Complaint Review: Nexus Financial

I applied for a grant online at www.grants.gov thinking that was safe.  I had heard that women might be eligible for small business start up grants that would not have to be paid back.  I received a call from Kim Brown with the Grant office in Washington DC.  She told me I was approved and would need to fill out a 9 page contract.  Once that was approved by the federal government, I would receive a grant near the end of February.  She referred me to a Certified Grant Writer.  Nexus Financial in Florida.  I called and left a message. The next day I received a call from Rick Allen.  Very nice, very professional and took care to walk me through everything step by step.  It all seemed legit.  I had to pay the grant writer.  That didn't seem odd to me.  To pay someone for their services is normal.  So I sent a certified cashier's check with return receipt in the amount of $490.00.  They received it because I got the return receipt.  My 9 page contract was supposed to come in the mail.  It didn't.  It was due this week.  12/5 thru 12/9.  I called every day last week and left messages with Rick Allen.  No return phone call.  Today I called every department at every extension and got voicemail.  I had researched Rick Allen.  I had researched Grant Fraud.  I had researched Nexus Financial.  Nothing I found led me to believe this was a scam.  Even the BBB gave Nexus Financial an A rating.  How on earth did they do that?  When I searched the name Kim Brown, that's when I started seeing scam notices online.  My heart sank.  I realized for sure that I had been scammed.  Their phone number is still active.  I want to shout to the world not to fall for this!  I am a radio personality and I will tell my listening audience what happened to me and at least save them.  But I can't save the entire country. So the only way I can get the message out is to report it on every scam website that I can, hoping that someone will see this and avoid the same mistake I just made.  The Government does not give grants to small business start-ups or expansions.   They do have some for medical, educational and a few other categories.  But not random small businesses.  This was a good scam.  I am normally pretty cautious.  But they got me.  I had the American dream and they got me for it.  Sucker.  That's me.