Prohibition Against Misuse of Treasury Names, Terms, Symbols, Stationery, etc.
Section 333 of title 31 of the United States Code prohibits the misuse of, among other things, names, terms, symbols, stationery, and colorable imitations thereof, of the Department of the Treasury in connection with business activities in a manner which could be reasonably construed as falsely implying that such activities are in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by, or associated with, the Department of the Treasury.
Despite this legal prohibition, many businesses have been mailing solicitations that are deliberately crafted to look like Treasury mailings. A typical mailing (94K JPG file, uploaded 1/29/98) will have a phrase such as "Buy and Hold U.S. Savings Bonds" printed on the front of a brown-stock envelope along with an advisory that mail tampering is illegal. The stuffer, partly visible through the front window, will appear to be an U.S. Treasury check by virtue of the phrase such as "to the order of [addressee]" and a graphic such as the Statue of Liberty (or an imitation) or a bald eagle.
These mailers invariably contain disclaimers stating that the businesses are neither government agencies nor affiliated with any government agencies. However, section 333 provides that the use of any disclaimer(s) is legally irrelevant to the determination of whether the statute has been violated.
We believe that such mailings are illegal under section 333. With the public's help, we have contacted several businesses that have been sending out such mailings to tell them about section 333 and request that they stop sending such mailings. To date, we have been quite successful. However, our continued success depends on your help. If you receive such a mailing, please send it to us at the following address:
Bureau of the Public Debt
999 E St., NW, Room 501
Washington, DC 20239-0001
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