Though it is true that the government do provide grants, for free, you cannot deny this fact too that money does not come for free. So, while applying for the government grants, beware of the scammers trying you woo you into the network of their scam. In fact, the FTC or the Federal Trade Commission has said that if you get any such advertisements or messages - "Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!", take care before sharing any information with the person or the mail sender. Yes, it is true that the government grants may help you pay down your debts, even if you opt to consolidate your debts. But, beware of who is making the advertisement.

How to avoid grant scams

As per the FTC attorneys, the scam artists in general, follow a definite script like congratulating you over your luck for winning the money. Then, they directly ask you for the checking account number, on the pretext of submitting the money into your account. They may even promise you that you are going to face no problem with regards to the money and if you are dissatisfied in any way, you may even have the ability to return the money.

So, the things that you will have to do in order to avoid the grant scams are:

1. Know that you should not pay any money to get the grant - You are in no way required to provide any money, in order to get the grant money. The government offers the grants free of cost, for the people with low financial stability and in financial hardships. So, the government is in no way going to ask you pay up any money so as to help you with receiving the grants.

2. Avoid divulging bank account information - No government official is suppose to ask about your personal information, and more so, your bank account information at the beginning of the conversation. It is the scammers who are going to pressurize you or cajole you into sharing the bank account information with them.

3. Be sure about the name and beware of the look-alikes - Before sharing any information with the caller, be sure about the agency or administrative department that the person is calling from. The scammers use familiar government agency names to dupe people. If required, double check in the telephone directory.

4. Be sure about the phone numbers - The phone numbers can be deceptive too. There are some scammers who use the Internet technology to disguise the area from where they are calling.

5. Control the calls you are going to receive - You can control the number of calls coming to your phone, especially the telemarketing ones. For that, you will be required to register your telephone number with the National Do Not Call Registry.

You should know that none of the government grants are advertised too broadly. None of the government grants are going to bother about personally calling you, or mailing you regarding the grants.