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Alert 2008-13 | 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 counterfeit cashier's checks issued in the bank's name and using a correct routing number of 114902227 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a money transfer agent scam.
Counterfeit items may bear no resemblance to the authentic checks and may be identified by the following traits: checks contain a dark blue border and a 7-digit serial number in both the upper-right corner and center-right area of the check. The bank's name and address of "301 Grand Avenue, Yoakum, TX" appear in the upper-left corner of the instrument followed by a nonbank telephone number of 1-866-228-7063. The following security statement is printed within the top border: "THIS CHECK IS VOID WITHOUT A COLORED BORDER AND BACKGROUND PLUS A KNIGHT AND FINGERPRINT WATERMARK ON THE BACK. HOLD AT ANGLE TO VIEW." The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are located in the top center portion of the check followed by an abbreviated routing number of 88-2227/1149. The words "YOAKUM NATIONAL BANK" are typed above the signature area in the bottom-right portion of the item, with the words "AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE" appearing beneath the signature area.
Items presented to date have been made payable in the amount of $2,666, contain a check serial number of "2997772," lack any underscoring and logos, and are dated 01/28/08. Due to possible variations in appearance of the bank's cashier's checks and scams, it is suggested that officials of Yoakum National Bank be contacted to verify the authenticity of any of the bank's official items, if received from an unknown or questionable source.
Correspondence related to this scam has been received by potential victims via email in response to a resume he or she has posted on-line. The scam artist solicits the innocent consumer for a job as a "Payment Officer/Book Keeper" for a major company. The purported job is to collect payments from numerous customers, process the payments by depositing the funds into the "employee's" personal bank account, and then wire 90 percent of the deposited amount immediately to a third party. Victims are instructed to retain 10 percent of the amount as payment. The payments sent to the potential victims are actually counterfeit cashier's checks, which will eventually be returned as uncollected. Thus, the “employee” will lose the money that he or she has wired out.
For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of Yoakum National Bank's cashier's checks, please contact Judy Grubert, AVP/Security Officer, 301 W. Grand, Yoakum, TX 77995, by telephone at 361-293-5225, by fax at 361-293-7322, or via email at [jgrubert@yoakumnationalbank.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
