Several users on social media have posted a message which claims that the World Health Organization (WHO) is giving $ 210,000 to people who have COVID-19. The message asks interested people to send their personal details to ‘angelaperkins091@gmail.com/+447721143955’. We have also received a similar message on our WhatsApp tipline (+91-92470 52470) to check the veracity of the message. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: World Health Organization (WHO) is giving $ 210,000 to people who have COVID-19. Send personal details to angelaperkins091@gmail.com/+447721143955.
Fact: No such message was found to be issued by the World Health Organization. Previously, the WHO has clarified that they never conduct lotteries or offer prizes, grants, certificates, or funding through email. Also, the same email address and phone number were previously shared with other spam messages. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched regarding the posted message on the internet, no such message was found to be issued by the World Health Organization. There are also no credible reports regarding WHO giving $ 210,000 to people who have COVID-19. In one of the articles on the WHO website, it is written – ‘Make sure the sender has an email address such as ‘person@who.int’. If there is anything other than ‘who.int’ after the ‘@’ symbol, this sender is not from WHO.’ It can be seen that the email address given in the posted message is – ‘angelaperkins091@gmail.com’. No link between the given email address and the WHO was found.
In another article, WHO has mentioned – ‘Many of these scams request detailed information and/or money from individuals, businesses or non-profit organizations with the promise that they will receive funds or other benefits in return……WHO suggests that recipients do not send money or personal information in response to invitations from anyone who claims to be awarding jobs, funds, grants, scholarships….’. Also, in April 2020, WHO has tweeted saying – ‘WHO will never conduct lotteries or offer prizes, grants, certificates or funding through email’.
The same email address and phone number were shared last year with a similar message but in the name of the UN. Also, the email address can be seen in another spam message posted in February 2020.
The details regarding the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and the activities receiving money from the fund can be seen here.
To sum it up, the World Health Organization (WHO) is not giving $ 210,000 to people who have COVID-19. So, do not share your personal details.
