WASHINGTON – Unfortunately, consumer scams are nothing new to the D.C. metro area, but one recent scam is claiming to represent a government agency.
David Palmer, a D.C. resident, says he received a call from someone claiming to be from the U.S. Grants Office.
“They wanted my checking account, my credit card and they wanted me to give them money,” says Palmer, who was told that in exchange for his information, he would receive an eventual payment of more than $8,000. “They’re acting like they’re from the federal government.”
Palmer says the call came from a D.C. area code.
While he didn’t fall for the scam, Palmer did have difficulty finding out who investigates scams, such as the call he received. He says that after several phone calls and redirections, he was told to file reports with the Federal Trade Commission and the District’s Office of the Attorney General.
WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
