Sign-up and post on Iberkshires today.It's Free!
Already a member? Log In
46°  H- 42%
The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information.           
Saturday November 7, 2009
 Make us your homepage!
 

Election

Barrett Reflects on Accomplishments with Capital News 9
Alcombright's Victory Speech

Which election's more important?
Pittsfield
North Adams
Neither, nothing will change
  
pollcode.com free polls

Trying to remember who won what and why? All the information is right here.

Daily Digest


This is Jake
He's been lost in Pittsfield for weeks but frequently sited. He was last seen heading toward the fire station on Peck's Road. He's tired, dirty and needs seizure medication. He's chipped. If you see him, call Julie at 413-537-5616, the vet 24/7 at 413-499-2820 or animal control at 413-448-9700.
How Much is Heating Oil this Week?
It's breaking $2.50 but still cheaper than gas.
Thanks to Gabriella Bond for sharing her memories of the Quincy Street house torn down last week.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.

Obituaries

Alice R. Filiault, 87
Lucille Burt, 92
More obituaries
Mary M. Hanlon, 82
George F. Sarrouf, 73

Sales Fliers

 
 

 

What's Playing


The popular anime character "Astro Boy" searches for acceptance on the big screen.


'Serious Man':
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Confounded
Movie schedules and times

Bazaars

Nov. 7:

VNA & Hospice, Community Room, North Adams

North Adams Elks
10-4; Nov. 8, 9-2
Crafters, Chinese auction, bake sale
For vendor information, Melanie at 413-743-5562.

Nov. 14

Berkshire Community Church, Richmond
10-4; Crafters, bake sale. Contact Evelyn Goggia at 413-445-5747

Lanesborough Elementary School annual Fall Craft Fair from 10 to 4. Free admission, huge variety of arts and crafts, raffles, food and more. Proceeds go to sixth-grade trip to Cape Cod.

Vendors can contact Deb at 413-738-5349 or debhutton@aol.com or Lori at 413-499-0065 or lorittod@yahoo.com to secure a spot.

Dec. 12-13

North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Contact Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.

Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.

 Search: 
 for    
Enter a long URL
to make tiny:


Sports

Fall Basketball Clinics

Thursday, Nov. 06

Boys' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
McCann Tech 3, Keefe Tech 2

Girls' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
Blackstone Valley 8, McCann Tech 0

Related Stories

 
Printer Friendly Version
   Recommend this story to a friend

BBB: Beware Claims of 'Free' Help Getting Stimulus Grants

By Paula Fleming
Better Business Bureau
10:05AM / Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Better Business Bureau is warning the public to be extremely wary of companies that offer "free" advice on how to get government grants.

Dozens of Web sites claim that, because of the recently passed stimulus package and other actions taken by President Obama, consumers can easily get government grants to pay bills or get out of debt. Contrary to such claims, the federal government does not award grants to help consumers pay general debt and complaints to BBB show that people who sought free advice were ultimately charged as much as $69.95 every month on their credit or debit card.
 
Immediately following the approval of the $787 billion stimulus package, Web searches for the word "stimulus" returned sponsored-link sites like officialstimuluschecks-com and ObamaStimulusGrant-net, in addition to many news stories and Web pages discussing the bill. Ads for grant schemes used enticing testimonials such as, "I got my stimulus check in the mail in less than 30 days ... ."

[The U.S. Small Business Administration also has released a warning about companies claiming they can get stimulus money for small businesses. Anyone receiving such a solicitation is urged to contact an SBA representative.]
 
"The stimulus package and other efforts on Capitol Hill to jump-start the economy are dominating the headlines and unscrupulous businesses know that they can exploit the news to take advantage of financially desperate families," said Paula Fleming, vice president of communications and marketing for the regional BBB serving Eastern Mass., Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. "These businesses are simply charging people for free information and chipping away at the bank accounts of families nationwide when they can least afford it."
 
Ads have also popped up on one of the most popular Web sites on the Internet. In February, ads on Facebook directed the public to Web sites such as www.davidgetsgreen-com and www.jakecutler-com, which were set up to look like blogs written by people who are sharing the secret of how they received $12,000 in grants from the government to pay off their debt.
 
These "blogs" lead to Web sites such as www.federalgovernmentgrantsolutions-com that prominently features a picture of President Obama and claims that "President Obama want [sic] to issue a STIMULUS PLAN for people in need of government aid and free federal money."

The Web site is for a company called Government Grant Solutions and is selling a kit that purportedly provides advice on how to apply for grants as well as access to a directory of federal and private grants. The Web site includes "testimonials" from people who claim that they were able to obtain money which went toward staving off foreclosure, buying Christmas presents, fixing their car or paying bills.
 
BBB has received hundreds of complaints from consumers who went to such sites. Two Las Vegas-based companies, Grant Instructor and Raven Media, have set up dozens of Web sites; the BBB has received 409 and 295 complaints, respectively, about these companies from consumers across the nation, earinginng both companies an F grade from BBB.
 
According to the BBB serving Utah and the BBB serving Las Vegas, complainants state that they ordered a "free" CD and were promptly charged as much as $69.95 on their credit or debit card. Some complainants said their credit card was charged by other companies as well.
 
These companies fail to provide refunds and some complainants ultimately had to cancel their credit cards to stop being billed as much as $69.95 every month.
 
BBB offers the following advice:
 
While it's true that the federal government does give out billions of dollars in grant money every year, most grants are given to help students pay for college or for specifically defined reasons such as for research or to businesses in particular industries.

There's no reason to pay for software or guides when applying for government grants. Such information is already available for free on government Web sites including grants.gov, Studentaid.ed.gov, govbenefits.gov and sba.gov.

Always check out a business' BBB Reliability Report before giving out any bank account or credit card information. Reliability reports are available for free at bbb.org.
 
BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability Reports and charity BBB Wise Giving Reports, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. Go to BBB.org for more information.
Your Comments
Post Comment
No Comments


Top Stories...
@theMarket: Back to the Future, Again
REGIONAL - The last two weeks stocks have consolidated, exhibiting greater volatility with the S&P...
Plunkett, Target Team Up for Library Makeover
ADAMS - Recent economic realities have resulted in a decline in fundraising resources, so the...
North Adams Illustrator Has Big Picture in NYC
NORTH ADAMS - Book illustrator Jana Christy's biggest tome to date — the 15-foot high "Dream Big" — was...
Break-ins Shake Up Stamford Residents
VERMONT - Townspeople are demanding better communication after a number of daytime break-ins here...
The Independent Investor: Finally, a Handout for the...
NORTH ADAMS - Granted, a $6,500 tax credit may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things.


iBerkshires.com Text Ads
www.iberkshires.com
www.iberkshires.com
Wedding of your Dreams!
Select from our appealing dinner menu - up to three entrée choices. With salad, potato, & vegetable
www.ateffinejeweler.com
Advertise on iBerkshires.com



Essentials
Berkshire Nightlife
Berkshire Photos
Berkshire Wallpaper
Class Reunion Page
Columnists
Dannyoart.com
Get Lunch Specials
Home & Garden
Movie Times
Obituaries
Randy Trabold
Weddings

Enter your email address below to receive our FREE iBerkshires.com Newsletter

| Home | A & E | Automotive | Business | Community News | Dining | Lodging & Travel |
| Real Estate | Schools | Sports & Outdoors | Berkshires Weather | Berkshires Map |
Advertise | Recommend This Page | Help
Contact Us | Privacy Policy| User Agreement
Execution Time: 666 ms