1-800-GRANT FRAUD
Think Twice before Calling that Number
I found this to be the case of one such company which sent out cards from their base in Champlain, NY recently. I got one of these cards, and decided to try it out. The card lures the recipient with the promise of a Federal grant for education, home improvement, medical bills, etc. In fact, they guarantee a $5,000 grant. Okay, this sounds good so far. Maybe too good?
The application is "free over the phone", but as you get caught up in the recorded conversation, where the "grant representative" obtains all sorts of financial information from the caller, you'll find yourself getting charged nearly $350 for "service charges and handling fees." Now, you have to ask yourself at this point ... service charge for what? Handling what? Mailing the package to your home? Well, that must be one mighty heavy package!
They have a clever way of getting information out of their victims, too. First, they get your license and Social Security numbers saying that they need this information for "verification purposes". They have also been known to ask their victims the account numbers of checking and savings accounts so that they can "deposit" the grant check into the account. But think about it... when they have those numbers available to them, they have access to those accounts for fraudulent purposes and can cause havoc with the balance.
Now, a $5,000 guarantee for a mere $350 sounds like a reasonable deal. But, is it really? When sanity sets in and you change your mind and you call to cancel the application, it's amazing to witness the antics these "Federal grant representatives" play wrapped up with a degree of arrogance that is beyond belief. After being insulted and whacked around with their heated words, it becomes increasingly apparent that this is no real organization, but a conglomeration of scam artists with hooks in their nose to catch your wallet on the fly.
You will be abruptly told that cancellation is impossible. They flatly refuse to stop the process because it is "already in motion". This is a dangerous position to be in. Not only do they have the account numbers of the financial institutions at that point, they also argue that if there are insufficient funds to support their charges in the account, they will also charge you a cancellation fee. All this, and you can expect to not even see their "grant" package until about 2 weeks AFTER your payment to them has cleared. So, you are getting nothing at this point for a total of $350 and there is no way to cancel out.
You may now need to contact the state attorney general's office to place a formal complaint against them for fraud and change any accounts that they are now privy to. Making a formal complaint to the state's Better Business Bureau is also advisable. It's an inconvenience, to be sure, to change accounts and report the fraud that was set in motion, but it is essential to get back on track.
Don't be disillusioned about grants in general, however. Not all agencies that deal in Federal grants are fraudulent. So, how can you tell the difference? There are some criteria to keep in mind when selecting an agency to work with:
•Any agency that claims to GUARANTEE a grant for a price should be avoided.
•Do not, under any circumstances, give out personal or financial information such as Social Security numbers or bank accounts of any kind.
•It is always wise to check with the Better Business Bureau in the operator's home state to see if there are any complaints against them before proceeding.
•Be sure you understand the cancellation policy of the agency well in advance of giving any type of consent for proceeding with the application process.
•Be sure you know the full name and ID number of the individual "Federal grant representative" you are dealing with.
•It pays to do full research on the agency itself before making any type of commitment. Find out where the agency's headquarters are located and obtain the full name, address, and telephone number of the customer service department before making any applications.
•Beware if the agency is not a U.S. company. Many such scams are originating from Canada, especially those located along the northern borders of the U.S.
•Don't be sucked into a deal that sounds good. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And the best way to avoid this is to never make a commitment over the phone. Know who you are dealing with. And, don't get caught up into believing that if you invest a little money into the application process, you will be guaranteed a given result. That's just plain nonsense!
Published by Mary Pagay
Freelance writer & editor with a proven track record in communications. Solid background in the sciences with knowledge of insurance and the healthcare industries. Knowledge of medical transcription, des... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentRobert Ponce, uses different aliases including Kennedy Daimler and apparently uses Nevada telephone numbers to make it appear he is calling from another state. His co-scamers are Linda Goble (Leslie Anderson) and Tim Schitter ( Tim Snyder). This ring of thieves need to be stopped immediately, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This company preyed on my son’s desperation in very bad economic times!!! This is a crime, NOT just a scam, A CRIME!!!!
Wealthlane and Benefit Partners is the same company!!! My son owns his own business and he was taken for $8000.00 from Benefit Partners for a grant that they were suppose to write and forward onto the Kennedy Endowment Fund He was told that he qualified for 250,000.00 in grant money. He stopped receiving phone calls about 3 weeks ago. He had a very bad feeling. But the worst part about it is that he is very intelligent and did his due diligence. He found nothing bad about this company, so we told a couple of friends about it and the company took them for $8000.00 dollars each too. That’s 24,000.00 dollars between them all. After hiring a PI we found out that the mastermind behind all of this is a man named Robert Ponce out of Phoenix, Arizona. Robert Ponce has had a few Grant company scams including Wealthlane Corp and Global Business Funding. Robert Ponce, uses different aliases including Kennedy Daimler and apparently uses Nevada telephone numbers to make it appear he is ca
Wealthlane corporation in NV. has not contacted me since Nov. 2010. No activity about any grants. They did a booklet for my company, promised that there were grants that we would qualify to receive. But to this date (4/2011) NOTHING. If Grants are truly out there how does one find out how to get them? For my $1,500. I have a book that has information in it that I hope I can use - perhaps on my own grant seeking quest. I hope GOD will give them the punishment they deserve; as he already did to my budget.
We were contacted by wealthlane corp and was told that we were pre-approved for $125,000.00. That they would need a $2000.00 up front money to use to pay the lawyers and conference committy to process our application. They overnight Fedex to pick up the check from us, then we tryed calling them and they told us that we would go into a remission for a couple of months and then the companies that would be giving us the money would contact us so that we could sign for the money. This never happened. we since then have been trying to call wealthlane and the business has been closed. I turned them over to the better business bureau and the BBB said that they have lock their doors. they cannot get hold of them. This company is diffently a fraud. They stole $2000.00 from us and I pray that who ever you are you will read this. I am positive that they will move again and assume a new business name and continue to rip people off. They have to be stopped. Mike & Della DeMink, Hastings, MI
I got scammed by Wealthlane. Wish I had seen all this info earlier!!
anyone else out there who has been lied to and stolen from should report them. the more the better.
yes Wealthlane is one of them.
Is Wealthlane Corporation in Henderson NV one of these?
If you want recourse and to find the people who lied and stole your money and then shut their doors only to open up a new scam shop under a new company and shelf corporation. They open and close grant fraud companies, Small Business Funding, then Corporate Capital 702-522-7100, then Quid Corp 702-522-9999 and Now Compass National 877-702-8915
Some of the employees use fake names
Mike Jones uses alias - Mike Glasier
Mark Jones uses many different alias name such as Mark Andrews and Todd Mathews
Bobby Fusco & Cody Christianson are the ring leaders of the the grant fraud companies.
The Corporate Capital Team or what's left of them are at 3 locations
2 are at
(702) 522-7100
2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, Buiding 8 (one of the scam boiler rooms signs says The viking group)
Henderson, NV 89014
Quid Corp
(702) 522-9999
9089 S. Pecos, Suite 3600
Henderson, NV 89074
Compass National (many formers Quid employee scammers are at this location Todd Mathews & Mike Glasier & Bobby F
I got call from capital investment services about grant.Then the woman call me back in 10 min.said i could get $300,000.00 but they need $2499.00 up front then another salesperson Dennis get the phone saying the money there and should see it in 2 months?? and promises a grant.These people should go get real jobs!!! and stop calling!!!! keith
Shirley -- I cannot say which "agencies" are or are not legit, but I can say this: CCT stands for Corporate Capital Team and their agency seems to have a multitude of people who have logged in comments (on another website regardin grant fraud) about how they try to rip off their customers. They request money up front, and then seem to disappear into thin air afterwards so that the up front money is lost to the applicant -- and they don't answer any phone calls to address the problem once they get their on the money. You can never seem to reach them again once you hand over the money. It would be wise to be very cautious before dealing with them and to do your homework meticulously if you cannot afford to lose the application fee.
I cannot tell you whether you should trust them or not, but I can tell you that there are many red flags that would suggest that you research them VERY carefully before investing any money in their promises for a grant.
Check with the Better Buiness