East TN woman thought she got a grant, instead she lost $5,000 to a scam

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An East Tennessee woman was hoping to remodel her home with money received from a grant. But it didn’t happen, as the grant was a hoax.

Grant scams continue to catch people because they prey on people’s hopes for “free money” from the government. Jacqueline Rogers, a long-time school custodian, was unaware of the hoax. It was initiated through a fake Facebook account that looked like it belonged to a relative.

Rogers wanted to remodel the kitchen in her home where she’s lived for 46 years. She also needs a door installed in her laundry area. She received a friend request believing it was her brother-in-law, Terrance Schofield, but it wasn’t him.

“He told me, asked me if had I heard about this agent, James Brown, that you could get grant money from,” said Rogers.

She contacted Brown. He immediately told her about the grant and requested personal information.

“And he said, ‘Congratulations, you have been approved for a $170,000’,” said Rogers.

She received a certificate of ownership to prove she would be getting the $170,000. But first, she had to provide money upfront.

“It was to pay for the certificate before that it was the IRS. Then the other money was fees,” said Rogers.

Rogers was sent a picture of a FedEx truck. She was told it had been on its way to her house with the money but was stopped by the police. The scammer convinced her she would need to pay the taxes first. He told Rogers to buy pre-paid money cards, a lot of them.

“$500 each and there was a total of 10. Then he started asking me for more money,” said Rogers, adding that she sent him a total of $5,000.

At one point, she sent a text asking Brown if this was a scam. He reassured her it was not. She said he told her to trust him and she would get her money: “Trust me, you are going to get your money. Just make these payments and you’ll get your money.”

From a short video clip of flashing money to a picture of police stopping the FedEx truck supposedly delivering her money to the phony certificate of authenticity, the scammer went to extraordinary lengths to keep her sending the pre-paid cards.

“[He] ripped me off. Now he’s wanting $1,500 more,” said Rogers.

The Federal Trade Commission issues these tips on how to avoid grant scams:

• Be wary of offers that promise free or easy money in exchange for a fee
• Be aware that legitimate government grant programs are competitive and there is no fee
• Check directly with government offices to learn about grant opportunities

Rogers said she would not be sending any more money.

There are real federal grants, but they require an application submitted through a government website, like Grants.gov. The government does not charge a fee to apply for a federal grant, but it may take weeks before receiving a response. The way the scammers work, they may claim that you have won a grant in a drawing, even though the government does not award grants in this way.

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