PHOENIX — Free money, but it comes with a cost. It's a lesson Mary learned the hard way.
Scammers are trying to cash in on people struggling financially. Their goal is to trick potential victims with offers of fraudulent government grants.
For Mary, the offer came in the form of a Facebook message from a friend offering advice. At the time, Mary didn't know her friend's account had been hacked.
The 'friend' suggested Mary apply for a government grant reportedly offered by the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the World Health Organization.
Mary, trusting her supposed friend, checked out the website and thought it looked legitimate.
"You had to tell them what type of grant you wanted... I said home repairs," Mary recalled, wanting to update her step-in showers to walk-ins to make life easier as she aged.
She was offered a $50,000 grant, but she needed to pay $1,000 to receive the funds. It was a red flag for Mary so she questioned her friend.
"Everything I questioned, they had an answer for which I thought was coming from my friend," Mary said.
Trusting her friend, she drove to a local Walgreens to buy gift cards. She sent pictures of the cards and waited for her grant. On the day the delivery was scheduled, Mary received a text saying the FedEx truck had been in an accident.
Mary was then asked for more money, "they texted me back and said they needed $2,000 to keep this money that I was getting, this check, in a vault."
She didn't send the money. Mary was able to reach her actual friend on the phone, who told Mary her Facebook account had been hacked. Mary realized - she'd been scammed.
Mary is reporting the scam to the FTC, but says losing her self-confidence and trust in her own decision-making hurts more than losing the money.
Remember, if you're asked to pay with giftcards - it's a scam.
There is never a cost to receive information or apply for a government grant, and all applicable government grant options are listed here.
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