Afflicter All About Accountability

Grant Scam Website Advertising on Radio?

There appear to be a lot of government grant scam web sites that claim to offer exclusive access to information about government grants for a price.

One site that claims to offer exclusive information about grants appears to be getting a lot buzz lately. Afflicter has seen mention of Neverpayitback.com in a number of online forums. Word is that the site is advertising on radio.

Perhaps the site isn’t a scam. But we note that neverpayitback’s business appears similar to the Federal Trade Commission’s description of a government grant scam. The FTC warned in a notice it published in 2006 that consumers should never pay money for a list of government grant-making institutions. The are all available for free at grants.gov.

To be sure, neverpayitback.com claims to offer information about private foundation grants, as well as government grants. But the price appears to be steep.

Neverpayitback’s home page first asks for your email address before granting you access to what it promises will be “instant access to thousands of hard to find Private Foundations who are giving Millions of Dollars Away this week.”

Once it receives the email address, the site drops you onto a new page that asks you to fill out a short form of information including your name, employment status and household income. It offers, in exchange for the information and a $2.29 shipping and handling fee, access to a CD and a possible chance at a “free trial” to a service that’s supposed to include instructions for winning grants and a directory of 1,500 federal and private grants. A clock counts down over the form you’re supposed to fill out, with the warning, “Hurry! Claim your CD in the next — minutes!”

If you fill out that form, you’re sent to another page with yet a third form, this one asking for your address. At the end of the form is a check box next to the line, “Yes, I’m interested in generating multiple streams of income.”

Then, upon clicking on the button that it says will start your free trial, you’re sent to a fourth screen. This one asks for your credit card information. In larger type, the notice above the credit card form, reminds you of the $2.29 shipping and handling charge for the CD you asked for several pages ago.

Then, in smaller type, under the credit card form is this:

“By clicking Submit, I am ordering the Private and Federal Grant CD™ and trial membership for $2.29 S&H, after the 7 day trial I will be charged $39.95 a month thereafter if I do not cancel. I also agree to the 14 day and 21 day bonus trials to the Search Market Members Site™ and Network Agenda™ for $7.95 a month and $9.95 a month thereafter, should I choose not to cancel. I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy/Terms and Conditions. Charges will appear on credit/debit statements as “www.fedgrantusa.com”. For questions, call 1-888-249-4806. Customer service hours are now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

That comes to $57.85 for anyone who neglects to cancel their access to “free” money from the government and private foundations.