Fraudulent Checks and Grants?

The Georgia Department of Labor reports that an unknown number of fraudulent checks, resembling State of Georgia unemployment benefit checks, are being mailed to citizens throughout the U.S. along with a letter purporting to award a valuable grant to the recipient. These checks and grants are not valid and will not be honored. The Georgia Department of Labor has not issued or these checks and does not issue unsolicited grants.

You can identify the fraudulent checks, as follows: “STATE OF GEORGIA – DEPARTMENT OF LABOR” is written at the top of the checks. The checks are in amounts in excess of $2,000 and have not been requested or applied for by the recipient. They are received with a letter describing the award of a grant in an amount ranging from $40,000 to $45,000. The letter instructs the recipient to cash the fraudulent check and send the proceeds to the letter’s sender to receive the larger grant amount by return mail. Companies identified in the letters reviewed to date are NETONE GRANTS CO. of Florida, and INFO GRANT and MUTUAL GRANT of Canada; there may be others. If you receive such a check and letter, please fax copies to the Georgia Department of Labor Integrity Unit at (404) 232-3445; include a copy of the envelope, if possible. Inquiries may be made directly to Lloyd Romans, Chief of the Integrity Unit, at (404) 232-3197 or via email to ui_integrity@dol.state.ga.us.

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