Fictitious Checks Drawn on Capitol National Bank, Lansing, Mich.

To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (Districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsels; and All Examining Personnel

The above-named bank has reported that fictitious business checks issued in the name of The Michigan Bulletin but drawn on an official bank account number and using a correct routing number of 072413450 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with an Internet modeling scam.

The fictitious checks may be identified by the following: Fictitious items contain a business account name of The Michigan Bulletin in the top-left corner of the check. Items presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $2,450 or $2,850 and contain a memo line of “VOID AFTER 90 DAYS.”

Recipients of the fictitious items are being contacted through Facebook with a request to use his or her photograph for advertisements in The Michigan Bulletin. The recipients are instructed to immediately deposit the check into their bank accounts and wire $400 to a third party using Western Union. Thus far, it would appear that the targeted victims are teenagers and young adults.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of checks drawn on Capitol National Bank, please contact Katie Bowen-Styka, Customer Service Manager, by mail at 200 Washington Square N., Lansing, MI 48933, by telephone at (517) 374-1358, or by e-mail at Katie.bowen-styka@capitolnational.com.

Consumers who receive a counterfeit or fictitious item and associated material should file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at (877) FTC-HELP or, for filing a complaint electronically, via the FTC’s Web site at www.ftc.gov.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (to report Canadian scams): by telephone at (888) 495-8501 or by e-mail at info@phonebusters.com. Its Web site, www.phonebusters.com, provides additional contact telephone numbers.
Better Business Bureau (BBB): The BBB system serves markets throughout Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United States and is the marketplace leader in advancing trust between businesses and consumers. The Web site www.bbb.org offers contact information for local BBBs, objective reports on more than 2 million businesses, consumer scam alerts, and tips on a wide variety of topics that help consumers find trustworthy businesses and make wise purchasing decisions.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (to report scams that may have originated via the Internet): Its Web site is www.ic3.gov.
If correspondence is received via the U.S. Postal Service, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by telephone at (888) 877-7644; by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, Operations Support Group, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100; or via the online complaint form at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx.

Additional information concerning this matter that should be brought to the attention of the OCC may be forwarded to

E-mail: occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov
Mail: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Special Supervision Division
400 7^th Street SW, Suite 3E-218; MS 8E-12
Washington, DC 20219
Fax: (202) 649-6450
Internet: www.occ.gov

For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC’s anti-fraud resource at www.occ.gov/topics/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/index-fraud-resources.html.

Ellen M. Warwick
Director for Enforcement and Compliance

News and Issuances

Fictitious Checks Drawn on Capitol National Bank, Lansing, Mich.