Scam calls promising free money are too good to be true



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A promise of free money from the government may sound too good to be true, and FOX6's Contact 6 says it probably is!

Chris Manion says she received a phone call that made her think twice about these so-called "free" offers.

"I haven't heard this one before and I wanted to make sure it got publicized," Manion said.

Manion says the caller made her an offer that didn't quite make sense.

"I work for the government and the government is giving out grants for free!  And I said 'okay what did I do to deserve this?'" Manion said.

Manion did some checking on her computer for this kind of a call, and sure enough, she learned it was likely bogus. In fact, she found a script online -- including what the caller says and how the caller should respond to likely responses.

"I said if 'it was free I shouldn't have to pay for anything.'  And he said 'it's your choice if you want to continue or not.'  I said 'I don't want to continue.'  I said 'I think you're a scam.'  And I hung up," Manion said.

Manion made a good choice, but Liz Frederichs with the Better Business Bureau says many still fall for this scam.

"I just assume it continues because people do respond to it. The first thing a person should do is check on that agency, check the .gov, check the BBB, because the majority of them are just not real," Frederichs said.