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Alert 2008-22 | May 22, 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 an incorrect routing number of 122238420 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with on-line purchase overpayment scams as well as a variety of up-front payment scams.
The counterfeit checks bear little resemblance to the authentic items and may be identified by the following: the instruments are of unknown color, contain the words "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the lower-left corner of the item, and include the following security statement in the top border: "FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER." The words "AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE" are beneath a single signature line in the lower-right corner of the check, and the check is signed by "Melissa Haskin." The bottom border includes two padlock icons and the following statement: "SECURITY FEATURES INCLUDED. DETAILS ON BACK."
Items presented to date have included the name of "Jennifer Smith" as the remitter. Additionally, the checks contain a fictitious bank telephone number of (866) 471-8240 and a fictitious bank fax number of (866) 572-2033. These numbers are not associated with Rabobank, N.A., but rather with the fraudster.
Due to possible variations in the appearance of the bank's official items and differing scams associated with the counterfeit or fictitious items, officials of Rabobank, N.A., recommend that any recipient who receives any of the bank's official items from an unknown or questionable source should contact the bank to verify the item's authenticity.
For additional information and guidance, please contact either Ebony Strange, Fraud Investigations Officer, Security Department, 3800 Concours Street, Suite 350, Ontario, CA 91764, by telephone at (909) 758-4753, by fax at (909) 483-4890, or via email at [Ebony.Strange@Rabobank.com] or Jon Machado, Vice President, Operational Risk/Security & Fraud, P.O. Box 6002, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421, by telephone at (805) 801-2955, or via email at [Jon.Machado@Rabobank.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
