Fictitious Notification Regarding the Release of Funds Supposedly Under the Control of the OCC
July 13, 2018 / Source: OCC
Alert 2018-9
Subject: Fictitious Regulatory Agency Notification
Date: July 12, 2018
Description: Fictitious Notification Attributed to Officials of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Fictitious Notification Regarding the Release of Funds Supposedly Under the Control of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations; All State Banking Authorities; Chair, 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 Counsels; and All Examining Personnel
Consumers have reported receiving fictitious e-mail messages, allegedly initiated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), regarding funds purportedly under the control of the OCC.
Any communication 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.
Consumers have reported receiving email messages from the following email addresses, which are not associated with the OCC: [[email protected]] and [[email protected]]. The communication may include a fictitious “Letter of Authorization” with a signature name of “Anhar Tonny Coptalen, Comptroller General Of The Currency.” The perpetrators may request, among other data, bank account information, including bank statements, with the purported purpose of making a large dollar deposit into the potential victim’s account.
Before responding in any manner to any proposal supposedly issued by the OCC that requests personal account information, or that requires the payment of any fee in connection with the proposal, the OCC recommends that consumers file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate: