I have been getting calls from an "Unavailable Number" for several days now, so I finally decided to answer it. A woman with an accent that I could barely understand named "Sara Jones" told me that I was entitled to a $12,500 grant this year from the government.
Seeing as I could hardly decipher what she was saying, I went along until she wanted my routing number and checking account number. As a college student, any amount of free money seems great to me, ha ha. But, as I grew suspicious, I asked more questions and she only repeated the same information as before in a condescending tone, making me feel like I was stupid. So I gave her the numbers, then immediately my gut feeling that something was wrong got stronger.
So as she was giving me her name I looked up the company-First National Government Grant-on Google and was led to several consumer complaintss about them and how similar they were to what I was encountering right then. I was, of course, scared because I had just given them my ACCOUNT number and ROUTING number and bank name and everything else. I immediately told "Sara" that I wanted to cancel the whole thing and she tried to make me look stupid for not taking my $12,500-HA HA HA. She told me I'd wasted hers and my time (in a 3 minute phone call?) and that the call had been recorded, confirmed that she'd erase my account (which I doubt), and hung up on me.
The fact that she called me on a Sunday was also a red flag. What legitimate business calls people on the weekend? In any case, I plan on contacting my bank first thing tomorrow morning and asking them what I can do about this—I'll close my account and open a new one if I have to. If you get a call from these people don't give them anything (I regret that I did!).
Meaghan
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
U.S.A.
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