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Alert 2008-12 | February 20, 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 fictitious official checks issued in the bank's name and using the bank's correct routing number of 111901629 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a lottery scam.
These items are fictitious, as Citizens National Bank of Texas does not issue official checks. Checks presented to date have been pink in color, made payable in the amounts of $3,875 and $3,950, contain an incorrect account number of "985721367," include an abbreviated routing number of "70-1629/119," and may include a remitter name of "CSS." Due to possible variations in appearance of the bank's official items and scams, it is suggested that officials of the Citizens National Bank of Texas be contacted to verify authenticity of any of the bank's official items, if received from an unknown or questionable source.
The prize award winning notification correspondence accompanying 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 1-905-920-1843" 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 applicable taxes and release fees. Once the fees are paid, the full winning amount will be released. The recipient is further instructed to call by a specific date or the prize will be forfeited. The letter may be signed by Edwin Brown, Vice President - Reward Programs.
For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of the Citizens National Bank of Texas's official items, please contact Kerri Araujo, Vice President/BSA Officer, P.O. Box 717, Waxahachie, TX 75168, by telephone at (877) 938-4300, by fax at (972) 938-4308, or via email at [karaujo@cnbwax.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
