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Alert 2008-8 | February 7, 2008
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Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Director, Office of Thrift Supervision; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsel; and All Examining Personnel
The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier's checks issued in the bank's name and using a correct routing number of 111303007 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with various up-front fee schemes, which include: mystery shopper payments, award winnings, and inheritance payments.
Counterfeit items may be identified by the following traits: checks may be green in color with a dark green border and white edge, but lack any background design. The bank's logo, name, and address appear in the upper-left corner of the instrument, and the following security statement is printed within the top border: "FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER." The checks appear to be computer generated, contain an 8-digit serial number in the upper-right corner, and contain the word "VOID" throughout when photocopied. The following statement is contained beneath the words "Cashier's Check:" "THE PURCHASE OF AN INDEMNITY BOND WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE ANY CASHIER'S CHECK OF THIS BANK WILL BE REPLACED OR REFUNDED IN THE EVENT IT'S LOST, MISPLACED, OR STOLEN."
Items presented to date have been made payable in the amount of $3,695, contain an incorrect account number of "985632157," and lack any underscoring. Due to possible variations in appearance of the bank's cashier's checks and scams, it is suggested that officials of First National Bank in Quanah be contacted to verify the authenticity of any of the bank's official items, if received from an unknown or questionable source.
The prize award winning notification correspondence accompanying some of the checks may contain the letterhead of "Winners Capital Trust Financial To Improve The Way People Live, P .O Box 9088, Wildword, NJ 08260-9088, Telephone 1-905-920-1703" and contain the typos as underlined above. Note that the telephone number provided originates out of Hamilton, Ontario. The recipient is informed of his or her winning status of a large dollar amount and is instructed to deposit the enclosed check into his or her bank account immediately to assist with the local taxes and administrative fees. Once the fees are paid, the full winning amount will be released. The recipient is further instructed to contact claim agent Robert Elliot by a specific date or the prize will be forfeited.
The mystery shopper correspondence may contain the letterhead of "Maximum Paid Surveys Inc, www.maximumpaidsurveys.com, 5700 Will Clayton, Humble TX 77338, Tel: 1-905-921-0971, Fax: 1-866-544-7540." The correspondence informs the recipient that he or she has been selected to be a secret shopper for the company. It explains that the enclosed check is to be used to purchase merchandise at various nationally known merchants as well as to transfer money using a nationally known wire service. The funds to be spent at each location are broken down by a specific dollar amount, with the shopper being allotted the remaining funds as payment for his or her mystery shopper service.
The recipient is instructed to fax a completed acceptance form to 1-866-544-7540 before depositing the check. As noted in the letter, he or she will then be instructed as to who and where to wire transfer funds ("Paricia Allman, Fontana, CA; Carla Scott, Sanata Anna, CA; and Faith Synder, Santa Monica, CA"). Once the recipient has completed the shopping assignment, he or she is to contact the Accounts Manager immediately with the wire transfer control/reference number as well as for details on completing remittance forms. Note that this telephone number also originates out of Hamilton, Ontario.
For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of First National Bank in Quanah's cashier's checks, please contact Yvonne Browder or Kenneth L. Horton, 120 W Third Street, P.O. Box 450, Quanah, TX 79252, by telephone at (940) 663-5311, by fax at (940) 663-6481 or via email at [ybrowder@fnbq.com] or [khorton@fnbq.com].
Consumers who receive counterfeit or fictitious items and associated material should file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate:
Additional information concerning this matter that should be brought to the attention of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) may be forwarded to
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Special Supervision Division 400 7th St. SW, Suite 3E-218; MS 8E-12 Washington, DC 20219 Phone: (202) 649-6450 Fax: (571) 293-4925 www.occ.gov occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov
For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC's anti-fraud resources page.
Richard C. Stearns Director for Enforcement & Compliance
