Fraud alerts

Occasionally we receive reports of fraudulent activity carried out using HI's name (either Humanity & Inclusion or Handicap International).

Some of these incidents have taken place in the U.S., while others appear to be limited to other specific countries.

Below is a list of fraudulent activity that we are currently aware of. This page will be updated on an ongoing basis with any new information we receive.

If you encounter any activity in HI's name that appears to be fraudulent, please contact our U.S. office immediately at +1 (301) 891-2138 or email [email protected] to inform us of the incident.

Fake street fundraising

In recent years, there have been numerous instances of fake street collections for charities (including HI) in many countries.

Each case is different, however, the person usually presents a badly copied piece of paper with the HI logo, a reference to opening a center for Deaf people, and a sponsorship form. The culprits may target local businesses and shops, members of the public in the street, or go door-to-door. In the past, some have become aggressive when their request for money is denied.

Unfortunately, we have received numerous reports of this type of incident in the last few years, in countries including the U.S., UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, and others. In the U.S. recent reports come from the Washington, D.C. area and along the East Coast.

Fraudulent job opportunities, by email

We have received reports of individuals emailing job seekers, often students, pretending to represent NGO Humanity and Inclusion at the Department of Disability," "NGO Humanity & Inclusion Foundation Relief" and "NGO Humanity & Inclusion Recruitment Relief." Often, the recruiter uses the fake names of "Dr. Anna Chester," "Dr. Susan Albrecht" or "Dr. Nicolas Thompson." No one by those names works for Humanity & Inclusion, nor Handicap International. What's more, this individual uses a mix of email addresses ending in [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and @ngorecruitmentoffers.com.  The fake "recruitment coordinator" goes on to ask people for their photo IDs and eventually their bank details. All current job opportunities with our U.S. office, along with application instructions, are posted on our Work With Us page. Global vacancies can be viewed at hi.org. 

If you believe you're a victim of this scam, please flag the email as spam in your inbox, block the sender, and if you're at a University, alert your IT department so that they can monitor this criminal's attempts. Additional resources:

• Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360
• Federal Trade Commission: reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov

Our response

These cases are not official collections or recruitment efforts for Humanity & Inclusion/Handicap International, and these people do not represent our organization. We advise members of the public to be vigilant. HI does not currently have street fundraisers operating in the U.S. All current job opportunities and application instructions are posted on our Work With Us page. We actively cooperate with authorities to support any open investigations.

How to report concerns

If you are suspicious about fundraising collections, recuirtment or other activities happening in your area under the name of HI, we advise you to immediately contact the local police. Please feel free to provide our contact details to authorities and let them know that we are available to discuss the matter should they need further information.

Please also contact our U.S. office at +1 (301) 891-2138 or email [email protected] to inform us of the incident.

The only way that we can prevent these incidents from happening is with the help of the public. Thank you for your support.