I have recently been looking for Grants on line, so I can start a small business. For the last several weeks I have been receiving calls on my home phone. The first time they called and gave me an offer that I thought was to good to be true and I told them as much. They called again and again. They told me that I had been selected to receive an $8,000 grant from the federal government.
I listened to what Alex had to say, but when he asked me for my checking account number, I became very uncomfortable. I even went as far as to tell them that I would not supply my banking information over the telephone or to anyone that I did not know. I asked for numbers and something to verify the grant giver. The business name they told me was First National Grant Benifits.
They were very pushy and very persuasive. They told me that I had to pay a one time fee of $29.95 for their services that would come out of the grant money right off the top. I was to call them and pay an additional $299.99 when the grant was deposited into my account. Which was to be the following Monday, June 13th. Their final call to me was 6/10/05.
By this point, I had already given them my account information, so they could deposit into my account. No money was to be debited from my account. I had them make that very clear before I supplied my information to them. I wrote down the name of the representatives I spoke to and the grant ID#s.
I was to receive a welcome package within 5 days after the phone call, and I could review this package and call and cancel the process if I did not want to participate.
About a week later I tried to call one of the two 800 numbers they gave me. One was good, the other was not.
I tried to cancel this and was told I could not until I received the papers and contract in the mail and that I had until July 5th to cancel before they could charge me the $299.99. They stated, Alex had given to me incomplete and incorrect information. I told them I wanted to cancel now and they told me I could not. I tried to call again and got the same information, by now my blood is boiling.
I called my Bank (TCF Bank) and they tell me nothing can be done until the money is taken out as I authorized this transaction. I can fight it after the fact. I tried calling again to First National benefits and I am not getting an answer.in the meantime I am not getting any cooperation with this withdrawal that I know is going to take place at my bank either.
I am not impressed with the services of tcf national bank either.
I finally received the program benefits in a box the size of a VCR video with one sheet of paper in it. This is what was so important that I had to wait to cancel this program. As I stated this to the operative on the end of the line in my last call.
I was not able to get through today to cancel this transaction as there is no answer on the other side. Isn't that convenient..
This is all a scam..
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