I was contacted on 01/25/06 by a lady claiming that due to a government "economy improvement" campaign, I was selected to receive a government grant in the amount of $6,000. At first, it seemed legitimate, as I had recently been researching grants to help fund a small business venture. I figured I just got lucky. As the conversation continued, she asked me what I would use the money for, and kept reiterating that I must keep my answer consistent when I filled out the form I would receive in 2 weeks. A few days following my compliance, I would receive a check from the government for $6,000. Stupidly, I actually gave her my routing number and account number off of one of my checks, and she then forwarded me to their "verification department," where I was to simply respond in "definitely yes" answers. When I spoke to the verification representative, he repeated my information, and asked me to confirm. I didn't exactly give straight-forward answers, as I was side-tracked checking the company out online, and saw nothing but red flags. He kept asking, "is that a definite yes?" I started to become rather concerned that I was only allowed to respond in simple yes and no answers, I finally responded with a "definite no," and asked to cancel immediately. He then transferred me back to the original associate, who asked me the reason for my decision. I started explaining to her my concern of a company that asks me for my personal banking information and repeatedly denies my requests for proof in writing before making any decision. I informed her of the scams that I've seen in the past, and basically told her that this was a seriously skeptical situation, and that one of the first responses when I Googled their company name was a complaint on this site. She then started to say things like, "Well, I'm sure you would also find consumer complaints against companies like McDonald's so you can't really go on that," blah blah blah... I responded that I've never seen McDonald's being accused of fraud either, so her point was moot. That's when she got fuming, telling me how I was wasting her time, and that I had already given her my account information, so why back out now, we are not a fraudulent company, etc... pure BS. She hung up on me, after which I immediately went down to my bank and spoke with my account manager. She informed me that one of her clients fell victim to this scam not even a week ago, and was very helpful in closing my account and transferring my information to my new account. I'm glad I found this site, as I was able to avoid getting ripped off. Thanks! You know, if these fraudulent companies focused their efforts on something legitimate, they'd probably be a lot more successful.
Dave
Charleston, South Carolina
U.S.A.