Friends of Bolivia, Inc (FOB), headquartered in San Jose, California, would like to inform everyone to beware of a group of heartless and dishonest people swindling individuals out of their hard earned money in Bolivia.

These people in Cochabamba and La Paz use the names, logos and initials of FOB and the Bolivian-American Chamber of Commerce (BACC) in the advertising to collect money supposedly for scholarships.  While there are other organizations with the same name in the world, these individuals claim to be relatives of members of the organizations in the San Jose area.

FOB was created to help Bolivia.  It sends money to Bolivia.  It never asks for money from Bolivia, Its members pay any out of pocket expenses.

FOB sends money only to established non-profit institutions in Bolivia, and regularly monitors how the funds are used.  It does not interact with or send money directly to individuals.

FOB has no business connection or affiliation with BACC. It is not a member of BACC,.  Any claims of a joint business arrangement is not true.  Personal connections exist  only where an individual is a member of both organizations.

FOB takes a serious view of this situation.  If you are a victim, it asks that you report this to the appropriate authorities, so that these dishonest people can be brought to justice.