First Option Financial Service
Complaint 70091 Details

On 1/6/12, I was contacted by Brian Segal (Personal Info Removed), that she was from the US Grant Office, to which I applied for a small business grant asking if I was still planning to move forward with my business, and was approved for a grant. He gave me a case number (M100301).

He explained the process and said that I would need a certified grant writer to write up a propolal. He said if I didn't have one, he knew of one that was used often and known by the government with a 97% approval rating. Thename of the company he suggested was First Option Financial Services, based out of Pensicola, FL.

I called the company (850-512-1803) and that was the office of Ted Cooks a man with an accent. I was contacted by Ted Cooks and he explained the process in a very calm manner, he was very patient and consistant with everything he stated. Explaining the process in great detail, from the documented quotes- making sure there was a paper trail. I talked with Ted Cooks a number of times over the course of 3 weeks.

He never asked for my bank account number or social security number so I felt pretty confident in this whole thing. I was told that my grant writer would be Rosa De Brett and to send a Certified Check for $487.00 through Certified mail to her at their Accounting office at 2250 N.W. 114th Ave Unit 1P, Miami, FL 33172 and to make sure that I had the "Government Contract Number" PTY23039 underneith the First Option Financial Services. But on the Check it had to be Typed it couldn't be hand written.

I was told that my grant would be ready for disbursement between May 21-25 and would be for $80,000 as long as my paperwork matched with no major differences between my requested amount and the actual costs. There would be a government offical dropping off my check and I would neet to have 2 forms of ID and the contract number. Ted Cooks said that the reason for such a low price, compared to other services, was because they contracted their writers and recieved a comission from them, when payment was made. I was emailed a "contract" which didn't have a letter head on it, and continued to do further research into this company and found that it was only a Scam.

We are grateful that we didn't send any money and were able to catch it in time before something major happened.

This is a scam! Contact the Florida's Attorney Generals office! They will tell you to go to the website (Link Removed). Please help others so they will not be scammed as well! File a complaint!