Reporting Email Scams | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

To report instances of phishing and email fraud conducted in the foundation's name, please send a copy of the suspect email correspondence complete with email header information, to our  Email Abuse Box at [email protected]. You can also send copies of the email addresses of offending web sites to this address.

Several scams claiming to be from or associated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are currently circulating on the internet in a number of different languages, deliberately targeting prospective grantees. They often include our logo, photos, links, or other information taken directly from our official web site, www.gatesfoundation.org. The foundation makes every effort to stop such scams, but unfortunately, we cannot stop them all. The foundation does not solicit donations or request any type of administrative or handling charges for its grant applications. If you get a request that appears to be from the foundation for any type of payment, or if you receive an email or communication seemingly from the foundation that you feel is suspicious, please disregard that communication. If you have any questions, contact us via our Write to Us form.

To be clear, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, or any foundation employees:

• Do not sponsor lotteries of any kind.
• Do not require/request grantees to pay insurance, handling, deposits, or delivery fees for grant funds.
• Do not offer investment opportunities.
• Do not request conference fees.

Here are some tips to help you avoid email scams:

• Be suspicious of unsolicited emails that ask for personal or financial information.
• Avoid filling out forms in email messages.
• Log on to official websites instead of clicking on links embedded in an email.
• Contact the organization that is supposedly sending the email to verify if it is genuine.
• Be wary if you receive an email saying you won a lottery or have been awarded a grant.
• Be cautious if you are asked to wire money.