Home > Guides > Government Grant Scams: How to Spot Fake Grant Offers
Grant scams thrive because people search for help with bills, tuition, or a new business. Scammers copy agency logos, invent confirmation numbers, and demand a "processing fee" to release money that does not exist. The Federal Trade Commission explains the pattern clearly: How to avoid a grant scam. GrantDept.com is a private site; we do not contact winners and we do not collect fees to "unlock" awards.
Because organizations must register on SAM.gov, scammers sell "expedited UEI registration." Official entity registration is free on sam.gov. If a caller already knows your EIN and claims your registration will be deleted unless you pay, hang up and sign in on the real site. APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) can help small businesses with registration at no federal registration fee.
Grants.gov will not ask for payment to submit an application. Login.gov will not ask you to text a one-time code to a helper on the phone. When in doubt, open a new browser tab, type the .gov address yourself, and compare.
FAFSA and Pell Grant processes run through StudentAid.gov. You do not pay a third party to "activate" a Pell Grant. You also do not need to share your FSA ID password. See our Pell Grant guide for the official path.
You find a NOFO, confirm eligibility, register if required, submit through the portal named in the announcement, and wait for a written decision. There is no surprise cashier's check that you must "deposit and refund the extra." That is a separate check-cashing scam. For the real application path, use how to apply for government grants.
Stop contact. Change passwords on email, Login.gov, and banking. Place a fraud alert if Social Security or bank details were shared. Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Tell your bank if you wired money.
GrantDept.com is a private website. We are not affiliated with any government agency and we do not award funds. Always apply through official program sites.
A common follow-on scam is a fake check for more than the "grant," with instructions to wire the extra back. The check bounces; you are out the wire. Real agencies do not work that way. Another pattern: a PDF "award letter" with a misspelled Grants.gov URL and a demand for taxes in gift cards. Income tax on a real grant, if any, is handled through tax filing, not iTunes.
Phishing pages copy the SAM.gov layout. Type the address yourself. Login.gov will not ask you to read a one-time code to a helper on the phone. If you already entered a password on a fake page, change it on the real site and on email. Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Student aid impersonation: Pell Grant guide. Utility impersonation: LIHEAP. How real applications work: how to apply.
Grants.gov and SAM.gov send account and status email from known domains after you have an account. They do not cold-call winners. StudentAid.gov explains how FSA will and will not contact you. IRS and Treasury Inspector General pages describe government impersonation. When a caller already knows your last four Social Security digits, that is not proof they are the government.
If you posted your mobile number on a "grant quiz," expect sales calls. That is why official applications happen on .gov sites. Our apply guide: how to apply for government grants.
Federal agencies do not randomly email the public that they have "won" a grant they never applied for. Competitive grants follow posted competitions. Unsolicited award notices that ask you to pay a fee or share a bank PIN are red flags.
No legitimate federal grant is guaranteed in exchange for an upfront fee. Consultants can help with applications, but they cannot sell an award. The FTC warns against paying to receive grant money.
Report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, if a government name was used, to the agency inspector general or USA.gov. Do not send more money or personal data to the sender.