I received a plain envelope with no return address and one Canadian 96 cent stamp on the corner. Enclosed was a letter from Southwest Trust, Inc.informing me that I had been approved for a Business/Home Improvement Grant, then it listed a serial number. The letter states several times that this is a grant and that it is not repayable. The total amount that I was approved for was $37,000.00. Enclosed was also a check for $3,950.70, according to the letter this was to cover "fees and taxes associated with this grant claim..." and "... The balance is yours to keep.".
I was instructed to call a number to activate my account and to speak with Andrew Coxwell or Lisa Woodworth prior to cashing the enclosed check. The letter states that the remaining amount of the grant would be released from an escrow account by an agent named Annette Henderson @ 380 E. 98th St, Brooklyn, NY 11212-4308. Then it finishes by stating that any unclaimed grant funds get released and donated to local charities. It is signed by an Amanda Young, V.P. (Foreign Account Dept.).
I have called the number to activate the check, but there was an answering machine asking me to leave my name, number and claim #. I didn't, but I'm curious to know how many people have been taken by this scam. I am also VERY curious to find out how we can stop these greedy monsters. They are feeding off of an economy that has created a lot of debt and desperation. Desperate people that don't know any better are the ones who are going to loose out when they get caught up in the empty promises that these scammer provide. So what is the next step? How do we get these people caught?
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