To report grant fraud, contact the grant-making agency or an office responsible for monitoring grants. If the grant is from a private agency, contact them. Have documentation of your concerns and report scams to your bank, law enforcement, and government agencies.
Your options for reporting grant fraud depend on both the source of the grant and the nature of the fraud. If you believe that an individual, business, or organization is committing grant-related fraud, you can report it to the grant-making agency. Additionally, if you suspect misuse of a research grant, you may be able to report your suspicions to an individual or office responsible for monitoring grants at the school or institution where the research is taking place. If you have been the victim of fraud as a result of the offer or promise of a grant, you may be able to report the crime to local law enforcement or other government agencies.
The steps you take to report grant fraud depend on the nature of the grant and the grant recipient. In many countries, government agencies provide grants for many different uses. In some places, such as the United States, government agencies usually have some type of accountability bureau tasked with monitoring and investigating the use of funds. If you suspect licensing fraud, you may typically be directed to contact this office to discuss your concerns. You may also be able to report your concerns to an office within the organization that received the grant money, particularly if you believe the misuse of funds is the responsibility of an individual or group of individuals and is not forgiven by the organization as a whole.
If your grant money is coming from a private agency, you should contact that agency and ask to be directed to the grant-issuing office. Whether you’re reporting private or public grant fraud, it’s a good idea to have documentation of your concerns with you when you report it. This will add credibility to your story and can make the detective’s job much easier.
In some cases, scammers claiming to represent a grant agency may contact you about the opportunity to receive a grant. The scammer can then ask for your bank account information, using it to withdraw money from your account without your consent. If you are a victim of this type of fraud, you should report the incident to your bank, local law enforcement agencies and the appropriate government agencies in your area. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission tracks this type of crime, and you may also want to contact your state attorney’s general office so they can monitor and take steps to prevent this type of activity in the future.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN