The World Health Organization (WHO) has described as scam correspondences being circulated by scammers (acting under the name of Capital Finance, Inc. London), falsely notifying recipients of such correspondences that they have been selected as a beneficiary/winner of a US$1 million lottery compensation prize payment for losses and damages suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These fraudulent correspondences falsely allege that the so-called “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” is being sponsored by the WHO in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
These scammers, who claim to be a financial management firm in London, falsely state that they have been appointed by WHO to process payment of the “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize”.
Additionally, these scams seek to obtain personal details and in some cases, money from the recipients of such fraudulent correspondences. The scammers normally requested the recipients to urgently send the scammers: a copy of the recipient’s passport or proof of identification, nationality, occupation, and the recipient’s mailing address, email address and telephone number. The scammers alleged that this will enable them to process the fraudulent lottery compensation prize payment.
“WHO seeks to warn the public at large that the “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” is a fraudulent scam being falsely perpetrated in the name of WHO through different channels”.
WHO
No agreement exists between WHO & Capital Finance, Inc
Furthermore, WHO noted that per its records, it has never appointed or entered into any contractual relationship with any entity by name Capital Finance, Inc. Also, the WHO said in the statement that it is not involved or associated in any way with the “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” fraudulent scam.
WHO also clarified that it is not offering or conducting a lottery prize to compensate individuals, whose names or contact details are purportedly selected at random, for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the WHO, it does not conduct lotteries and does not offer prizes, funds, certificates, bank and/or automated teller machine (ATM) cards, or compensation for Internet fraud. Likewise, the WHO stated that it does not request individuals to provide their bank accounts and/or other personal information such as copies of passports or identification cards, mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, or occupations.
WHO Cautions general public
As a result, the WHO cautioned the general public against releasing their personal information to such individuals or group of persons.
“WHO strongly recommends that recipients of correspondences such as those described above exercise extreme caution in respect of such correspondences and solicitations.
“The public should be aware that identity theft and/or financial loss could result from the transfer of personal information or money to those issuing such fraudulent correspondence. Victims of such scams are encouraged to report the scams to their local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action”.
WHO
Furthermore, the WHO urges the public to remain vigilant against fraudulent emails and recommends the use of reliable sources to obtain factual information about COVID-19 and other health issues.
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