Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams

Scammers are impersonating one of the richest men in the world, Mr. Bill Gates, by claiming that he and his wife Melinda are giving away millions of dollars via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to some randomly selected online users. Therefore, online users are asked delete email messages claiming they will receive thousands or millions of dollars from Mr. Gates or his foundation, and are asked to send their personal information in order to receive their so-called donation. Remember, this is how scammers collect their potential victims’ information, which they will use to contact them.

Also, online users who have already been tricked by charity donation scams will be contacted by scammers, who will attempt to scam them, either by tricking them into sending them money or trick them into visiting phishing or malicious websites.

For information about Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, please visit their legitimate website at: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

A Sample of the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" Email Scam

Subject: $5 MILLION USD DONATION FROM MR BILL GATES.
Date: Saturday, November 26, 2016 2:29 PM
From: "Office file"

You have been gifted $5 MILLION USD From Mr Bill Gates. Contact me at this email for your claim: billgatesdonation@yandex.com.

I hope this information meet you well as I know you will be curious to know why/how I selected you to receive a sum of $5,000,000,00 USD, our information below is 100% legitimate, please see the link below:

I BILL GATES and my wife decided to donate the sum of $5,000,000,00 USD to you as part of our charity project to improve the 10 lucky individuals all over the world from our $78 Billion Usd I and My Wife Mapped out to help people. We prayed and searched over the internet for assistance and i saw your profile on Microsoft email owners list and picked you.

Melinda my wife and i have decided to make sure this is put on the internet for the world to see. as you could see from the webpage above, am not getting any younger and you can imagine having no much time to live. Although am a Billionaire investor and we have helped some charity organizations from our Fund. After taken care of the needs of our immediate family members,

Before death we decided to donate the remaining of our Billions to other individuals around the world in need, the local fire department, the red cross, Haiti, hospitals in truro where Melinda underwent her cancer treatment, and some other organizations in Asia and Europe that fight cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes and the bulk of the funds deposited with our payout bank of this charity donation. We have kept just 30% of the entire sum to ourselves since i am sick and am writing to you from hospital, and my wife will be travelling to Germany for Treatment too.

To facilitate the payment process of ($5,000,000.00 USD) you are to send us:

your full names...
your contact address...
your personal
telephone number...

So that i can forward your payment information to you immediately. I am hoping that you will be able to use the money wisely and judiciously over there in your city.

Please you have to do your part to also alleviate the level of poverty in your region, help as many you can help once you have this money in your personal account because that is the only objective of donating this money to you in the first place.

Thank you for accepting our offer; we are indeed grateful You Can Google my name for more information:

Mr. Bill Gates or Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Remain Blessed

Regards Mr Bill Gates.

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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 57)

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June 21, 2022 at 6:03 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
brightlight4 from: Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

I received this email and refused to give them my bank details, so they said that I could receive a registered bank cheque but requested my telephone numbers of my mobile phone and land phone, my home address, and a scanned copy of my international passport. I don't understand what they can do with such personal information. This is the email I received which refers me to a bank called the CARTER ALLEN PRIVATE BANK with this data I received this email:

This is the first email I received from them:

El mar, 7 jun 2022 1:07, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation billmelindagatesfoundation036@gmail.com> escribió:

I hope this information meets you well as I know you will be curious

to know why I selected you to receive a sum of $5,000,000.00 USD. The

information below is 100% legitimate, please see the link below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_&_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Wikipedia

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), previously the William H.

Gates Foundation, is a private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda

Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is

reported to be the largest private foundation in the world, holding

$50.7 billion in assets. The primary aims of the foundation are,

globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme ...

My wife and I decided to donate the sum of $5,000,000.00 USD to you as part of our charity project to improve the 10 lucky individuals all over the world from our $65 Billion USD, My Wife and I Mapped out to help people. We prayed and searched over the internet for assistance and I saw your profile on Microsoft email owners list and picked you.

Melinda and I have decided to make sure this is put on the internet

for the world to see. As you could see from the web page above, I am

not getting any younger and you can imagine having no much time to

live, although I am a Billionaire investor and we have helped some

charity organizations from our Fund.

You see after taking care of the needs of our immediate family members before we die we decided to donate the remaining of our Billions to other individuals around the world in need, the local fire department, the red cross, COVID-19 relief, Haiti, The hospital in Truro where Melinda underwent her cancer treatment and some other organizations in Asia and Europe that fight Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and the bulk of the funds deposited with our pay-out bank of this charity donation.

We have kept just 30% of the entire sum to our self for the remaining

days because I am no longer strong. My wife and I will be traveling

for Treatment.

To facilitate the payment process of the funds ($5,000,000.00 USD)

which have been donated solely to you, you are to send me the details

below:

Your Full Names...

Your Contact Address...

Your Mobile Number...

Send the above details to me so that I can forward your payment

information to you immediately. I am hoping that you will be able to

use the money wisely and judiciously over there in your City. Please

you have to do your part to also alleviate the level of poverty in

your region, help as many as you can once you have this money in your

personal account because that is the only objective of donating this

money to you in the first place.

Thank you for accepting our offer, we are indeed grateful and you can

Google my name for more information: Mr. Bill Gates or Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation.

IMPORTANT NOTE : THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SENT ON BEHALF OF THE GATES FAMILY

Regards

Mr Franklin Orion

Grant/Donation Coordinator

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Delete

June 23, 2020 at 11:55 AM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Decatur, Georgia, United States

I got message from a'friend' on facebook messages:

This program I'm talking about was created by the Bill and Melinda gate foundation program to fight Corona Virus and for those who need assistance paying medical bills, buying a home, starting their own business, going to school, disabled, old people, semI retired, and retired people. Are you aware?

no

you would have heard about it too cos a lot of people have benefited from it. I got $60,000 delivered to me when I applied for the program and you don’t have to pay it back.. you can also apply for the program

Don’t you know anything?

Sun 1:58 PM

i'm the amazing ignorant man. have bveen for years

Yeah but they help s lot nowadays

I think you should contact their attorney as did to apply for it

Do you know how to do that?

Delete

April 25, 2020 at 12:21 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
info

"This is to inform you that you have been randomly selected as one of the beneficiaries of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's "COVID-19 Relief Fund", in collaboration with The Asia Foundation; which was setup to help business owners and individuals during and after the corona virus pandemic.

You are to receive the sum of $155,000 USD (One Hundred and Fifty Five Thousand USD).

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed substantial resources to ensure that the after effects of this pandemic on businesses and jobs are reduced to the barest minimum. They have decided to partner with The Asia Foundation so as to reach beneficiaries as far as Asia.

To claim this fund, kindly send the following details to this email ( covid19.asiafoundation@citromail.hu ) address only:

Name:

Occupation:

Location:

Contact Number:

You have just 1 week to claim this offer or your slot will be passed on to another person.

Regards,

Sunder Ramaswamy

Chairman, The Asia Foundation"

Here is another scam.

Delete

January 2, 2020 at 6:34 AM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
info

"From: Grace Hendrawan <seko@hikariseiko.co.jp>

Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2019 9:42 AM

Subject: urgent response needed

440 5th Avenue N. Seattle,

Washington 98109

United States Of America

Dear Email Owner!

My name is Mrs. Grace Hendrawan working with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) Bill & Melinda Gates has decided to donate the sum of $2,500,000;00 to Microsoft email users including you, either organizations or individuals that are financially handicapped.

To effect the release of your fund valued at $2,500,000;00, you are advised to get back to me for more details.

Yours Mrs.Grace Hendrawan

Email:(grace.hendrawan@yahoo.com)"

Here is another scam.

Delete

August 16, 2019 at 7:23 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Everett, Washington, United States

I have received notice from an old acquaintance, Dan Murphy, that UPS had delivered his grant money and that he had seen my name on the winner's list.

Initially, I was suspicious because there is simply no reason whatsoever I should be receiving a grant from this foundation much less hearing about it from an old acquaintance that I didn't really know all that well anyway.

Moreover, telling me that UPS delivered grant money to his doorstep sounded phoney, but I decided to see where this would go.

Finally, after some encouragement, he gave me the phone number of the claim agent, Cheryl Sandberg at (507)442-2970. Being in the same business as Dan for several years, I went to the industry web site where I learned that Dan had passed away November 25th of last year, which insofar as I can see, is proof positive that this is a scam.

Do you wish to follow up? I will report it to Washington's Attorney General's office to see if they want to probe and prosecute.

Good on you for Scam Fighters!

Delete

August 31, 2019 at 10:57 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Chandler, Arizona, United States

This person scammed me. I went as far as giving my address and phone number as it came from a person that is in my family. How can I further protect myself?

Delete

April 6, 2019 at 3:36 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The scammers are using this email: billgte1@outlook.com

Delete

March 11, 2019 at 9:52 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Sunnyvale, California, United States

Email recieved from "Bill Gates" gatesbill341@yahoo.com. Same message, says reply to...mrgates@naver.com.

I do have to protect reseeaarch data...

Meessage sent on Mar 4, 2019, 12:39 pm

Delete

March 6, 2019 at 5:19 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
info

The scammers are using this email address: mrgates29@gmail.com

Delete

March 2, 2019 at 7:44 PM by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams
an anonymous user from: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

I'm reporting you to the local police if you ever go to where I live. It is a SCAM

"BILL GATES

Mar 2 at 7:43 PM

On Saturday, March 2, 2019, 6:36:11 PM CST, BILL GATES <okikagolden@yahoo.com> wrote:

Greetings You have been gifted $5 MILLION USD From Mr Bill Gates. Contact me at this email for your claim: mrbillgates2@naver.com

I hope this information meet you well as I know you will be curious to know why/how I selected you to receive a sum of $5,000,000,00 USD, our information below is 100% legitimate, please see the link below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_&_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

I BILL GATES and my wife decided to donate the sum of $5,000,000,00 USD to you as part of our charity project to improve the 10 lucky individuals all over the world from our $65 Billion Usd I and My Wife Mapped out to help people. We prayed and searched over the internet for assistance and I saw your profile on Microsoft email owners list and picked you. Melinda my wife and I have decided to make sure this is put on the internet for the world to see. as you could see from the webpage above,am not getting any younger and you can imagine having no much time to live. although am a Billionaire investor and we have helped some charity organizations from our Fund.

You see after taken care of the needs of our immediate family members, Before we die we decided to donate the remaining of our Billions to other individuals around the world in need, the local fire department, the red cross, Haiti, hospitals in truro where Melinda underwent her cancer treatment, and some other organizations in Asia and Europe that fight cancer, alzheimer's and diabetes and the bulk of the funds deposited with our payout bank of this charity donation. we have kept just 30% of the entire sum to our self for the remaining days because I am no longer strong am sick and am writing you from hospital computer.and me and my wife will be traveling to Germany for Treatment.

To facilitate the payment process of the funds ($5,000,000.00 USD) which have been donated solely to you, you are to send me

your full names

your contact address

your personal telephone number.

SEND YOUR ABOVE DETAILS TO mrbillgates2@naver.com

so that I can forward your payment information to you immediately. I am hoping that you will be able to use the money wisely and judiciously over there in your City. please you have to do your part to also alleviate the level of poverty in your region, help as many you can help once you have this money in your personal account because that is the only objective of donating this money to you in the first place.

Thank you for accepting our offer, we are indeed grateful You Can Google my name for more information: Mr Bill Gates or Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Remain Blessed

Regards

Mr Bill Gates"

Delete

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Pay the safest way

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Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

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Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity Donation Scams