I'm actually writing this to thank usacomplaints.com for helping save me from a colossal mistake that would have cost me money I didn't need to lose.
Some woman called me on my cellphone back on 7/5, and went throught this sales pitch about how I qualified for a federal grant of $12,500. It sounded intriguing enough. But I felt something wasn't quite right, so I asked her for the name and address of the bank, which she provided with no hesitiation. I ran a Google search to see if this bank was legit.
They weren't.
The second listing on the search linked to a previous complaint file on this "bank", with the exact same method of operation. It was at that moment that I decided to grill them on the $12,500 that I somehow qualified for out of the clear blue sky, because, via their claims, I filed a tax return in 2003.
Long story short, they couldn't answer one question I had concerning whether or not the funds were actually guaranteed if I paid them $29.95. Even at one point during my interrogation, she asked me "Do you want the money or not?", as if that were the most important issue in the world. "Sure", I said, "but I want to know if I give you thirty bucks, will I ever see the money?"
You can guess how the call ended.
Within 30 minutes of our conversation, I filed a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, and I would advise anyone who has gone through this scam to do the same. Also, I have a sense that this bank is using aliased addresses. The Miami address is the home of no less than two freight logistics companies, and the one in Charlotte is listed to an office park where insurance and some other comapnies reside. I have a hunch that these people are operating either in Canada or India, and are using these addresses as aliases to front as if they are an American bank. Seriously; Google them both and see for yourself!
This is an illegal scam; no telemarketer is supposed to offer a reward that you have to pay for in advance to recieve. I think it's also a federal commerce violation as well, as they are claiming to be contracted by the federal government to issue grants, which 1) You must apply for to see if you even qualify, and 2) The federal government does not require that you pay for anything to receive the grant; you either qualify or you don't.
They are offering to send you a boatload of money for a pithy fee, and yet cannot guarantee that you will see a dime, nor can they specify how you qualify for a grant, nor which department of U.S. Government is this grant being supplied from. And yet they'll ask you for your bank account number, claiming that it's a bank-to-bank transfer. Don't do it!
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