Fraudulent communications

It has come to our attention that letters and emails purportedly from Federal Reserve Bank officials requesting money are being directed to individuals inside and outside the United States. The Dallas Fed does not have any involvement in these communications and advises recipients not to respond. If you are in receipt of a letter or email you believe is fraudulent, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Fraudulent emails and phishing

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas periodically receives reports of fraudulent email messages that appear to come from Dallas Fed officials. The Dallas Fed takes these fraudulent emails very seriously. These messages often attempt to entice the recipient to reveal personal information. Information gathered from these responses can then be used to commit fraud or theft.

Identifying fraudulent emails

The Dallas Fed does not send out emails asking for personal information from consumers. Consumers should review emails for common signs of fraud such as generic greetings that do not identify the individual by name, email addresses that look suspicious, incorrect grammar or spelling or unfamiliar links to websites. Users should not click any links or respond to any emails unless they have verified the authenticity of the sender.

What to do

If you have received a suspicious email purporting to be from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or its staff, under no circumstances should you reply. Instead, please contact the Dallas Fed.