Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Special Notice: Fraud Alert
Companies, shippers, contractors, and potential DOT contractors are receiving fraudulent letters, or facsimile letters (often signed by an individual claiming to be a senior DOT procurement official), purporting to be issued by DOT, requesting the recipient to perform some type of action involving the submission of business sensitive financial information. The most recent fraudulent facsimile letter we are aware of is dated May 16, 2013 and is signed "Julie Weynel, Senior Procurement Officer."
Please be advised that all of these types of letters are fraudulent. DO NOT release any information to the facsimile numbers cited in these letters. Also do not provide any data to any website links that may be referenced in these letters.
Please contact the Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General Hotline at email: hotline@oig.dot.gov or 1-800-424-9071 if you receive one of these letters or facsimile letters.
The following is a list of some of the previous letter scams:
Central Contractor Registration System (CCR): These fraudulent letters request current or potential contractors to register in the DoD Central Contractor Registration System (CCR). Please be aware that DOT does not require any confidential information to be submitted to verify CCR registration and that all companies should verify personally that they are sending information to an authorized DOT official before submitting confidential company information.
These letters have been dated December 19th, 2005 signed by "Frank M. Orell", February 8, 2006 signed by "Randy Cohen", and April 27, 2006 signed by "Dan Jacobs, Senior Procurement Officer". Please DO NOT complete the requested CCR worksheet that is attached to the letter and DO NOT release any information to the facsimile number cited in the letter.
Financial Information Release Form: These fraudulent letters request the current or prospective contractor to fill out a form containing the company's banking information and fax it to a number provided in the letter. These letters were dated November 8, 2006 signed by "Lisa Johnson, Senior Procurement Officer," July 12, 2007 signed by "George Mason, Senior Procurement Officer," February 7, 2008 signed by "Bradley K. Walsh, Senior Procurement Officer" and May 16, 2013, signed by "Julie Weynel, Senior Procurement Officer."
For additional information on (and examples of) fraudulent letters, please visit http://www.dot.gov/assistant-secretary-administration/procurement/fradulent-letter-warning