programs to give the false impression that their costly seminars or pay-per-use grant application tools are approved, endorsed, or authorized by HHS. It is illegal to ask you to pay to apply for or to increase your odds of being awarded a federal grant.īe careful to watch for scammers that falsely use HHS symbols and language to trick you and others. People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be "federal government" officials-don’t be fooled by these scams that request money from you. "You've been selected" or "you are eligible" to receive a grant/scholarship."The grant/scholarship will just cost you a one-time fee."."I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this grant/scholarship."."You can't get this information anywhere else."."This grant/scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.".
Look and listen for these tell-tale lines: Whether you see them in your local paper or a national magazine, or receive direct phone calls-con artists generally follow a familiar script to gain access to your bank accounts or to get you to make unnecessary one-time payments to them. Protect yourself from scammers that tell you that you need to pay a small processing fee to qualify to receive a grant for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or "money for nothing" grant offers.
No legitimate federal government employee would ever call you and tell you that you qualify or have been approved for a grant for which you never applied.