I received a call from DC, saying I am to receive $14,589, basically for being a good citizen.
Has anyone else heard of this?
And I just won the Nigerian Prince’s Lottery…
Did they say that you had to give them iTunes card numbers to cover the administrative fees?
Um, no. B-)
Almost certainly a scam. What did they want you to do in order to receive this “Major Award?”
Did they ask for a checking account number?
Seriously? Good rule of thumb - if you have to ask “is this a scam?” it’s a scam.
Did your caller ID say “Equifax”?? 
Pure fraud. Anyone who has ever applied for a real government grant can tell you how incredibly laborious and difficult the application process is. The government NEVER calls up citizens out of the blue and offers them a grant they haven’t applied for.
That is hilarious. No…you didn’t win a grant.
Oh well.
Nope- though I’m sure you’re a wonderful citizen 
Bet it was fun to think about how you might use it for a few minutes though!
From a site that I probably can’t link.
"What Is It: Individuals are receiving phone calls from scammers stating that they have won a cash grant from the United States government for being a “good citizen”. The scammers state that the target has won the grant through a lottery and in order to receive the grant, the target will need to provide all of their personal information including social security number and bank account information. In addition, the target will need to send a money order for $2500 to pay the taxes on the grant. Of course once the $2500 money order has been sent, the victim will never hear from the scammer again. The scammer also now has the victim’s personal information with which they can still the victim’s identity.
What Are They After: Personal Information and Direct Payment"
Says: hang up.
Thx s much. They asked for bank account, or credit card number, or western union for delivery. They said NOT asking for any other personal,info. I was given a number to call back, and arrange to receive $from Western Union. I didn’t
The dead giveaway that this is a scam is the credit card number.
Right. Almost no one gets a legit call about free money. And there’s more to the legit process.
Legit would send paperwork, ask you to decide on withholding or accept their auto holdback. Not ask for $ up front. You’d have a chance to vet the offer and the folks behind it, no money paid by you. And mail fraud is serious, in contrast to any weak or no oversight of email or phone offers.
Glad you were wary.
From the Western Union Fraud Awareness site:
Lottery / prize
Lottery or prize scams follow two similar patterns:
- A victim gets an unsolicited phone call, email, letter or fax from someone claiming to work for a government agency or representing a well-known organization or celebrity, notifying them that they’ve won a lot of money or a prize. The scammer gains their trust and explains that, in order to collect the winnings, they first have to send a small sum of money to pay for processing fees or taxes. Following these instructions, victims immediately wire the money, but never get their “winnings.” And they’re out the money they paid for “fees and taxes.”
- Victims get an unsolicited check or money order and directions to deposit the money, and immediately wire a portion of it back to cover processing fees or taxes. Weeks later, victims learn that the checks are counterfeit, but have already wired the money to cover the “taxes” and can’t get it back. And they’re on the hook to pay their banks back for any money they withdrew.
Western Union is another giveaway.
And if you ever get a call from the Windows Help Desk telling you there is a problem with your computer, HANG UP!