The Department of Transportation is notifying carriers that a fraudulent letter requesting financial information is making the rounds. Similar to the letter that surfaced in April ,2010 the letter is again signed by Julie P. Wenzel, Senior Procurement Officer. A second page titled Authorization to release financial information , request your bank’s name and your organization’s operating account number along with the name and signature of those individuals who can sign bank documents.
The Department of Transportation wants companies to know that no financial information is required in order to be eligible for procurement.
The letter making the rounds states:
Dear Sirs,
Our records show that you are currently registered as a prospective contractor for procurement issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. However after reviewing your record we have noticed that you have not submitted your financial release form.
Your financial institution’s privacy policy may not allow it to release your financial information even to government institutions without your consent; therefore we must have such form on file before we can move on with any procurement decisions.
In September 2010, the procurement plan for the fourth quarter of 2010 will be finalized. To be eligible for procurement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, you must submit the abovementioned form to us by fax at 202-652-4310.
Please make sure your fax is preceded by a cover letter so we can correctly identify your company.
Sincerely yours,
Julie P. Wenzel
Senior Procurement Officer
The Department of Transportation is asking that if your organization receives a similar letter to the one above that you NOT send any information to the fax number provided and contact the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-424-9071. You can also go to the DOT website for more information about fraudulent letters at http://www.dot.gov/ost/m60/fraudulent_letters.htm