"Government Grant – $9,000 No Repayment" Text Scam
Government grant award notification — processing fee and SSN for fake federal grant
Congratulations! You have been selected for a government grant of $9,000. No repayment required. Claim now: federal-grants-claim.com
SMS
Confirmed scam
Grant amounts in the $5,000–$9,000 range are chosen specifically to stay below the gift tax reporting threshold.
Typical victim loss: $500–$3,000
FTC Consumer Sentinel 2024 — government impersonation median $1,400; prizes/grants median $900
First seen
Oct 2024
Category
Government
Attack vector
SMS
Trigger
Curiosity
4 red flags in this message
Unsolicited grant notification
Government grants require formal applications — they are never randomly awarded via SMS.
No repayment clause
Used to make it seem too good to pass up.
Processing fee
Variation demands upfront 'fee' before releasing grant — the entire scam.
Fake domain
Government grants go through grants.gov and agency-specific portals.
What happens if you click
Upfront 'processing fee' collected — no grant exists.
Full banking information collected during fake application.
Identity theft via SSN, DOB, address collected on fake form.
Other versions of this message
Scammers rotate wording to bypass spam filters. All variations lead to the same outcome.
Federal grant program: You qualify for $7,500 in government assistance. Verify to receive.
GOVERNMENT GRANT: $9,000 approved for you. Processing fee of $150 required to release.
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Fake Government domains used in this scam
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Frequently asked questions
Does the government give out free grants by text?+
No. Government grants require competitive applications through grants.gov or agency-specific programs. They are never awarded via SMS notification.
What is the 'processing fee' variation of this scam?+
The victim pays a small fee ($150-$500) to 'release' their grant. No grant exists. The fee is the entire scam. Legitimate grants never require upfront fees.
Where can I find real government grant opportunities?+
At grants.gov — the official federal grants database. All legitimate programs are listed there.
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Check your message →First documented: October 2024
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel 2024 — government impersonation median $1,400; prizes/grants median $900
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