Scam impersonates NED to defraud victims with fake grants

The National Endowment for Democracy, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world, recently became aware of an ongoing scam being perpetrated through email. While falsely claiming to be Carl Gershman, president of NED,  the scam says that you were selected for a grant and instructs you to send insurance payment before they will send you the winnings. Please be advised that this is a scam.

The NED does not make grants to individuals. Furthermore, NED and its employees will never ask you to send money, wire money, or add money to a prepaid debit card as a condition for receiving an award or grant. NED does not use Facebook or text to contact individuals concerning grant awards.

If someone purporting to be a NED employee has contacted you through email, texting, or other mediums. please report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation at http://www.ic3.gov.  If contacted through Facebook, please alert Facebook so that it can remove the fraudulent account. Please take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.

Resources:

NED Facebook Page – This is the official NED Facebook page, which has been verified by Facebook.

How to Recognize a Government Imposter – https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0048-government-imposter-scams

 

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