I recieved a phone call from a man named Steven Johnson saying that he was from the Government Grant Association and that I was being contacted because I was selected to receive a $5,000 grant. He knew my name, my address and my phone number and asked me if the information he gave me was correct.
He told me to get a pen and paper to write down some information, he repeated his name and the company that he was with and said that his employee ID number was 2120. He gave me a phone number to call if I had any questions (877-408-1400) and the address that his company was located at (473 south Avenue, suite #1; Saint George, UT 84779).
I had a hard time understanding this due to his broken english and Indian accent and asked him to repeat the information several times. He then asked me if I had filed bankruptcy within the last year, I replied honestly and said no.
He then asked me what I planned on doing with the money and proceeded to tell me what other people have done with their grant money. I told him that I'd pay off some bills. He then asked me if I had a bank account, I replyed honestly stating that I did. He asked for the name of the bank and gave the names of several major US financial institutions and I lied to him and said that I used Wells Fargo.
He then asked me for the location that I most commonly visitied, I then lied again and said Minneapolis, MN (as I do not live near that part of the country). After that he asked for my bank's routing number and my account number. I hung up.
He called me back within a couple seconds asking me why I hung up. I lied and said I didn't and that there was interference that disconnected us. He then again asked for my routing and account numbers. I told him that since he already had my address to just go ahead and mail the check to me and I will deposit it into my account.
He stated that he needed the account information in order to complete the application. I told him that he could mail me the application so that I can look the information over as I am filling it out. He then told me that he couldn't and that it was his job to fill out the application. I kept telling him over and over that I did not feel comfortable giving out that information over the phone. I then hung up and called the police to file a report.
Kristine
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
U.S.A.
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