World Health Organization COVID Fund Invoice Scam

[HollowKnights2k]

Hey world. Not sure if I'm the only one receiving this invoice but just got an invoice for $20.00 from something called the Respond Fund for World Solidarity from the World Health Organization.  Paypal won't let me dispute this invoice nor would I presume the WHO would send dubious invoices for donations through Paypal so I'm assuming it's a scam. Just curious if this is being sent out to others. Thanks!

[CherylAM3]

From another member: " When the page opens showing the invoice you need to go to the address bar & at the end of the address shown put ?action=cancel then click enter You will then get a cancel dialog box. Be sure to put the reason that you are canceling- that you did not request the invoice, you refuse to pay the invoice & are canceling the invoice. Hope this helps"

[KellyDiaz]

Just got this invoice for $35 via email and was wondering if anyone else did? Seems unsolicited as I have never donated via my PayPal account before. The email came from an official PayPal email address.

[maddoghoek]

thanks very much to those that helped me solve this problem and identify the steps to cancel this fraudulent invoice. much appreciated for the help solving my problem. I got this fraudulent invoice today and apparently they are upping their game, because mine was for $35. The invoice number in mine was in the 10,000s. If true that a new paypal account shot out 10,000 invoices in a few weeks, I would hope that triggers some manner of flag for paypal to start monitoring the accounts. I would love to know how the charge backs end up when they start flooding in. To those that think this was the actual World Health Organization and not a fake "company" spoofing them you are real goofballs. The scam was well crafted, and a little surprising after all the time that they didn't use a higher res or vector of the WHO logo.

[maryc5]

How did they get into my personal account..I think anyone else with this same problem should seek an attorney

[ChrisCooling]

@maryc5 They didn't get into anything. Anyone can invoice any Paypal user and attach any image they want for a logo. This is a feature of Paypal. Simply do not pay it.

[BAMBI5]

From the legitimate World Health Organization web page:

Please note: There have been some cases reported of people fraudulently presenting themselves as WHO or the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and/or sending invoices requesting payment on behalf of the Fund.  WHO, the UN Foundation, or the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation will never contact you for your credit card or banking details. Please see our FAQ to learn more about the ways you can legitimately give to the Fund. You may also report scams here.

[lhkoai]

I saw a $50 invoice in my paypal activity for Fund for WHO COVID-19 Solidarity.  How do I dispute the invoice and remove it without paying it?

[ksraber]

I received two of these invoices on aug 17, one for $50 and one for $0, with a Chinese requester name. I wasn't able to cancel the invoices on my phone, but I was able to cancel on Chrome on my laptap. I believe anyone is allowed to send invoices, but they should never be automatically paid and should be able to be canceled easily by the recipient. But mass invoicing like this is extremely invasive and unethical. I have reported the website https://covid19responsefund.org and the whole incident to the BBB. I also wrote to PayPal and told them I would close my account if the invoices are not removed (that was before I was able to cancel them). I would NEVER give money the World Health Organization, they are corrupt and useless.

[janie-g]

How did you cancel the invoice?

[ksraber]

Login to your PayPal from a computer rather than your phone, like chrome or firefox, and there is a cancel button under the invoice. It takes a sec to populate, but you can then cancel it.i was not able to do it on chrome even on my phone because it's the mobile site. Needs to be the desktop site it seems.