Lesotho: Beware of scams claiming to be from the European Development Fund

Projects or programs financed from the European Development Fund are subject to international tender regulations with transparent and rigorous procedures securing fair competition. As a matter of policy, the European Union never asks for fees or payments prior to the evaluation of a tender.

The European Union Delegation in Lesotho has been made aware of unsolicited e-mails and/or social media messages being sent to members of the public falsely stating that the recipients of these messages have been accepted by the European Development Fund (EDF) to receive funding for their programmes/projects. In these correspondences, the recipient is directed to obtain a form for which they must pay a specified amount of money.

The European Union would like to inform the public that this is a scam. We urge recipients not to respond to the communications and to report the matter to the police immediately if approached.

Projects or programs financed from the European Development Fund are subject to international tender regulations with transparent and rigorous procedures securing fair competition. However, as a matter of policy, the European Union never asks for fees or payments prior to the evaluation of a tender, although it may request bank guarantees in order to ascertain the financial viability of private companies participating in EDF tenders. The European Union, using its official website and verified social media channels, regularly sends out announcements for tenders or calls for proposals.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Lesotho.