Frauds, Phonies, and Scams
The Bureau of the Public Debt and the rest of the United States Department of the Treasury (collectively, "we" or "us") are aware of a number of fraudulent schemes (we like to call them "scams") that involve what are claimed to be securities issued or backed by us or any other part of the United States Government. These scams have been directed at banks, charities, companies, and even individuals, by individuals or organizations seeking payment on the fraudulent securities. These pages will alert you to these scams and help you protect yourself from being taken in. If you want to search for a particular term or scam, you can use our site's search engine by clicking on the find button on the left bar. However, we recommend that you look at all of these pages in order, particularly the first page, "How Marketable Treasury Securities Really Work." The better you understand our securities, the less likely it is that you'll be taken in.
Recent Court Cases of Interest
1934 Federal Reserve Note - Marques v. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (file size 43K, uploaded 10/22/02) - "The suit is preposterous." - Judge Posner
How Marketable Treasury Securities Really Work
- How Marketable Treasury Securities are Sold
- The Forms in which Marketable Treasury Securities Exist
- How Marketable Book-Entry Treasury Securities are Held
Scams Involving Treasury Securities
- Scams Involving the Renting or Leasing of Treasury Securities
- Scams Involving the Blocking of Assigned Treasury Securities
Examples of Known Phony Securities
- "Limited Edition" Treasury Securities
- U.S. Treasury Bills - One Year "Fresh Cut"
- U.S. Dollar Bonds
- "Federal Notes" and "Tiger Zebra" Bonds
- "De-facto" Treasury Securities
- Philippine Victory Notes
- Types of Historical Bonds Used for Fraud
- Lies Used to Perpetrate Historical Bond Fraud
- True Values of Historical Bonds
- How Scam Artists Use Bogus Third-Party Valuations to Trick Investors
- Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad Co. Bonds
- Who to Contact
How To Protect Yourself From Investment Scams
Other Fraud Web Sites of Interest
We're also aware of a practice among some businesses to make their solicitations look like mailings from us. The following page explains why these mailings are illegal.
Prohibition Against Misuse of Treasury Names, Terms, Symbols, Stationery, etc.
Bogus Sight Drafts (aka Bills of Exchange, Trade Acceptances and Time Drafts) Drawn on the Treasury
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