801-528-4097

Says my wife has registered online for information on receiving free government money.

SCAM CALL - they want to steal your money and /or identity - there is no legitimate grant offers over the phone or internet

Government Grant Scams
The "free money" scam has been around almost as long as the human species.
It has more variations than a bulldog has wrinkles but you can count on one thing: the government (any government) does not simply give money away to individuals. Anyone who tells you differently has larceny in his heart.
If you give him your bank account number, he will soon have your funds in his pocket.
It does no good to list all of the names used by these bunko artists because a.) they change all the time and b.) every single free-money government-grant offer is a scam. Period.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/grant_scam_ads.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_alerts/grant.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/03/ftc_stimulus_scam.html

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE      
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.shtm

‘Free Government Grants’: Don’t Take Them For Grant-ed
“Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!”
Sometimes, it’s an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a “free grant” to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. Other times, it’s a phone call supposedly from a “government” agency or some other organization with an official sounding name. In either case, the claim is the same: your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted, and you’ll never have to pay the money back.
But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, says that “money for nothing” grant offers usually are scams, whether you see them in your local paper or a national magazine, or hear about them on the phone.
Some scam artists advertise “free grants” in the classifieds, inviting readers to call a toll-free number for more information. Others are more bold: they call you out of the blue. They lie about where they’re calling from, or they claim legitimacy using an official-sounding name like the “Federal Grants Administration.” They may ask you some basic questions to determine if you “qualify” to receive a grant. FTC attorneys say calls and come-ons for free money invariably are rip offs.
Grant scammers generally follow a script: they congratulate you on your eligibility, then ask for your checking account information so they can “deposit your grant directly into your account,” or cover a one-time “processing fee.” The caller may even reassure you that you can get a refund if you’re not satisfied. In fact, you’ll never see the grant they promise; they will disappear with your money.
The FTC says following a few basic rules can keep consumers from losing money to these “government grant” scams:
    Don’t give out your bank account information to anyone you don’t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.
    Don’t pay any money for a “free” government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a “free” government grant, it isn’t really free. A real government agency won’t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded — or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
    Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says he’s from the “Federal Grants Administration” doesn’t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch — or not.
    Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they’re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
    Take control of the calls you receive. If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visit www.donotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.
    File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov, or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
September 2006


Feds: Scammers Falsely "Guaranteed" Government Grants
Court halts operators' deceptive pitches for grant writing book and services


By James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 24, 2009

A federal judge has stopped an operation from falsely claiming that it could help consumers secure a "$25,000 Grant" -- guaranteed -- from the U.S. government.
The case is part of a Federal Trade Commission crackdown on scammers trying to capitalize on the economic downturn by targeting people facing financial hardship.
In the complaint the FTC, jointly with the attorneys general of Kansas, Minnesota, and North Carolina, charged that Grant Writers Institute, LLC and its related entities (together, GWI) falsely told consumers that they were eligible for grants as part of the recently announced economic stimulus package .
According to the complaint, the false and deceptive claims by GWI violate federal law, state consumer protection laws, and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. The complaint seeks a court order permanently stopping the defendants' illegal conduct and forcing them to return money to consumers injured by the scheme.
"Stamping out grant fraud and other types of schemes that take advantage of consumers in dire financial shape continues to be one of the Federal Trade Commission's highest priorities," said David Vladeck, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. "There is no such thing as a guaranteed grant. But to consumers in financial trouble, the chance for extra income -- guaranteed or otherwise -- can unfortunately be a huge draw."
The FTC says since at least 2007, GWI has mass mailed postcards to consumers across the country falsely claiming that the consumers "are Guaranteed a $25,000 Grant from the U.S. Government." Consumers who call the number are pitched a $59 book titled "Professional Grant Writer 'The Definitive Guide to Grant Writing Success.'"
The company's telemarketers falsely claim that the book will explain how to get government grants  -- including the "guaranteed" $25,000 grant. GWI and its North Carolina-based telemarketers, also named as defendants in the complaint, then call consumers who have bought the book, trying to get them to pay hundreds of dollars or more for grant research, writing, or coaching services, falsely claiming a 70 percent success rate in securing grant funding.
In reality, few, if any consumers ever receive any grant money.
The Commission contends that in addition to falsely claiming consumers were "guaranteed" to receive grants, GWI used the current government stimulus package to make its pitch. For example, when consumers called the number on the mass-mailed postcard, they heard a recording that said, "If you've been reading the papers you know that recently our government released $700 billion into the private sector. What you probably don't know is that there is another $300 billion that must be given away this year to people just like you."
The recording continues, "And if you're one of the lucky few who knows how to find and apply for these grants, you will receive a check for $25,000 or more, and we guarantee it . . . If you don't get a check for $25,000 or more, you pay nothing."
The following were named as defendants:
• Affiliate Strategies, Inc.;
• Landmark Publishing Group, LLC (d/b/a G.F. Institute and Grant Funding Institute);
• Grant Writers Institute, LLC;
• Answer Customers, LLC;
• Apex Holdings International, LLC;
• Brett Blackman, individually and as an officer, manager, and/or member of Affiliate Strategies, Inc., Landmark Publishing Group, LLC, Grant Writers Institute, LLC, Answer Customers, LLC, and Apex Holdings International, LLC;
• Jordan Sevy, individually and as a manager of Landmark Publishing Group, LLC;
• James Rulison, individually and as president of Answer Customers, LLC, all located in Kansas.
The complaint also names the following North Carolina entities as defendants:
• Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC (d/b/a Grant Writers Research Network);
• Martin Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC; and
• Alicia Nossov, individually and as a manager and member of Real Estate Buyers Financial Network LLC.



Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/07 ... l#ixzz0NENGCoRV

Calls 3-8 times a day at all hours.  will not leave a message or if I try to call back - I get a busy signal.

Called 5 times over the span of a few hours. Called back and got a weird answering service with no name or information on whatever "company" it's supposed to be, just a prompt to press 1 to speak to a customer service representative, or 2 to add my number to their Do Not Call list. Pressed 2, hopefully they'll stop calling.

This number has been calling me all morning and I'm angry.  I'm contacting the police.  When you press two to be removed, it does nothing.

They call about every hour I did not sign up for any government I told them I was not interested but they continue to call

someone call me many time a day from the number 801-528-4097.and offer help ,and asking my credicard #

They have called over 40 times in the last 5 days.. They have failed to remove us from their list, filed complaints and they still keep calling.. A real pain in the ass!! Beware of these jerks!

Same thing as everyone...called when I wasn't home, asked about who the person answering was, asked for my email, etc. and now they've called every hour.  Wish I could reach through the phone and teach them a lesson about disturbing people!

Some info I got from the caller, claiming to be "S. John Lemra" (I had him spell it:

The physical address they claim is 5348 Vegas Dr., Ste. 866, Las Vegas Nevada, 891908.

He claims his "Agent Number" is 3125, although I found it incredible that there are 3124 other agents with so mangled an English accent.

He was clearly reading from a script, was extremely vague as to how my email and phone number were acquired, and clearly was pushing me to buy a home or do home improvements with the grant money I had already qualified for.

He seemed very intent upon getting my email, getting me to log onto their website, where I would be given an 'exclusive password and account', and that I was to divulge the password to him directly at that time.
According to the caller, I would then be in a one-on-one chat with a 'licensed agent' who would help me fill out the government grant forms, which would then be sent to the government AND PRIVATE agencies for additional eligibility.

I print this in hopes of protecting even one person from this 'company'.
He was, however, honest enough to admit that his company was private, making no claims of government affiliation.

Some info I got from the caller, claiming to be "S. John Lemra" (I had him spell it:

The physical address they claim is 5348 Vegas Dr., Ste. 866, Las Vegas Nevada, 891908.

He claims his "Agent Number" is 3125, although I found it incredible that there are 3124 other agents with so mangled an English accent.

He was clearly reading from a script, was extremely vague as to how my email and phone number were acquired, and clearly was pushing me to buy a home or do home improvements with the grant money I had already qualified for.

He seemed very intent upon getting my email, getting me to log onto their website, where I would be given an 'exclusive password and account', and that I was to divulge the password to him directly at that time.
According to the caller, I would then be in a one-on-one chat with a 'licensed agent' who would help me fill out the government grant forms, which would then be sent to the government AND PRIVATE agencies for additional eligibility.

I print this in hopes of protecting even one person from this 'company'.
He was, however, honest enough to admit that his company was private, making no claims of government affiliation.

dont call my phone again

they want quit calling.....they call day and night

801-528-4097 has called me 6 times today.  I am on the national do not call register and still get the calls.

They keep calling, but hang up when I answer.

They keep calling, but hang up when I answer!

They call my phone like every 45 min. How do you make them stop?

They keep calling me and have for the last couple of weeks. They wake me up early in the morning and late at night. I have answered and noone is there.When I call back you have to push one to talk to someone and then it comes back that all representives are all busy and then if you press 2 to have your number taken off the list they keep calling. The best thing I can say is if all of us just stop answering there calls then they are going to have no choice but to stop calling us.... I'm going to stop calling them back and stop answering there calls... I will let everyone know if it works....

They called my phone. I am about to start college this fall, so when I got the call about government grants of course I was excited. That is until they said something about charging $1.99. They won't listen when I tell them I'm not interested, They are like "Yeah, so anyway KJ, blah, blah, blah..." They've call me atleast 30 times. But I didn't give them anything. When they say that they've gotten your cellphone number from a website are they telling the truth? Because I don't EVEN remember giving them my #.