The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency yesterday issued an alert about fraudulent letters — distributed via email, fax, or postal mail — involving funds purportedly under the control of the OCC and other government entities.
“The letters may indicate that funds are being held by the Halifax Bank, London, England, and that the recipient will be required to pay a mandatory express service charge to have the funds released,” the OCC said. The letters are “being sent to consumers in an attempt to elicit funds from them and to gather personal information to be used in possible future identification theft.”
The letters also contain forged signatures of former OCC officials and a fictitious email address. The agency emphasized that any document claiming that the OCC is involved in holding any funds for the benefit of an individual or entity is fraudulent. “The [agency] does not participate in the transfer of funds for, or on behalf of, individuals, business enterprises or governmental entities,” the OCC said.
View an example of the fraudulent letters