CONSUMER SAFETY TIP

Special Advisory: CONSUMER SAFETY TIP OCC LETTER SCAM
 

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that fraudulent letters are in circulation, claiming to be from the OCC, and are being sent to Bank customers in an attempt to elicit funds.

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

The fraudulent correspondence contains forged signatures of actual OCC officials and fictitious telephone numbers that are 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, consumers should take steps to verify that the proposal is legitimate.
Consumers receiving the fraudulent correspondence may file complaints with the following agencies:

  • Contact the OCC directly to verify the legitimacy of the proposal via e-mail at occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov; by mail to the OCC's Special Supervision Division, 250 E Street, SW, Mail Stop 6-4, Washington, DC 20219; via fax to (202) 874-5214; or 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, consumers may file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov.

  • If the proposal appears to be fraudulent and was received via the U.S. Postal Service, consumers may file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Service at (888) 877-7644; or by mail to U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6100.
     

This consumer safety tip advisory is presented by Dixon Foster, Security Officer at Bank of Lancaster.