Fraud and Other Warnings

Warning against Fraud and Misrepresentation in connection with an Application

Be aware that it is an offense punishable by law, if you do any of the following in connection with an Application for compensation under the Program:

1. falsify, misrepresent, or fail to disclose any material information or facts or falsify any document (whether fraudulently or otherwise); or
2. knowingly make any false statement or representation; or
3. produce or provide, or cause or knowingly allow to be produced or provided, any document, material or information which you know to be false.

Warning against fraudulent or fake websites

Be aware that there may be fraudulent or fake websites that are made to “look and feel” like the Program’s real website (covaxclaims.com) and that operate to defraud or otherwise harm you, including for example, by seeking to obtain your personal, medical, banking or credit card information.

To be sure that you are accessing the Program’s legitimate website, please type covaxclaims.com (note: “claims” must end with an “s”) on the web address bar, rather than a link embedded in an email, a text message or another source. Always check website addresses in emails or text messages to make sure there are no spelling mistakes or incorrect characters, as this is often a sign of fraudulent or fake websites.

If you consider you have been the victim of fraud or another criminal activity, we recommend that you report any complaint to your local law enforcement authority.

Warning against phishing through fake emails or text messages

Be aware of phishing through fake emails or text messages claiming to be from the Program’s Administrator, including emails requesting you to make a payment, providing you with payment instructions, or requesting you to provide your personal, medical, banking or credit card information. Do not reply to the phishing email or enter information on a fake website that matches the “look and feel” of the Program’s real website (covaxclaims.com).

“Phishing” is the fraudulent attempt to obtain a person’s sensitive information (such as personal, medical, banking or credit card information, or usernames or passwords) by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing (i.e., by email messages with a fake sender email address), text messages or instant messages.

To avoid being harmed by phishing, we recommend that you:

• do not reply to any emails or text messages, and do not click on any links embedded in them, unless you have duly validated that these emails or text messages are genuine emails or text messages from the Program’s Administrator;
• exercise extreme caution in respect of emails or text messages requesting you to provide sensitive information such as personal, medical, banking or credit card information, and do not provide such sensitive information unless you have duly validated that such emails or text messages are genuine emails or text messages from the Program’s Administrator;
• exercise extreme caution in respect of emails or text messages requesting you to make a payment as a condition for making an Application under the Program, and do not make any such payment under any circumstances. Please remember furthermore that the Program’s Administrator does not charge any fees at any stage to individuals in order to download, complete or submit an Application under the Program; and
• learn how to identify, and protect yourself from, phishing scams and spoofing emails.

If you are not sure if an email or text message is a genuine communication from the Program’s Administrator, you should contact the Program’s Administrator directly by using the contact details provided on the Program’s website (covaxclaims.com) under Contact Us. Please do not reply to or use the contact details provided in the email or text message that you suspect to be fake.

 

Known fraudulent websites and phishing attacks

“COVID-19 Compensation Lottery Prize” Scam

August 27, 2021

Beware of the fraudulent “COVID-19 Compensation Lottery Prize” scam, falsely alleging association with the World Health Organization and others.

The Administrator of the COVAX No-Fault Compensation Program for AMC Eligible Economies (“the Program”) has been made aware of emails, messages and other correspondence being circulated by scammers (acting under the name of Capital Finance, Inc. London), falsely notifying recipients of such emails, messages and other correspondence that they have been selected as a beneficiary/winner of a USD$1 million lottery compensation prize payment for losses and damages suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  These fraudulent emails, messages and other correspondence falsely allege that the so-called “COVID-19 lottery compensation prize” is brought to you by the World Health Organization (WHO), in association with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).   

These scammers—who claim to be a financial management firm in London—falsely state that they have been appointed by WHO to process payment of the COVID-19 lottery compensation prize.  In addition, these scams seek to obtain personal details and, in some cases, money from the recipients of such fraudulent correspondences, including (but not limited to) by requesting recipients to urgently send the scammers: (1) a copy of the recipient’s passport or proof of identification, (2) his/her nationality, (3) his/her occupation, and (4) the recipient’s mailing address, email address and telephone number, in order to enable the scammers to process the fraudulent lottery compensation prize payment.

The Program’s Administrator wishes to warn the public that the COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize is a fraudulent scam being falsely perpetrated through different channels (e.g., via email, from Internet websites such as www.capitalfinanceinc.net, etc.). In this respect, the Program’s Administrator wishes to warn the public that:

• The so-called “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” is a fraudulent scam;
• The Program or the Program’s Administrator are not associated in any way with the “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” scam or with Capital Finance, Inc.;
• WHO has indicated that it has not appointed or entered into any contractual relationship with any entity by the name of Capital Finance, Inc., and:
  • is not involved or associated in any way with the “COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize” fraudulent scam; and
  • is not offering or conducting a lottery prize to compensate individuals, whose names or contact details are purportedly selected at random, for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; 

The Program’s Administrator strongly recommends that recipients of emails, messages and other correspondence such as those described above:

• exercise extreme caution in respect of such correspondence and solicitations; and
• do not reply to such emails, messages and other correspondence; and
• do not  provide their bank accounts and/or other personal information such as copies of passports or identification cards, mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, or occupations.  

Please be aware that identity theft and/or financial loss could result from the transfer of personal information or money to those issuing such fraudulent correspondence. Victims of such scams are encouraged to report the scams to their local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Disclaimers

COVAX, the Program and/or its Administrator are not connected in any way with any fake or fraudulent websites, phishing or fake emails or other scams, and cannot be held responsible in any way if their respective names, logos or addresses are misused in websites, emails or other schemes intended to defraud or otherwise harm the public.