Beware of scams claiming to be from the European Development Fund

The Delegation of the European Union to South Africa 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 and/or projects. In these correspondences, the recipient is directed to obtain a "BARCLAYS Non-Resident Beneficiary 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 e-mail and to report the matter to the police if approached.

It must be noted that EU funding for South Africa does not take place within the framework of the EDF and thus there is no possibility of funding from this source for interested parties in South Africa. Where applicable, projects and/or programmes financed from the EDF are subject to international tender regulations with transparent and rigorous procedures to ensure fair competition. As a matter of policy, the European Union does not require fees or payments prior to tender evaluations. Appropriate EU agencies/representations, using official websites and verified social media channels, regularly send out announcements for tenders or calls for proposals.

For more details about the European Development Fund, visit the European Commission website at http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/funding-instruments-programming/funding-instruments/european-development-fund_en