Many times, they will take it, stamp it and cash that check right away.

Typically the dollar figure is $250. They'll say 249.

Of course, they ask for money back, and the check is no good.

In this case, it's just a quick phone call to grab 250 bucks out of your account. And once they have that information, there is nothing stopping them from taking more, again and again.

The government doesn't give out grants without you filling out lots of paperwork and with some reason.