Message from the Director – Imposter Scams

The OCC wants consumers to be aware of an OCC Imposter Scam. Scammers claim to be or appear to be senior officials from the OCC and contact consumers about the release of funds purportedly held, for the consumer, by the agency. Victims are contacted via email, U.S. Postal Service, and various social media platforms such as Google Chat, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. Victims are asked to provide the scammer with personal information such as name, address, and telephone number. Subsequently, follow-up correspondence request more specific information, which may include Social Security number, bank account details, and copies of driver’s licenses, or passports. Scam correspondence may include official looking seals and the names of other governmental agencies who are purportedly involved in the fake transaction.

These scams not only involve the theft of victim funds, but also their identities. There are several known variations of this scam:

• The Unclaimed Assets Scam: Victims are initially contacted via email about unclaimed cash and benefits being held on their behalf by the OCC, that the victim is allegedly entitled to. The correspondence further states that final payment will be made to the victim via Bitcoin. Email addresses used in this scam include:
  • [Citibankcentral.usa@gmail.com]
  • occfile.details@hotmail.com
• The Currency Conversion Fee Scam: Following the initial contact by the scammers, victims receive letters with the subject line of “Request for Currency Conversion Settlement”, which include an embedded image of the victim’s passport as well as reference to their Social Security number. The victim is instructed to pay a currency conversion fee of $5,500 to facilitate the transmission of currency conversion to the victim’s bank account. A telephone number of (202) 978-7477, which is not affiliated with the OCC , is used to conduct this fraud.
• Victim Compensation Payment Scam: Victims of previous financial scams are contacted via telephone and email by individuals identifying themselves as employees of the non-existent Financial Crimes Division of the OCC. The Victim is notified of a compensation check issued for a large sum for money lost in previous scams. The victims of this scam are informed that they must pay $1,500 in legal and/or attorney fees prior to receiving the compensation. Once the fee is paid, victims are instructed to visit an OCC Office to retrieve a large dollar compensation check. Non-OCC-affiliated contact information used in this scam includes fictitious OCC Employees . Non-OCC-affiliated contacts and scammer contact information being used in this fraud includes, but is not limited to:
  • Loretta Shepard (fictitious OCC employee)
  • Ray Parker (fictitious OCC employee)
  • David Bradley (authorized agent) (fictitious)
  • [Deptoftreasury@usa.com] / (202) 968-0104
  • [pugha2410@gmail.com]
  • [Frank.Anselmo@outlook.com]
  • [Info.federalreservebank101@gmail.com] / (203) 516-7051
  • [militarybase.military72base11@gmail.com]
  • [danibaker123@gmail.com]
  • Kimberly A Jabal (via Google Chat, purports to be associated with an overnight delivery service)
  • Richard A Varn (via Google Chat, purports to be associated with a financial institution)

Consumers who are recipients of such correspondence should not respond in any manner to a proposal purportedly issued by the OCC that requests personal identifiable information, requires the payment of any fee in connection with a proposal, or suggests the OCC is a participant in the transfer of funds for or on behalf of others. Consumers who have provided personal information to a scammer should immediately contact their financial institution to take steps to safeguard their assets. Scammers may be able to use this information to engage in identity theft or make unauthorized withdrawals of consumer funds. Consumers who have been victimized or targeted in an upfront fee scam should file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at (877) FTC-HELP or, for filing complaints electronically, via the FTC’s website pages of ReportFraud.ftc.gov or initiate a recovery plan by following the instructions at IdentityTheft.gov.
• Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): If fraud was initiated via the internet, file a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by visiting the IC3 fraud website www.ic3.gov.
• U.S. Postal Service (USPS): If correspondence is received via the U.S. Postal Service, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by telephone at (888) 877-7644; by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, Operations Support Group, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100; or via the online complaint form.
• U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General (OIG): by telephone at (800) 359-‑3898 or by visiting the OIG website oig.hhs.gov.
• National Consumers League (NCL): by telephone at (202) 835-3323 or by visiting the NCL fraud website.

For more information, please refer to OCC Alert 2024-1, “Fictitious Regulatory Notifications: Fictitious Notification Regarding the Release of Funds Supposedly Under the Control of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency”.

Additional information concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and may be forwarded to OCCAlertResponses@occ.treas.gov.