Reporting scams

We are aware of numerous forms of fraudulent communications claiming to be from, or associated with, the Gates Foundation. They circulate via email, social media, postal mail, fax, and telephone in a number of languages. They often include our foundation logo, photos, links, or other information taken directly from our official website at www.gatesfoundation.org.

If you doubt the authenticity of any type of communication claiming to be from the Gates Foundation, please email us at [email protected]. This will allow us to investigate and, if necessary, take remedial action. Please note that due to the volume of scam reports and inquiries we receive, we cannot respond to every email.

Unfortunately, such scams are growing in volume and can be quite sophisticated. Our security team is working with law enforcement to counter such scams, but unfortunately we cannot stop them all.

Please be advised that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, foundation employees, foundation grantees, and foundation partner organizations do not:

  • Request administrative fees for awarding a grant. Our grantmaking process is described here.
  • Host internet lotteries or offer prizes of any kind through email, postal mail, telephone, or fax or in person.
  • Request registration fees for conferences or summits.
  • Request information about bank accounts or other private information.
  • Offer memberships or request membership fees.
  • Approach individuals in person to offer grant opportunities.
  • Solicit donations at any time.*
  • Offer investment opportunities.

*Our subsidiary, Gates Philanthropy Partners, may solicit and accept donations. For more information, go to gatesphilanthropypartners.org.

For more information about the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to combat these types of fraud, visit the webpage for the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. In the U.S., you can report fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Please also consider reporting any potentially fraudulent activity to your local authorities.