free grant money scam

Small Business Start Up Grants seekers are the new prime target of choice, in the recent crime wave of fraudulent internet schemes. This current surge in online grant scams has led some of the nation’s top consumer watchdog groups to issue advisories to potential victims. As a budding entrepreneur, you owe it to yourself to proceed with caution when investigating grant opportunities. Let’s begin dispelling the myths by exploring the facts related to grants.

Separating the Facts from the Myths

MYTH #1: Grants are a source of free start up money for new businesses.

FACT: The U.S. government does not offer grant opportunities for entrepreneurs starting up new businesses.

MYTH #2: Small Business Start Up Grants are available to minorities and women entrepreneurs.

FACT: As a general rule, U.S. government grants are rarely awarded for the purpose of starting a new business – and certainly aren’t awarded solely on the basis of ethnicity or gender alone.

MYTH #3: Government grant services can help you find hundreds of “hidden” grant opportunities.

FACT: Government grants are made public through grants.gov. There is no fee whatsoever to view and apply for government small Business start up grants. If you have been told otherwise, you have likely come across one of the many dishonest internet schemes masquerading as a legitimate business.

Online Scam Buster Checklist

• To protect yourself against fraudulent internet schemes, don’t share your social security number, credit card numbers or bank account details with anyone claiming to be able to find free government grant money for your start up business.
• Don’t pay out a fee to any government grant research firms or any company claiming to be able to help you find free money to start your business.
• File a claim with the Federal Trade Commission if you suspect you have encountered a fraudulent grant offer, or if you’ve already fallen prey to one of the many online scams claiming access to free government money.
• Download a free grant fraud prevention guide from the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.

Legitimate FREE Business Start Up Funding Sources

Don’t allow your dream of starting a business to be dashed by the false promise of small business start up grants. You can find free sources of start up funding that are legitimate and honest.

Discover over a hundred free sources of business start up funding and learn the secrets for bootstrapping your business, even if you have very little money. Invest in “The Start Up Business Survival Guide: 101 FREE Products and Services to Help Finance Your Dream of Successful Business Ownership”, by visiting http://www.StartUpBusinessSurvivalGuide.com

© 2009 Kimberly Kelly – All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Permission to reprint this article is granted solely on the condition that it be reprinted in its entirety, with all live links and author bio in tact. Violators will face legal action.

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