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‘Grant Bae’ scam targeting Black business owners shut down by feds
The Federal Trade Commission says "Grant Bae" scammed small business owners out of thousands by writing them fake grants.
POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. - A woman who owns a small business in Powder Springs says she was cheated out of thousands by a woman who calls herself "Grant Bae."
The Federal Trade Commission says "Grant Bae" scammed small business owners out of thousands by writing them fake grants.
Now, federal regulators have ordered her to stop what she’s doing.
"I’m hurt," said KB Hunt, of Powder Springs, who turned to Grant Bae for help getting more funding for her life coaching business. "I really would like to ask her, like why would you do this to someone who you said you were going to help? Why would you do this to us?
Hunt said she dropped more than $2,000 on the service.
In return, she was guaranteed a minimum of $50,000 in grant money.
"She was really saying that she was helping minorities to get funding," Hunt said.
But federal regulators say that’s who she was in fact targeting.
In the few weeks after paying up, Hunt waited.
"I got the email saying congratulations, you are approved for a grant so I was excited like yes."
But when she clicked on the link, it didn’t work.
"That was my first initial red flag like something in my gut just didn’t feel right," Hunt said.
None of the links she got ever worked because investigators say the grants were fake.
Dozens of complaints with the Better Business Bureau say the same thing.
Last week, a federal court ordered Grant Bae, real name Traeshonna Graham, of Lake City, Fla., to stop what she’s doing.
FOX 5 reached out to Graham for comment but didn’t hear anything back.
"I’m just relieved to know that she’s been stopped," Hunt said. "To know that she is not going to be scamming any more people and that she won’t be hurting our community anymore."