WEST WINDSOR: Hamilton Township man victim of federal grant-money scam

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — A Hamilton Township man who went to Walmart to send MoneyGrams as a condition of receiving federal grants found himself on the receiving end of a scam, according to the West Windsor Township Police Department.
The 36-year-old victim told police he received a phone call on March 7 from a man who claimed to work for the U.S. government’s Grant Department, and who advised him that he had qualified for a $9,480 grant. He was told to call another phone number and to send a MoneyGram for $280 to cover “filing fees.”
The victim went to Walmart and used his debit card to complete the transaction, police said. He received another phone call informing him that there was more grant money available to him — but he had to send $700 to get it.
He received a third call telling him that even more grant money was available to him and that he had to send a MoneyGram for $1,500 to another person to receive it. When he continued to receive calls requesting more money, he realized it was a scam and reported it to police at 9:28 a.m. March 10.