Warning: Scams, hoaxes and frauds involving Doctors Without Borders

Please be aware there have been cases of individuals posing as Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff in order to scam people out of money.

We have received reports of third parties attempting to fraudulently obtain money on our behalf via email or social networking websites or apps.

The following is a list of scams and hoaxes that have been brought to our attention (please note this list is not exhaustive):

• People posing as Doctors Without Borders staff in emails asking for reimbursements for donations, sometimes naming actual staff or senior management in their appeals in order to bring a sense of credibility.
• People posing as Doctors Without Borders staff requesting money to pay for individual medical procedures  for fictitious patients.
• People posing as Doctors Without Borders staff, or acting on behalf of Doctors Without Borders staff, on social networking sites in order to lure unsuspecting members of the public to send funds to cover the travel costs of the alleged staff member to return from a field mission.
• People posing as Doctors Without Borders staff, using the name of the organization to make professional connections, or make false job offers. They may also request payment or require application fees or ask for your personal data. 

Please note that these are situations that Doctors Without Borders staff would never find themselves in.

All Doctors Without Borders staff are instructed to call their home office if they find themselves in an unfortunate situation like losing their passport or if they have trouble with a visa. We then provide all the support they need to get home.

Doctors Without Borders staff in the field will also have access to funds in an emergency situation and so have no need to request financial support from anyone, for either themselves or their patients.

Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to stop scams such as these from happening. If you are unsure if you are the subject of a scam or fraud involving a supposed Doctors Without Borders staff member, please get in contact with our Donor Relations Team by e-mail or by phone: 1-(800) 982-7903.

As soon as you are aware of a scam or fraud, we strongly suggest that you log a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Canada’s national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime, where reports are coordinated and investigated.

You can log a report via their website, or call them at 1-888-495-8501

MSF does work with partners to support our fundraising efforts across the country – for more information about this, please visit our Canvassing and Telefundraising page.