Treasury, State Departments Offer Rewards for Information Related to Terrorist Financing

Washington, DC, April 10, 2003 - The “Rewards for Justice” program jointly sponsored by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments offers up to $5 million for information about individuals or organizations that finance terrorism and that leads to an arrest or conviction or the dismantling of a terrorist-financing system.

If you have any such information:

• call the “Rewards for Justice” hotline at 1-866-867-8300, or
• send an anonymous email message.

Outside the U.S., contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. All responses are kept strictly confidential.

In the past seven years, the United States has paid more than $9.5 million to 23 individuals who provided credible information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of terrorism worldwide. Such information could be related to financiers, fundraisers, or donors who provide financial support to terrorists. Funding mechanisms that support terrorist activities include underground financial systems, illicit charities, unlicensed currency remitters, and counterfeit merchandisers; even crimes like check fraud, identity fraud, and credit card fraud can support terrorists. For tips on how to spot terrorist financing, please see “Stopping Terrorism Starts with Stopping the Money.”

According to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, the “Rewards for Justice” program “gives us millions of additional pairs of eyes and ears to be on the lookout. It puts potential informants in every place a terrorist might try to operate or to hide.”