Fraud alert

The United Nations has been made aware of various correspondences, being circulated via e-mail, from Internet web sites, text messages and via regular mail or facsimile, falsely stating that they are issued by, or in association with the United Nations and/or its officials. These scams, which may seek to obtain money and/or in many cases personal details from the recipients of such correspondence, are fraudulent.

The United Nations wishes to warn the public at large about these fraudulent activities being perpetrated purportedly in the name of the Organisation, and/or its officials, through different fraud schemes.

• The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training) or other fee, or request information on applicants’ bank accounts. To apply for a job go to careers.un.org and click on Vacancies. See more on employment-related fraud.

• The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of its procurement process (supplier registration, bids submission) or other fee. Visit the Procurement Division to see the latest business opportunities with the United Nations.

• The United Nations does not request any information related to bank accounts or other private information.

• The United Nations does not offer prizes, awards, funds, certificates, automated teller machine (ATM) cards, compensation for Internet fraud, or scholarships, or conduct lotteries.

• The United Nations does not approve military vacations or pensions, or release packages in exchange for a fee. 

The United Nations strongly recommends that the recipients of solicitations, such as those described above exercise extreme caution in respect of such solicitations. Financial loss and identity theft could result from the transfer of money or personal information to those issuing such fraudulent correspondence. Victims of such scams may also report them to their local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Not an official document. For information only.