|
I have received notification from the
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to be alert to ongoing
financial scams that attempt to solicit funds from unsuspecting victims.
In some of these scams, individuals
misrepresent themselves as FinCEN officials and try to trick victims into
revealing confidential information. These scams may involve the fraudulent
use of FinCEN’s seal in a letter or email that claims to be an official
correspondence. These scams often involve the enticement of a phony
inheritance or sum of money, and claim that FinCEN is holding or blocking
the transfer of funds. Do not respond to such messages, provide
confidential information or send money. Instead, report this information to
local, state, or federal law enforcement authorities.
FinCEN does not send unsolicited requests and
does not seek personal or financial information from members of the public.
FinCEN does not have authority to freeze assets or block funds transfers.
In addition, these fraudulent letters or emails may purport to be from an
overseas office of FinCEN. FinCEN does not have any offices outside of the
United States. As part of its mission to deter and detect criminal
activity, FinCEN devotes significant resources to the discovery and
prevention of fraud. |
