Q: I received a phone call from a man who said he was from a government "grant association." He offered to help me get a government grant of $5,000. He wanted to charge me $199 for this service and said he needed my bank account number and my mother's maiden name. Please tell people to beware.
— Sandy Claflin
A: Good advice, says the state Attorney General's Office. This is a scam that's been on the rise recently.
Last month, the Attorney General's Seattle office was getting four to eight calls a week on this particular scam, said spokeswoman Lori Takahashi.
Telemarketers call you to say there is a federal grant or money from FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency — waiting for you, but you need to pay a fee to "process the grant." Sometimes, they'll promise you a refund if the grant doesn't come through.
People who have actually applied for a government grant — in the wake of the fall hurricanes on the East Coast, for example — may confuse the bogus offer with a real government grant they are seeking.
Never agree to send in money to get money, Takahashi advises. And don't give out personal information over the phone if you didn't initiate the call.
To report a telemarketing scam, call the state Attorney General's Office: 800-551-4636. Or you can file a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission about any fraudulent business practice: www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm. You also can report fraud to the National Fraud Information Center: 800-876-7060.
Jolayne Houtz, Times consumer-affairs reporter
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