If it sounds that it is too good to be true, it probably is.
A long-standing friend seemingly contacted me via Facebook Messenger.
It seemed to come from his Facebook page, complete with all his details and photo of him and his wife.
After the usual pleasantries and a chat about his Covid-19 vaccination, he told me on the chat that he had received money through a grant and that he had seen my name on the list.
I enquired about the grant and list and was sent a URL: https://www.geteligibilitygrants.com
It looked legit and I stupidly filled in the contact form (it being an https and all).
Then I took another look and called him (so old school).
He had not contacted me. Neither had he been vaccinated. But, we had a great catch-up chat.
I then called the guru himself, Alan Straton, and we (he) determined that it was a scam site.
Only then did I check the Facebook URL to see that it was a cloned profile.
So, if you get a message from a friend about a grant for which you had not applied, phone said friend and check.
In the meantime, the site is worth visiting before it is shut down – a work of (evil) genius.
Regards
ED
Editor: If you determine that a site IS a scam then do the following:
- Type the following into your favourite search engine – Whois: https://ScamSiteURL
- You are looking for the Domain Name Registrar
- Go to the Registrar’s site and look for a section called ‘Report Abuse’
- Report the domain for abuse giving as much info as possible.