Scam Alert! – Fake Michael Bloomberg $5 Million Donation Email

Reviewed by ScamReporting.org Editorial Team · Editorial standards

Reported July 2026 — A reader received an unsolicited email signed “M Bloomberg” that claimed to be from Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P., offering a secret $5 million gift to randomly selected individuals worldwide.

Quick answer

That message is a scam. You were not chosen for a Bloomberg donation, and replying only confirms your address is active for the next stage of the fraud. Delete it. Do not reply, wire money, buy gift cards, or send ID documents. Paste the text into our Scamil Email Checker and read the full lottery and inheritance scam warning signs — this script uses the same “giving while living” pitch as fake Warren Buffett and Mackenzie Scott emails.

What the email said (full sample)

Dear Friend,

Hi, My name is Michael R. Bloomberg; a philanthropist. And founder of Bloomberg L.P, Industries, one of the largest private foundations in the world. I believe strongly in ‘giving while living’. I had one idea that never changed in my mind, that you should use your wealth to help people and I have decided to secretly give USD $5,000,000.00 Million dollars to randomly selected individuals worldwide.

I want to use my wealth to help and support selected individuals who will help people around them. On receipt of this email, you should count yourself as the lucky individual. Your email address was selected online while searching at random. Kindly get back to me at your earliest convenience, so that I will know your email address is valid.

Best Regards
M Bloomberg

Notice what is missing: there is no official Bloomberg domain, no verifiable grant program, and no legitimate way to claim the money. The signature is only an initial (“M Bloomberg”), which is typical when scammers rotate billionaire names through the same template.

How this scam works

1. Trust hijack. The writer name-drops a real public figure — Michael R. Bloomberg — and his company Bloomberg L.P. to sound credible on a quick skim. Impersonation of famous philanthropists is a long-running advance-fee pattern.
2. “Giving while living” script. The phrase and the story about using wealth to help people mirror spam campaigns that also impersonate Warren Buffett, Mackenzie Scott, and other donors. Same structure, different celebrity name.
3. Random selection fiction. Lines like “your email address was selected online while searching at random” and “count yourself as the lucky individual” create false urgency without any proof you entered a draw or applied for aid.
4. Reply-to-validate trap. Asking you to reply “so I will know your email address is valid” is a low-friction hook. Once you answer, scammers know the inbox is monitored and often escalate with a Gmail or Yahoo contact, fake transfer documents, and fee demands.
5. Advance fee / data harvest. Typical next steps include “processing fees,” “anti-terrorism clearance,” courier costs, or requests for passport scans and bank details before any funds move. There is no $5 million waiting.
6. Recovery room follow-on. Victims who pay once may later hear from fake lawyers or investigators promising to recover the money — for another fee. See our recovery room scam guide.

Red Flags

• Unsolicited email claiming a famous billionaire chose you for a multi-million-dollar secret gift
• Uses the “giving while living” philanthropy pitch with no link to an official foundation process
• Claims your address was “selected online at random” — you never applied or entered anything
• Asks you to reply only to prove your email is “valid” (classic lead-generation for follow-up fraud)
• Vague signature (“M Bloomberg”) with no verifiable Bloomberg corporate or foundation contact channel
• Round, enormous amount ($5,000,000) offered with zero paperwork, identity check, or legitimate grant criteria

What to do

• Do not reply — even a short answer tells scammers your inbox is active.
• Do not pay taxes, courier fees, “insurance,” crypto, or gift cards to release a donation that does not exist.
• Mark as phishing / junk in your mail client and block the sender.
• Scan the text with Scamil (email-focused) or Scam Checker if you also received SMS versions.
• Report it: in the U.S., file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; also use our Report a Scam page. If you are outside the U.S., report to your national consumer-fraud agency.
• If you already shared ID or paid: contact your bank, freeze affected cards, and review steps on Get Help. No one can guarantee recovery of money sent to scammers.

Why the Bloomberg impersonation is a tell

Michael R. Bloomberg is a real philanthropist with established charitable programs — but those operate through documented foundations and grant processes, not secret $5 million emails to strangers. A legitimate organisation does not ask random inboxes to reply to prove an address before explaining how funds would be transferred, taxed, or verified.

This sample closely matches other “Dear Friend” donation scams that swap in different billionaire names while keeping the same paragraphs about helping people and random online selection. If you search our site for the Warren Buffett version, you will see the same script with a smaller dollar figure — evidence of a template, not a real bequest.

Reminder: ScamReporting.org is an independent awareness platform — not law enforcement, not Bloomberg Philanthropies, and not a claims agency. This guide is educational only and is not legal or financial advice. If you lost money or shared sensitive data, see recovery steps and consult professionals as needed. Editorial standards: Editorial Policy.