Everyone Is Fielding Calls from the FEED Foundation — Is It Legit?
Spam calls are one thing, but the non-stop calls from the FEED Foundation are an entirely different beast.
Published July 5 2024, 9:20 a.m. ET
One of the evils of the 21st century is how people use technology for malintention. For example, spam calls are seemingly at an all-time high.
As people leave landlines behind, scam artists have found ways to target mobile numbers. Not only that, but they’ve found ways to mask their true identities, leading to an abundance of people wondering, “Why is the FEED Foundation calling me?”
The FEED Foundation is seemingly calling everyone and their mothers. Some people have been fielding multiple calls per day, claiming that the non-profit organization, which aims to fight food insecurity in the United States, is ruining their lives with non-stop calls.
So why is the FEED Foundation calling us?
The FEED Foundation is not calling anyone. Scam artists have created a fake website that “spoofs” phone numbers with the same name.
Unfortunately, an innocent organization is getting dragged through the mud because of some crafty scam artists. Here’s how it works — the scammers call an unlucky target by using several “spoofed” phone numbers, masking the real phone number typically with a local-looking number instead.
If the unlucky target picks up, an emotional appeal is used to try to convince the victim to donate large sums of money to the FEED Foundation.
Naturally, this makes us on the other end think that the FEED Foundation is calling us specifically to ask for funds, and we want to know why! Why call us? Scammers tend to target vulnerable populations — older adults and recent college alumni who haven’t dealt much with the inner workings of the world’s scam artists.
And no matter how much you ask them to stop calling, they may call again and again and again using different spoofed phone numbers to persuade the victim into “donating.”
People are sharing their Feed Foundation spam call horror stories on the Internet.
People on Reddit and other forums, including charity rating pages, have shared horror stories of how these calls have affected their lives. “I'm getting spammed by these ‘Feed Foundation’ numbers also. At LEAST 10 times daily. Extremely frustrating to the point I'm ready to get a new phone number,” one Redditor wrote.
Through research, several people have figured out that when searching any phone number claiming to be the “Feed Foundation,” another website pops up with a slightly different URL that is not secure. This website, thefeedfoundation.org, is simply a phone number spoofing catalog that collects phone numbers and masks them as the “Feed Foundation.”
Many users have found that even their own phone numbers seem to be associated with this ghost organization, despite never donating, working with them, or having any association.
In January 2024, when the scam was popularized, the organization put out a statement on their Instagram and their website. “It has come to our attention that robo callers have been fraudulently contacting our community on our behalf,” they wrote.
“Rest assured we are not at all affiliated with these scammers, nor will we ever call you to solicit funds. We are actively investigating this issue with our legal team. We appreciate your understanding and apologize to anyone who has been fraudulently contacted!”
The FEED Foundation is a real organization whose reputation has been severely damaged by the scammers.
While many people think that the innumerable spam calls are coming from a company called the FEED Foundation posing as a non-profit, there is real FEED Foundation suffering. In fact, it is a relatively small organization according to Charity Watch, one of the most reliable websites to check the authenticity and validity of charitable organizations.
Between 2018 and 2022, The FEED Foundation raised just $373,409. Minus expenses, those funds were claimed to the IRS and used for charitable purposes, as shared openly by the organization.
On their website, they explain, “We fund programs that build a sustainable and equitable food system for all. We believe access to nutritious food is a human right and that everyone should be well-fed regardless of the circumstances they were born into.”
Past grantees have included the International Rescue Committee, MEANS Database, the Rethink network, Mary’s Meals, and more. Despite their proven charitable donations and 501(c)(3) status with the tax identification number, EIN 41-2271492, angry scam targets have taken to public forums to complain about the charity itself.
While some people have tried to protect the FEED Foundation’s image on these forums, the overwhelming amount of 1-star reviews and complaints have tanked the organization’s reputation.
They told Charity Watch: "The FEED Foundation's legal team, specifically their cyber security team, has advised that anyone impacted block the calls and report the issue to the relevant authorities via ic3.gov.
“The Foundation has also spoken with phone companies, legal authorities, and legal experts to ensure we are exploring all possible avenues to combat these scam callers. Unfortunately, this is a rampant issue impacting many organizations, and our legal team's cybersecurity experts have advised we are doing absolutely everything possible to combat the issue."
So the truth is simple — scammers are pretending to be the FEED Foundation to take advantage of unwitting potential victims.
And now, the real organization is suffering. One user suggested answering the phone, “Police Department, how can I help you?” to dissuade them from calling. But blocking the number likely won’t help.
Another solution is to download a Robo Call intervention app to your smartphone. Regardless, remember to separate the charity from the scam artist, and perhaps consider donating to the real organization.
