RESTON, Va. – The National Wildlife Federation urged businesses and partner organizations to be aware of fraudulent uses of the organization’s name and logo. The warning is prompted by several instances of businesses receiving fraudulent procurement requests for goods that are ultimately then shipped overseas and resold.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have learned about more than a dozen companies being, or attempted to be, defrauded by criminals pretending to be the National Wildlife Federation to purchase goods, ranging from massive quantities of motor oil to refrigerators,” said Ben Kota, general counsel for the National Wildlife Federation. “These international fraud schemes are more common than you think and are not limited to the National Wildlife Federation. This scam is happening enough that we want to warn businesses to beware of these fraud schemes.

"When in doubt, check it out.  And if you have been defrauded, please contact your local law enforcement." 

All of the scams are different, but they share several common features:

• Using email addresses that are not from @nwf.org
• Using names of National Wildlife Federation board members
• Using names of individuals not associated with the National Wildlife Federation
• Using fake bank account information
• Using shipping addresses that are storage facilities

If businesses have questions about the validity of a purchase order, please contact our customer service at info@nwf.org or 1-800-822-9919.