When you are looking for a volunteer job, you may find the Corporation for National and Community Service. The thing is, you are not familiar with it and it is the first time you hear the name. Upon hearing it, you may be wondering if it is legit. So, is the Corporation for National and Community Service legit?
As claimed by the Corporation for National and Community Service, they are legit. This one is known as an independent agency of the United States government. Right now, it has more than five million Americans in service through several kinds of volunteer work programs in a few sectors. In September two years ago, it rebranded itself as AmeriCorps. However, its official name remains the same.
If you assume fraud, it could be from scammers. Apparently, Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps is issuing this alert in order to inform the people of the fraudulent scam using both the AmeriCorps and Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS names and names of the programs that it has. These scammers have claimed to be the senior officials of the agency and have stated that the agency offers an empowerment program as compensation to help the retired, widowed, divorced, or disabled and everyone has to put down a financial deposit. In fact, these scammers try to steal money from people by using the name of Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps. Not only that, they also use fake Facebook pages for the Corporation for National and Community Service/AmeriCorps and its senior officials. Besides, they also use non-governmental email addresses in the name of the real AmeriCorps officials.
If you receive an email from the one that claims as Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps, make sure it is not Gmail or Yahoo as this agency does not use public email providers such as these two. Keep in mind that the official email address of this agency ends with cns.gov. Another thing to take note is that the agency also does not call, text, or use social media to demand payment for any of its programs from people. Besides, it also does not require people to send money in order to join the programs that it has.
If you receive a call from someone that claims to be the representative of Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps but you are in doubt, it is better for you to hang up or end the communications. After that, contact directly to the AmeriCorps or its Office of Inspector General.
If you receive an email from the so-called Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps with public providers, text message, or are contacted via social media from an apparent AmeriCorps official asking you to provide them some money, do not wait and reach out the Office of Inspector General right away through its Complaint Hotline. There are several ways that you can try. The first one is by calling 1-800-452-8210. If you are the kind of person who does not like to talk directly to someone and prefers communicating in text, sending an email may be the best option for you. Please send it to hotline@cncsoig.gov. In addition to these two, you can also visit https://www.cncsoig.gov/. Make sure to not give out sensitive information over the phone, by text, by email or by social media.
Talking about Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps and fraud, there is an interesting article posted on the Committee on Education & Labor Republicans on March 22, 2018. This article titled The Failure of the CNCS – Fraud Edition. Check out the brief information about the article below.
One day, the Committee on Education and the Workforce examined the ability of the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS to fulfill its purpose as a government agency. By and large, the agency has failed its members and the vulnerable populations it serves on the issues of safety, compliance, and management. According to the report, it has put the security of its members and communities in danger by consciously placing them in situations that are known to be unsafe. Aside from that, it has also failed to hold bad actors in its organization accountable. Plus, it also has seriously and chronically mismanaged the funds belonging to its taxpayer.
Every issue mentioned above is definitely cause for concern. However, the most difficult one faced by the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS is its pattern of fraudulent conduct. The agency has a legal and moral obligation to stay true and be truthful and answerable for its actions. Its credibility will be compromised if there is no accountability and integrity. Fraud is known to work differently. It tends to get rid of the needy and rewards dishonesty.
While Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) or AmeriCorps always claims that it is legal, in fact, it has involved in a few cases, such as:
- Child Care Subsidies Fraud: AmeriCorps and VISTA members were fraudulently getting both AmeriCorps Care or VISTA Care childcare subsidies and state childcare subsidies leading to a total loss to the federal government of more than $120,000.
- Fraudulent Timesheets: After the OIG found that officials had falsified timesheets and inflated member service hours leading to fraudulent certifications of education awards of 76 AmeriCorps members, a grantee agreed to repay $534,000.
- Fraudulent Use of Education Award: Someone who used to be a member of AmeriCorps was found guilty and debarred for a year after using fraudulent documentation for an education award to pay off a car loan and trying to use a second education award to pay off her mortgage.
Apart from these cases, there were some other cases that involved fraudulent RSVP grant (false claims to CNCS), paying living stipends to inmate, embezzlement, defrauding taxpayers for service not performed, conspiracy to defraud, fraudulently enrolling employees as AmeriCorps members, and so on.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
