The Attorney General's Office says it's received questions recently from business owners regarding a particular fax. The fax claims to be from the United States Department of Transportation... and asks the recipient to fill out a "financial information release form." The form is needed, the fax says, for the business to retain eligibility for procurements with the DOT. The bogus faxes are typically targeted at construction and construction supply businesses. The form asks businesses for their bank account number and the signatures of the authorized signing officers-- allowing the faxer access to the accounts. According to the Attorney General's Office, the faxes have some similarities. The most recent fake faxes discovered are dated July 11, 2007 and is signed by a "Senior Procurement Officer" George Mason. The number business owners are asked to fax their information to has a 202 area code-- which is a legitimate Washington, D.C. area code...but is actually an e-fax number-- allowing the fax to be converted to an e-mail which can then be opened from anywhere in the world. If you think you've received one of these bogus faxes you can contact the Attorney General's Office at 501-682-2341 or 1-800-482-8982.
