Today, we are told the Megamillions Jackpot in the U.S. has risen to a half-billion dollars. Who doesn’t love the idea of winning a mountain of money for a ticket that costs a couple of bucks?  The odds of course are low – about one in 250 million.  But we also know you are more likely to be struck by lightning (about 1 in a million odds) than win the big booty. 

But what if someone were to tell you that you can skip the low lottery odds and get an unrestricted U.S. government “grant” ranging from $5,000 to $15,000?  All you have to do is make a payment of a few hundred dollars and the money is yours!  Yes, this is a scam offer, but I am saddened to report people across the U.S. are falling for this proposal which is made over the phone by telemarketing con artists.  People are asked to send payments ranging from $300 to $900 and to accomplish this transfer in an odd way. While some are asked to provide their credit card or banking information, the con artists know that many are reluctant to share this information. Instead they ask call recipients to buy a gift card in the requested amount such as an iTunes, Apple, Walmart gift card or a Green Dot Debit Card and then call back the scammer with the codes for the purchased cards. 

In the past few weeks, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance has received a significant volume of calls from people who received such scam offers.  About half of them recognize the offer is too good to be true while the others tell us they have already done what the scammer has asked.  We urge them to immediately contact their banks or the purchased gift card sources and inform them, to contact their state’s office of the Attorney General, and to report the incident on BBB Scam Tracker. 

The sad irony about government grants is that in many communities, charities are struggling due to cutbacks in state and local government grants that in some cases provide the majority of the charity’s revenues to carry out their missions.  While these charities struggle to seek other sources of revenue to continue their work, con artists are fooling people into believing that government grants are being given to anyone who wants them.    

On a separate note, as part of our Building Trust Video Series we are pleased to provide a video featuring  Dr. Michael Jacobsen, Executive Director of Center for Science in the Public Interest, (a BBB Accredited Charity). The Center seeks to conduct research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well-being. 

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include: 

• Last Chance for Animals
• National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States
• Near East Foundation 

Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are  interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.  

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance