There are various fraudulent schemes whose authors purport to be OFID personnel or agents or otherwise associated with OFID. Frequently, but not exclusively, such schemes take the form of emails, rogue websites, faxes or telephone calls to unsuspecting members of the public. Increasingly, fraud takes the form of internet correspondence known as ‘Phishing’; a fraudulent practice in which email messages, instant messages and websites are used to dupe individuals into disclosing personal or confidential information. Many of these scams request detailed personal information for purposes such as: invitations to fictitious, OFID-sponsored conferences; front-end fees or advance payments; registration or processing fees. In return, such scams promise recipients OFID financial assistance. These scams sometimes carry the OFID logo and derive from e-mail addresses designed to look confusingly similar to OFID addresses.

 OFID wishes to warn members of the public of these fraudulent practices which do not originate from, or are associated with, OFID. It is strongly recommended that recipients of any solicitations purporting to be from or associated with OFID use extreme caution in order to verify their genuineness before sending any response.

 As an infallible rule, OFID does not extend loans or any other form of financing to individuals. It also does not charge any fees before a legally binding financing agreement is concluded between OFID and a beneficiary company or corporation. Nor is it OFID policy to charge any fees for attending seminars or conferences. Furthermore, OFID does not operate a lottery.

Scams may take a myriad of forms, in addition to those described above. The need for caution and vigilance cannot be over-emphasised.