An official website of the United States government
Alert 2007-57 | October 9, 2007
Share This Page:
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 114917092 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a lottery scam.
While the counterfeit checks resemble the authentic items, they may be identified by the following: the checks contain the following statement within the top border: "THIS CHECK IS VOID WITHOUT A RED & BLUE BORDER AND BACKGROUND PLUS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT WATERMARK ON THE BACK — HOLD AT ANGLE TO VIEW." The bank's information noted in the upper-left hand corner of the instrument contains an incorrect zip code of 78665 and does not contain the bank’s telephone number of 830-825-3247. The following statement appears beneath the authorized signature line: "SIGNATURE AREA CONTAINS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT CHECK WORDING."
Items presented to date have been made payable in the amount of $4,600, contain a purchaser name of Milton McFadden, display an 8-digit serial number beginning with the series 3000, and are dated September 20, 2007. Due to possible variations in appearance of the counterfeit items, it is suggested that officials of Cattleman’s National Bank be contacted to verify authenticity of similar checks, if received from an unknown or questionable source.
Correspondence accompanying the counterfeit items may contain the letterhead of "Golden Lottery Gaming Corporation, 18 Lindberg Bay Suite 11, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802." The letter alerts the recipient that he or she is the winner of an unclaimed prize and instructs the recipient to contact claim agent Mr. Dan Baker at 1-519-992-0827 by a specific date, or the money will be forfeited. Note that this telephone number originates out of Windsor, Ontario. The letter further states that the enclosed check is to be used to "…pay for the applicable taxes on your winnings." The recipient is further instructed to deposit the check into their account and pay the tax amount using either MoneyGram or Western Union. The letter may be signed by Charles M. Genkins.
For additional information and guidance, please contact George W. Schuh, Executive Vice President & Controller/Cashier, PO Box 70, Round Mountain, TX 78663, by telephone at (830) 825-3247, or via email at [george@cattlemansnationalbank.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
