Press Release No. <a name="P16_75"></a>04/54

In view of inquiries to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the website www.imfdebt.com, the IMF advised today the public of the following:

The IMF is in no way associated with, nor has any information regarding the entity purporting to do business on the website www.imfdebt.com, nor is there an office or department at the IMF known as the "Debt Servicing Office."

For purposes of clarification, the IMF is an inter-governmental organization whose transactions and operations are carried out directly with its member countries. The IMF does not authorize, verify or monitor contract payments between third parties, nor does it endorse the activities of any bank, financial institution, or other public or private agency.

The IMF name has been invoked in a number of fraudulent transactions in the past. The IMF has sought to warn the public about the unauthorized use of the name of the IMF in connection with illegal financial schemes (see Press Release No. 96/14).