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Alert 2011-1
Subject: Fraudulent Regulatory Agency Issuance
Date: March 16, 2011
Description: Fraudulent Correspondence Attributed to Officials of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Fraudulent Regulatory Agency Issuance: Fraudulent Correspondence Attributed to Officials of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsel; and All Examining Personnel

Re: Fraudulent Correspondence Regarding the Release of Funds Supposedly under the Control of the Comptroller of the Currency

A fictitious Alert, allegedly issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) regarding funds purportedly under the control of the OCC and other government entities, is in circulation. The fictitious Alert and related correspondence may be distributed via e-mail, fax, or postal mail.

Any document claiming that the OCC is involved in holding any funds for the benefit of any individual or entity is fraudulent. The OCC does not participate in the transfer of funds for, or on behalf of, individuals, business enterprises, or governmental entities.

The Alert may indicate that funds are being held by the Comptroller of the Currency because of the need for a “Non-Resident Cooperate and Individual Tax (NRICT)” document.

Attached is a copy of this fraudulent Alert, which is being sent to U.S. bank customers in an attempt to elicit funds from them and to gather personal information to be used in possible future identification theft.

The correspondence in question contains a forged signature of an actual OCC official. In addition, the material contains a fictitious name and telephone number that is not associated with the OCC.

Before responding in any manner to any proposal supposedly issued by the OCC that requests personal information or personal account information or that requires the payment of any fee in connection with the proposal, you should verify that the proposal is legitimate. At a minimum, the OCC recommends that you

  • Contact the OCC directly to verify the legitimacy of the proposal, either (1) via e-mail at occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov; (2) by mail to the OCC’s Special Supervision Division, 250 E Street, SW; Mail Stop 7-4, Washington, DC 20219; (3) via fax to (202) 874-5214; or (4) by calling the Special Supervision Division at (202) 874-4450;
  • Contact state and/or local law enforcement;
  • If the proposal appears to be fraudulent and was received via e-mail or the Internet, please file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov; or
  • If the proposal appears to be fraudulent and was delivered through the U.S. Postal Service, please file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by telephone at 1-888-877-7644; by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100; or via e-mail at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx

Any information regarding the subject of this or any other alert that you wish to bring to the attention of the OCC may be sent to occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov.

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance

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