LOST SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS
BELIEVING SHE HAD RECEIVED A
FREE
GRANT.
BO:
THE INITIAL INFORMATION CAME
FROM A SO-CALLED "FRIEND" ON
FACEBOOK.
BUT THERE WAS NO FRIEND.
INSTEAD, IT
WAS A SCAM.
SHE CALLED WATE, SIX ON YOUR
SIDE CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR DON
DARE BECAUSE SHE WANTS HER STORY
HEARD.
DON:
SHE COULDN'T AFFORD TO LOSE
THE MONEY, BUT HAS NO WAY OF
GETTING IT BACK.
THERE ARE A WIDE
VARIETY OF GRANT SCAMS OUT
THERE,
AND IT MAY NOT ALWAYS BE EASY TO
IDENTIFY THEM.
ONE THING YOU SHOULD ALWAYS
REMEMBER IS THAT, YOU SHOULD
NEVER
BE ASKED FOR MONEY IN ORDER TO
APPLY FOR A GRANT, OR TO
RECEIVE ONE.
LEGITIMATE GRANTS WILL BE
"FREE," AND INFORMATION
ABOUT THEM WILL BE READILY
AVAILABLE ONLINE.
IN KNOXVILLE, SAREE RANGEL, A
SECOND YEAR STUDENT AT A
LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WENT
ONLINE LAST MONTH SEARCHING FOR
STUDENT LOAN GRANTS.
WITHIN A FEW HOURS, SAREE
RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON
FACEBOOK FROM WHAT SHE BELIEVED
WAS A HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND ABOUT A
GRANT SHE HAD RECEIVED.
SAREE RANGEL: SHE HAD GOT A
GRANT FOR COLLEGE THAT YOU
DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE MONEY
BACK. I ASKED HER IF IT WAS
LEGIT? SHE WAS LIKE YES, I GOT
THIS LUMP SUM OF MONEY.
THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF THAT SO-
CALLED HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND
HAD BEEN CLONED, BUT SAREE
DIDN'T
KNOW IT AT THE TIME. IN ONE OF
THE MESSAGES,
THERE'S A NAME AND NUMBER TO
CALL ABOUT THE GRANT. SO, SAREE
STARTS CORRESPONDING WITH A
HODGES MCIWAIN.
SAREE: I TALKED TO HIM, I'M
LIKE, HEY, I'D LIKE TO APPLY
FOR YOUR GRANT BECAUSE I NEED
HELP GOING TO SCHOOL.
HE TEXTED ME THE NEXT MORNING
SAYING I'D HAVE TO
ANSWER A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
SHE'S KEPT ALL THE MESSAGES FROM
MCIIWAIN, THE NAME USED BY THE
SCAMMER.
SAREE: HE TOLD ME, AFTER HE
ASKED ME CERTAIN QUESTIONS
THAT I'M QUALIFIED FOR 20-
THOUSAND DOLLARS. DARE: WHAT DID
YOU THINK? SAREE: I THOUGHT IT
WAS A BLESSING.
DARE: WHEN YOU FOUND OUT SHE WAS
ELIGIBLE FOR A 20-
THOUSAND GRANT? EZRALITA
ROBINSON: I WAS ELATED.
VERY EXCITED.
DARE: YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS
20-THOUSAND DOLLARS
GRANT, BUT THEN THE PITCH COMES.
WHAT IS IT? SEREE:
THAT I HAVE TO GO BUY GIFT CARDS
FOR 200 DOLLARS.
HE TOLD ME TO GO GET.
SHE WAS DIRECTED TO SCRATCH OFF
THE NUMBERS AND SEND A PICTURE
OF THE CARDS TO HODGES MCIWAIN,
WHO ALSO WANTED ANOTHER 50
DOLLARS.
EZRALITA ROBINSON: SHE ASKED ME
FOR MONEY AND I
GAVE IT TO HER FOR GOOGLE CARDS.
NOW THE SECOND PART OF THE SCAM.
SINCE THEY HAD HER HOOKED, COULD
THEY GET SAREE TO PAY EVEN MORE
MONEY?
SO, SHE GETS A TEXT FROM A
TERREL DANIELS CLAIMING HE'S
WITH
FEDEX AND HE'LL BE DELIVERING
HER
MONEY FOR THE GRANT. THE DUDE
STARTED TEXTING ME. I WAS, LIKE,
CONFUSED.
SHE WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE DANIELS
SAID BEFORE
DELIVERING THE PACKAGE, HE
NEEDED TO BE PAID A $150
DELIVERY FEE WITH GOOGLE CARDS.
SAREE: I WAS LIKE I DON'T PAY
THE FEDEX PERSON IF I'M DOING
THIS. THEN HE HAD AN ATTITUDE.
HE WAS SAYING, LIKE
HE WAS SAYING, LIKE SLANG, LIKE
SOMEONE MY AGE WOULD
SAY.
CON ARTISTS FOLLOW A FAMILIAR
SCRIPT TO GET YOU TO MAKE
PAYMENTS TO THEM. HERE ARE
TELL-TALE LINES:
"YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE
A GRANT."
"THIS GRANT SCHOLARSHIP IS
GUARANTEED."
"WE'LL DO ALL THE WORK. BUT YOU
JUST PAY A PROCESSING FEE." "THE
GRANT WILL JUST COST YOU A
ONE-TIME FEE."
SAREE REALIZES NOW THAT GRANTS
ARE FREE. AND, FREE MEANS YOU
DON'T HAVE TO PAY ANY MONEY.
SAREE: GO ON ACTUAL GRANT SITES.
TALK TO PEOPLE AT THE
SCHOOL.
EZRALITA ROBINSON: BE WATCHFUL
OF YOUR KIDS, GO
INTO DETAIL. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW
THE WEBSITES.
DON:
HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO KNOW
ABOUT GOVERNMENT GRANTS.
APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION
ABOUT THEM ARE FREE. ALL
GOVERNMENT GRANTS INVOLVE AN
APPLICATION PROCESS, AS DO MOST
GRANTS,
AND YOU WON'T LIKELY GET A
RESPONSE WITHIN HOURS, IT MAY
TAKE
A MONTH OR MORE TIME. THERE ARE
NO FEES ASSOCIATED WITH APPLYING
FOR GOVERNMENT GRANTS
AND THE ONLY OFFICIAL ACCESS
POINT, FOR ALL FEDERAL GRANT
MAKING AGENCIES, IS GRANTS DOT
GOV.
LORI AND BO.
SAREE SAYS SHE HOPES OTHERS
LEARN FROM HER MISTAKE.
BO:
IF YOU HAVE A CONSUMER
QUESTION FOR DON -- SEND HIM AN
EMAIL AT D-DARE AT W-A-T-E DOT
COM, OR CALL HIS SIX ON YOUR
SIDE HOTLINE
NUMBER AT 865- 633-5974.
LORI:
STILL TO COME -
A FAVORITE HALLOWEEN
FESTIVITY RETURNING TO KNOXVILLE
THIS WEEKEND..
BO: