Avoid Government Grant Scams and Spams

REGINA - Oct 13/04 - SNS -- There is no good reason to buy privately published directories and catalogues that list grants, programs and services offered by federal and provincial governments.

The directories, which are advertised via junk mail and by internet spam gangs, offer "the same information about federal and provincial government programs is available free of charge through existing toll-free telephone lines and publicly accessible Web sites," says Saskatchewan Agriculture.

There is no need to pay for the information, says Ken Imhoff, Manager of the Farm Stress Unit of Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization.

Imhoff says an example of a directory that is free of charge is the Connections Services Directory, a computer-based, on-line directory of programs and services designed specifically for farm and rural people in Saskatchewan.

This directory provides links to provincial, federal and community-based organizations that offer business development, financial and legal services, educational services, farm safety, and personal and family services. Descriptions of these services include information on any grants currently available to farm and rural people.

The programs and services offered through the Connections Service Directory can be discussed with staff by calling, toll-free, 1-866-680-0006 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. As well, the directory can be accessed at any time through the Web site www.agr.gov.sk.ca/connections. Persons without Internet access can view the directory through public Internet services offered by their nearest public library.

The federal government also offers words of caution to farmers, who may be invited to buy information about government programs and services. There's no need to pay for information that's freely available, says Ellen Funk, a spokesperson for farm financial programs at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Winnipeg offices.

"We've received calls here from farmers and farm organizations, who are concerned because there are a number of private sector companies that are soliciting farmers and inviting them to pay money to get information on government programs and services," Funk said. "We're concerned about that because all of that information is available for free. Farmers don't have to pay money to get information on government programs – federal or provincial – or to apply for programs.

"So, we want to get the message out to producers: Beware of Web sites and mailings and other promotional items that ask you to pay money to get information on farm support programs or other programs available for farmers, because all of that information is available to you, for free, from federal offices or from your provincial agriculture office."

Funk says a good clearinghouse for information is the federal government's toll free information line, 1-800-O Canada (1-800-622-6232), or the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Web site at www.agr.gc.ca.

Addresses of federal government programs and services are available on the Government of Canada Web site at http://canada.gc.ca/ or www.canada.gc.ca/directories/infor_e.html.

The Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre (CSBSC) also offers business information through its Web site www.cbsc.org/sask/ and its toll-free telephone number, 1-800-667-4374. The CSBSC head office is in Saskatoon, and there are 16 regional offices across the province.

For more information, phone SAFRR's Agriculture Knowledge Centre, toll free, 1-866-457-2377 (1-866-45-SAFRR).