Frequently Asked Questions

I received a letter that purports to be from the U.S.  Department of Transportation’s Procurement Office. It says that I am registered as a prospective contractor for procurements issued by the U.S.  Department of Transportation and requests that I sign a release for my company’s financial information and fax it back to 202-280-1353. The letter is signed by Jennifer Donaldson. I would like more information.

This is a fraudulent request and you should not respond. DOT procurement representatives will only request financial information in reference to specific contracts awarded. DOT does not request financial information from prospective contractors wishing to submit a bid, proposal or quote.

If you have questions about a DOT request regarding procurement, please contact the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive at (202) 366–4263 or the office of procurement for any of the individual DOT operating administrations. If you would like to report a fraudulent request for information to DOT, please contact the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline here, or by calling (800) 424–9071. The OIG may also provide your information to the U.S. Secret Service office in DC.

If you have already responded to such a request, please notify your financial institution immediately and contact the OIG Hotline. We also encourage you to contact your local law enforcement agency and your regional U.S. Secret Service office. Because these types of identity theft scams are often conducted from outside the United States of America, it may be extremely difficult to identify and prosecute the perpetrators. If you think you have been a victim of identity theft, you may want to review the Secret Service’s tips for victims of fraud located at the bottom of this page. (Revised: August 12, 2009)