Firefighter grant scam alert

Grant awards are starting to roll in. And once again there are scammers who are trying to get some of your department's Assistance to Firefighters Grant money.

In the past we have heard of departments receiving phone calls offering to file or to renew a department's SAM registration for $500 to $599.

Recently a new gimmick has emerged. A few days ago, a department told us that they were contacted by someone who stated that they worked for the Integrated Award Environment, which is a division of the GSA.

During this call the department was informed that their AFG grant would not be awarded unless their SAM registration was updated. The caller went on to say that the department was required to send a check for $900 to update the registration.

If anyone contacts you and asks to renew your SAM registration and tells you that there is a charge for doing this, it is a scam. System for Award Management registration is free.

That's right, SAM registration does not cost anything. Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Do not pay to register or renew your registration; you are simply wasting your money if you do so.

If you are registered in SAM, it expires annually. You will receive an email at least 60 days prior to that expiration informing you of your need to renew. Simply click on the link for SAM.gov contained in that email and you will be taken directly to the SAM website.

AFG will not accept any applications, make any awards, process any payment requests or consider any amendments until the applicant or grantee has complied with the requirements to provide a valid DUNS number and an active SAM registration with current information.

Spread the word
Remember, banking information, EIN number, organization/entity name, address and DUNS number provided in your AFG application must match the information that you provided in the SAM.gov registration. SAM will send notifications to the registered user via email 60, 30 and 15 days prior to expiration of the record.

A valid SAM registration is a requirement to apply for an AFG grant. Per 2 CFR Part 25, all grant applicants must have an active current SAM registration status at the time of application submission.

You must also have an active SAM registration to receive an AFG award, and your registration must be valid throughout the duration of any federal award. If you're not sure if the department is registered, search for registered entities in SAM by typing the DUNS number or business name into the search box on SAM.gov.

If this is your first time attempting to register with SAM.gov, there is a SAM quick-start guide for new recipient registration and a video tutorial for new applicants — both were created by the General Services Administration.

If applicants have questions or concerns about a SAM registration, contact the Federal Support Desk online or call (866) 606-8220.

Don't spend any of your department's funding to register or to renew your registration. And, please share this article with any one you know who applied for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant.