The email arrived completely out of the blue. And not surprisingly, more than a few savers ended up on edge when they spotted an unexpected subject line saying: “TreasuryDirect: Validating Your Account Information This Summer.”
Is it real? Or is it a scammer just trying to get your bank account information? Why would TreasuryDirect want you to validate your bank account information now? TreasuryDirect.gov is the online spot where you can buy Treasury securities and U.S. savings bonds, including inflation-indexed Series I Savings Bonds.
“With summer here,” the TreasuryDirect email begins, “we recommend taking a moment before the season gets busier to maintain good TreasuryDirect account hygiene by checking your bank account and contact information.”
TreasuryDirect account hygiene? Really?
The email goes on to say that by making sure your bank account information is accurate, you’ll ensure that future payments are “sent to your preferred bank account and that Treasury can get in touch with you if needed.”
Savers are wise to proceed cautiously when receiving any emails that claim to be from TreasuryDirect, banks or other financial firms. Crooks are increasingly impersonating government agencies, such as the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, and financial institutions. And risks remain of fraudulent websites that impersonate the real TreasuryDirect site as a way to hack into individual accounts and redirect redemptions to accounts controlled by crooks.
Another key point to remember: Treasury will never contact you out of the blue to ask you for your password by phone, text, or e-mail.
Is This Summertime ‘Hygiene’ Email for Real?
Oddly enough, savers, I’m told by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Fiscal Service media team that the email is indeed legitimate.
A spokesperson from Fiscal Service responded to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, saying that the needs of customers can change over time, as well as their bank accounts. “This email is a friendly reminder to ensure their information is current,” according to the statement.
“This outreach is not related to scams,” according to the Fiscal Service spokesperson.
“The purpose of the emails is to maintain good TreasuryDirect account hygiene by reminding customers to check their bank account and contact information. This ensures future payments are being sent to their preferred bank account and that Treasury can get in touch with customers if needed,” according to the statement provided to the Detroit Free Press.
The bottom of the email also includes a note saying you can validate the legitimacy of the email and read more about why you received it at treasurydirect.gov.
Other TreasuryDirect Emails Sent in the Past
This isn’t the first time that TreasuryDirect has sent emails to some savers.
TreasuryDirect sent out similar emails in late January to encourage savers to validate their banking account information.
In addition, Treasury sent out nearly 243,000 emails in 2024 to remind customers of their matured savings bonds, according to a report made by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service to Congress on March 11, 2025.
As a result of those emails, the report stated that more than 122,000 bond redemptions took place, totaling more than $94 million. Such outreach efforts were continuing to increase redemptions, according to the report to Congress.
The U.S. Treasury faces a long list of challenges when it comes to returning money into the right hands of consumers when it comes to unclaimed savings bonds. In some cases, savers fail to keep their contact information up to date, making the consumer difficult to locate. These emails might at some point solve one part of that puzzle, too.
In the latest email sent in late June, savers are told that they can check bank account information on file by logging into TreasuryDirect.gov. You should type TreasuryDirect.gov directly into your web browser to avoid going to any possible fraudulent site.
At the TreasuryDirect.gov site, you’d navigate to the Account Info tab. Once you’re at the Other Account Information section, you’d select “Bank Information.” Your primary bank account is the first account listed.
The email goes on to explain various scenarios. What do you do if you need to add a new bank account? You’d select the “Add” button, answer your security question, enter in your new account details, and select the “Submit” button to save the new bank account.
What do you do if you need to delete a non-primary bank account? You’d select the radio button to the left of the bank account that you wish to delete, click the “Delete” button and answer your security question. The bank account cannot be deleted if it has any verification holds.
How to Contact TreasuryDirect
Sure, you might almost wish it was a scam email so you could simply ignore it. But you shouldn’t, especially if Treasury seems concerned about a lack of accurate bank accounts or other information.
The email also recommends taking a moment to review your account contact information in the Account Info tab, including your email, phone and address. To update that information, you’d select the “Edit” button at the bottom of the screen.
Savers who encounter any issues while updating an account — or those who have forgotten their answers to their security questions — can call TreasuryDirect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday at 844-284-2676. The number is toll free.
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: [email protected]. Follow her on X @tompor.
