The US Embassy Tirana has seen multiple instances of unknown individuals who falsely claim to be contracting officials from the Embassy seeking solar panels or solar generators. Using generic Department seals and emblems on forged documents and often including the name of an actual Department employee, these scammers send a request for quotation (RFQ) to vendors in the hopes that the vendor will send payment to acquire the requested products. When the vendor conducts an Internet search for the specific parts requested, they are directed to websites owned by the scammers.
Only the Procurement Section is authorized to place orders for goods and services on behalf of the U.S. Embassy. All emails from Procurement Staff at the American Embassy will end with the “@state.gov” email extension. If you receive an email from an address that does not end with “@state.gov,” you should consider it fraudulent. All orders from other persons are considered unauthorized and private, and the Embassy accepts no responsibility for paying those orders. The Embassy is required to provide vendors with a copy of a Purchase Order Form OF-347 or contract signed by a Contracting Officer for all orders. The Purchase Order/Contract is the “contract’ and official ordering document, and vendors should not attempt to deliver goods and services prior to receiving one of these documents. The Government has no obligation to receive or pay for any goods or services without a valid contract.