US-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has warned of a fake tender supply published by a leading local daily in Kenya.
The Foundation in a statement on Tuesday said that it has no offices in Kenya urging the general public to ignore the fake tender published to allegedly supply consumable goods.
In the fake advert inviting interested persons to bid, the con artists indicated that they are from Supply Unit Division of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation regional office in Kenya.
In a statement on its website, the foundation established by tech mogul Bill Gates urged the public to report the scammers behind the advert to the authorities.
“We are aware of a potential scam involving a foundation office in Nairobi, Kenya. Please know that we do not have any office in Nairobi, Kenya, and ask that you report any fraudulent activity to local authorities in Kenya,” read the statement.
For each of the categories advertised, potential suppliers were required to pay an upfront fee of Ksh4,100.
The foundation added that it does not ask for “administrative fees for awarding a grant, request registration fees for conferences or summits, solicit donations at any time or offer investment opportunities.”
It also stated that scammers using its name have increased in the recent past and some of them are sophisticated.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation promised to ensure that scams in its name are stopped.
“Unfortunately, scams claiming to be from or associated with the foundation are growing in volume and, in many cases, can be quite sophisticated. Our security team is working with law enforcement to make every effort to stop such scams, but unfortunately, we cannot stop them all,” it stated.