Green Grant Program: Don't Do It!!

Like many Americans, I am in the possession of a Greendot Card and regularly purchase or receive Green Dot Moneypaks.

In the mail about a month ago apparently I won a "cash grant" for which I never applied and I received a check for $946 with another check for $9054 to come once I've proven I can follow instructions which are:

* Detach and cash or deposit the attached check into your bank account

* Pick up one of "our" Greendot MoneyPaks from Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, CVS, K-Mart, Ralph's Supermarket, Longs Drugs, Food4Less, or Radioshack

* Fill in the box below (If I remember, I'll scan in the picture later. Remind me, ok.)

* Fax it to (626)226-1610 or (626)737-9633 or you can go to http://sendgreendot.com (checking to see if that is a legitimate site but somehow I doubt it.

Clues that this was fake.

1. The document looks like a copy of a copy. Maybe even add another copy in there, the ink is so blurry.

2. The signature on the check reads Jennifer Moto but the letter is written directly from Linda Spaulding.

3. There were so many typos and grammatical errors. Even if American is not your first language, when dealing with money, wouldn't you at least hire someone who speaks it fluently?

4. If it is a grant, why do I only get a 4.055% commission. As far as I know, grants don't work like that.

Being somewhat aware of these types of scams, I simply put "green dot scams" in my google search engine and BINGO!: Confirmation of my suspicions. If you receive a check like this, always, Always, ALWAYS question and research. ALWAYS!!

It'll save you a lot of grief in the future because if you do deposit that check, your bank will hold you accountable for paying back any amount that you withdraw. At the very least, you will be responsible for paying the bounce check fee (which I still can't understand why banks charge the recipient a bounce check fee but they do).

F.U. Scammers

No matter where you go these days, there always seems to scammers and spammers trying to make an easy buck. And these losers need to be both publicly disclaimed by humiliated so bad that they slink back into the abyss from which they crawled.