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 e-mail at [karaujo@cnbwax.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 1-877-FTC-HELP or, for filing a complaint electronically, via the FTC’s Internet site at www.ftc.gov.

·        Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canadian Scams):  by telephone at 1-888-495-8501 or via e-mail at [info@phonebusters.com].  Their Web site, www.phonebusters.com, provides additional contact numbers.

·        Better Business Bureau – 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 international Web site (www.bbb.org) offers contact information for local BBBs, objective reports on more than two 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 (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center (Scams that may have originated via the Internet) at www.ic3.gov

·        If correspondence is received via the U.S. Postal Service, contact the U.S. Postal Inspector Service by telephone at 1-888-877-7644, 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 e-mail at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx.

Additional information concerning this matter that you believe 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, MS 6-4 250 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20219
	Fax:	(202) 874-5214
	Internet:	http://www.occ.treas.gov

          /signed/          

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance