I Received a Suspicious Message That Asked for My Information. What Do I Do?

Direct Relief has become aware of fraudulent activity where scammers pretend to be associated with the organization and solicit funds or personal details from unsuspecting individuals. 

If you have received such a message, please do not reply or provide any personal information, as it did not come from Direct Relief and is most definitely a scam. 

One ongoing scam involves offers of employment. Emails used by the scammers use variations of Direct Relief's name and impersonate actual Direct Relief staff members. For instance, one email used by scammers is apply@career-directrelief.org. If you get an from any address other than (person)@directrelief.org, please contact Direct Relief, as this is likely as scam. You can do so by visiting directrelief.org/contact. 

Please see below for examples of this scam.

This scam is a serious concern, and Direct Relief has notified the relevant authorities about this fraudulent scheme. It has also contacted companies whose platforms the scammers are exploiting. 

Direct Relief will never solicit funds or personal information through platforms such as Google Forms, Microsoft Outlook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, text messages, or other similar channels.

If you already filled out a form and think a scammer has your information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, please take the following steps:

• Go to IdentityTheft.gov. Based on your disclosed information, you’ll see the steps to take, including how to freeze or monitor your credit.
• Please forward any fraudulent email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org.
• If you received a fraudulent text message, please copy and paste it and forward it to SPAM (7726).