Fictitious Regulatory Agency Issuances: Fictitious Financial Programs Attributed To the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has received copies of numerous fictitious documents by facsimile and email that contain proposals involving claims to certain international payments reportedly held by the OCC. The names and signatures on these documents are not those of real OCC officials. Furthermore, the format of the documents and email addresses are not used by the OCC.

The OCC does not have, nor has it ever had, any involvement in the transfer of funds, nationally or internationally, for persons, nor does it maintain any type of deposit account for, or in the name of any person(s). If you receive any communication sent via email, fax or regular mail, stating that:

• The OCC or an official of the OCC is requesting assistance in the transfer of funds, or that
• The OCC is holding, or has placed a hold on, funds for the benefit of a person or for a person's account;

Do not respond to the communication; it is a fraudulent item.

Attached are two samples (forwarded to this office) of email messages containing fictitious proposals and other content including phone numbers. Please see similar information contained in Alert 2001-5 and attachments.

The OCC strongly recommends that prior to responding to this or a similar type of proposal, you exercise extreme caution to ensure that the proposal presented to you is legitimate. At a minimum, the OCC recommends that you:

• Obtain direct verification of the facts presented to you by contacting your financial institution; or
• Contact the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Any information that you may have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Brian C. McCormally
Director for Enforcement & Compliance

Related Links

• Sample A (PDF)
• Sample B (PDF)