Scam Type
Government Grant Scam
Business Name Used
IHSS
Date Reported
Oct 03, 2022
Victim Postal Code
16441
Total Dollars Lost
0
Scam Description
A friend I haven’t spoken with for some time recently contacted me. He was excited about “good news”
and wondered if I heard about it. He then sent me a link and said I should contact the person there
about applying for money.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077817867936
This person claims, in the facebook page, to be an IHSS agent. It mentions that the page/IHSS is a
“Government Organization”. It also mentions “Napa County In-Home Supportive Services ADVISORY
COMMITTEE”. So, I followed my friend’s strongly urged recommendation to contact the person. I did so
through facebook’s IM, thinking I would be sent to a secure government web site. Following is the
conversation I had with this unnamed person through the facebook IM. (I so wanted to believe it was
true, but am naturally very sceptical.)
=================
ME: What should I do now?
IHSS AGENT: Hello, The U.S. AGENCY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) grant program is in
conjunction with In Home supportive service (IHSS) which is the largest grants making agency in the US.
Most IHSS grants are provided directly to states, territories, tribes, and educational and community
organizations, By awarding Checks and Cash given to Individuals and Organizations who are eligible to
receive funding for this year.
ME: Funding for what? How would I apply? I am on disability. Do I qualify?
IHSS AGENT: The aim of this organization is to provide adequate finance to its successful applicants all
through the year and beyond, in fact individuals are being approved of large sums to either pay off
Medical Bills, start up a new business, students going back to school or getting a new home.
ME: Wow! Sounds good. Starting a business is something on my bucket list that I thought would never
happen. If this is real, and to be honest it sounds too good to be true, then I might revisit my bucket list…
IHSS AGENT: Which of the grant would you like to apply for?
* Private Cash Grants
* Business Grants
* Scholarships Grants
* Private Foundation Grants
ME: Unsure. Either “Private Cash Grant” or “Private Foundation Grant”. Unsure which to apply for. I’m not a
business, and I’m too old for college.
IHSS AGENT: Which of them would you like to apply for .
ME: I guess a private cash grant. As long as it allows me to follow that dream of owning my own
business, I figure that would be the one to follow. I thought about the foundation grant, but I’m not a
registered foundation.
IHSS AGENT: As an applicant of our charity grant offer, you are now to proceed to the verification and
registration of your grant application,
ME: Ok. How would I do that?
IHSS AGENT: The verification process is to ensure that the grant is claimed by the rightful beneficiary and
the registration is to eliminate wrong and double claims.
ME: Where is that verification site?
IHSS AGENT: You will have to fill out our requirement form for Private Cash Grant application so I can get
you registered on our system. Are you ready to fill out the requirement form now??
ME: Yes.
IHSS AGENT:
Full Name:
Date of birth (yyyy-mm-dd):
Gender:
Relationship status:
Occupation:
Monthly Income:
Credit Score:
Home Address:
Contact Phone Number:
email address:
Your picture:
Kindly write it out one by one on here.
=================
Until that last part, requesting personal information in an unsecured setting, through facebook’s IM, when
I fully exprected to be sent to a “form” (as mentioned during our [conversation]), the red flags were slight,
or at least not enough to overcome my ‘hope’ that it was actually a true thing, I did not question the
process. When I was given that ‘list’ in the FB IM, that was a red flag I was completely unable to ignore. I
then googled the phone number, expecting it to be Washington D.C., but found out it is an area code of
Manhattan, NY. That, along with the other information — California connection, no name of the person
(photo provided in the facebook page), NY connection, being registered this year, but with only a couple
useless postings in the FB timeline, and no secure ‘form’ to enter that personal information requested — I
quickly told my friend I was thankful that he thought of me, but that I would pass. Further, I tried
contacting that friend by phone but got no reply. I believe his FB page may have been compromised.
The conversation with that friend [which happened Sunday, October 2nd], though it may not be useful at
all, is as follows:
=================
ME: Hope all is well and good with you. Have a wonderful day! God Bless!
FRIEND: Hello, how have you been.? I’m doing good and excited, hope you are too guess you have heard
about the good news.?
ME: No. What good news? Don’t tell me you’re getting married? (If so, I’m not one to call such a thing
‘good’ news.)
FRIEND: I was wondering if you have heard anything about the (IHSS) program that going on.
ME: The what? What is that?
FRIEND: In-home supportive services program, they are helping, workers,married, divorced, student,
widow, employee, unemployed, in the society, did you get anything from them yet……?
Oh. I googled it. In Home Supportive Services Never heard of it before today.
No. Nothing.
FRIEND: I got $150,000.00 cash from them, it not a loan and you don’t have to pay it back, I applied and
you can also apply too. Do you know how to apply for the program..?
ME: Do they help people on disability?
WHAT?!?!? Are you serious? WOW!!!
With that kind of financing, my closing world would open back up again.
FRIEND: http://www.facebook.com/IHSS-AGENT-104246415520225/
That’s the agent page, message them by saying you are here to apply for the IHSS program.
ME: Awesome. Thank you very much. I certainly will apply. Why not? Can’t lose anything.
FRIEND: You should know very well that I can’t do what that won’t favor me, message them now and get
back to me so that I will teach you how I got mine.
Are you doing it now…?
ME: I just sent a text:
“A friend said to contact you about your program. Until today, I had never heard of you. He said I should
ask to apply for the IHSS program. So, I am doing that right here, right now. What is the program, and
why should I apply? And to what am I applying?”
FRIEND: Good, make sure you keep me posted on on it.
ME: OK
I received this:
“Hello, The U.S. AGENCY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) grant program is in conjunction with In
Home supportive service (IHSS) which is the largest grants making agency in the US. Most IHSS grants
are provided directly to states, territories, tribes, and educational and community organizations, By
awarding Checks and Cash given to Individuals and Organizations who are eligible to receive funding for
this year.”
FRIEND: Just say how do I go about applying for the program.
ME: (I said:) Funding for what? How would I apply? I am on disability. Do I qualify?
(He [THE IHSS PERSON] responded:) The aim of this organization is to provide adequate finance to its
successful applicants all through the year and beyond, in fact individuals are being approved of large
sums to either pay off Medical Bills, start up a new business, students going back to school or getting a
new home.
(I then said:) Wow! Sounds good. Starting a business is something on my bucket list that I thought would
never happen. If this is real, and to be honest it sounds too good to be true, then I might revisit my
bucket list…
(He texted back:) Which of the grant would you like to apply for?
* Private Cash Grants
* Business Grants
* Scholarships Grants
* Private Foundation Grants
FRIEND: I applied for the private foundation grant.
Just go for that.
ME: But I’m not a private foundation. Wouldn’t I be lying?
FRIEND: It said the grant you would like to choose so that doesn’t matter
ME: Wouldn’t I have to be registered as such a foundation?
FRIEND: You can choose the one you prefer but that what I applied for.
ME: That agent is out of Manhattan. (646 area code).
This all sounds too good to be true.
FRIEND: You should know I can’t get you involved in what is not real although it seems like that to me too
but I wasn’t expecting what I saw then they came to delivered to me at my doorstep, don’t doubt it just
do it with your faith.
ME: Dude. I’m too old. Too over cautious. I think I’m going to pass. They want too much personal
information, and I don’t feel right getting involved in this. I pass.
I pass. But thanks.
FRIEND: That was too fast to jump into conclusion but it fine you are welcome.
ME: I was fine with it until he sent me a text asking for personal information in the Facebook IM. That IM
is NOT a secure site, and personal information is not protected. His FB page claims he represents the
government, which is generally located in Washington D.C. It also mentions that the organization he
claims to represent is out of California, and his phone number is from Manhattan in New York City. Any
time the government requests personal information, it is on a secure site, and uses a form to receive the
information. That set off way too many red flags. I have, in fact, sent the information off to the BBB
because it presents itself as a scam and I don’t want people being fooled by such things. If it is for real,
then the BBB will find that out and not take any action against it.
===============
I have since heard nothing back from that friend. It’s been over 14 hours since we last texted. A few hours
ago, I texted his phone. (I didn’t want to call him directly because at that moment, it was well after
midnight and I didn’t want to wake him. Not to mention my cautious belief that his FB might have been
hacked and someone was using it in a good cop/bad cop sort of way (with the IHSS site) to do a ‘friendly’
push [pressure me] into taking that leap.
I documented the entire set of conversations here for your information. If this is NOT a scam, then there
is nothing to do. But if it is, it is my intention to inform you, people who have the power and authority to
take legal action (or at the very least warn others of this [potential] bs) in relation to this IHSS
site/thing/’person’.
I realize this has been long winded, but I wanted to leave nothing of the conversation between myself
and both my friend and the IHSS person out of the information presented to you. I leave it to you to use
of it what you will, and to do with it what you believe is required. While I would very much like to receive
such a ‘grant’, I am fully willing to [potentially] ruin the oportunity in order to present this possible scam
to you. If by doing so I have hurt my chances of receiving such a grant, then so be it.
Thank you and have a wonderful day.
God bless you, and thank you for all you do for all of us.
…and, don’t just have a good day, Have a God day!
Sincerely, ****** *****
PS: Yes, please report this to any and all agencies and organizations that may be able to find out what needs to be made public to prevent others from being scammed. While I backed out before any personal information was given, I fully believe this method, while flawed in many ways, including the english (wording) used, is of a good enough [quality] to lure in many many people.
