We have been made aware that individuals on the internet may be posing as SAMS employees or volunteers for fraudulent purposes. Some suspected scams include:
- Individuals posing as US-based doctors working on SAMS behalf inside Syria. These individuals may request funds to help cover travel expenses or personal emergencies at home. They may also state that SAMS is not allowing them to leave their mission despite their contract term expires.
- Individuals posing as SAMS staff requesting funds to pay for travel expenses for the aforementioned doctors. These individuals may use the names of actual SAMS employees in their communications.
- Individuals claiming to be collecting donations for medical procedures or supplies for individual SAMS patients.
If you are contacted via email or social media by someone claiming to be affiliated with or a representative of SAMS Foundation please be aware of the following:
- SAMS does not currently have any non-Syrian doctors working on its behalf inside Syria. In neighboring countries, SAMS international volunteers participate in short-term medical missions, which are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All international volunteers are free to leave our missions at any time and would receive support from SAMS with any travel arrangements required.
- SAMS employees will only contact you via an email address ending in @sams-usa.net. If you reach out to us on our official Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts, we will direct you to email info@sams-usa.net.
- SAMS does not solicit donations on behalf of individual patients.
- SAMS employees will never request donations or payments via wire transfer to a third-party/intermediary account under the name of another organization or individual.
- SAMS cannot prevent individuals from claiming to be employees of SAMS Foundation on Facebook, even if they link to our official page.
If you are based in the USA and believe you are a victim of fraud, a report can be filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation via the website https://www.ic3.gov. If you are located outside the USA, you should contact the local law enforcement agency responsible for cybercrime.
SAMS cannot prevent these scams from occurring but can support you in determining if a request is legitimate. Please reach out to us immediately at info@sams-usa.net with any questions or concerns regarding donations, suspicious online or in-person fundraisers, or requests from our staff or volunteers.
