The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks issued in the bank’s name and using a correct routing number of 096016765 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a secret shopping scam. 

The counterfeit checks do not resemble the authentic items and may be identified by the following traits:  the instruments are light blue in color, contain both a thick and thin dark blue line along the top and bottom borders of the instrument, and include a gold emblem in the lower center portion of the check.  The bank’s logo appears as a negative image with white text on dark background in the top center portion of the check and contains the words “Member FDIC.”  The following security statement is printed within the bottom border and followed by a padlock icon:  “THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS SECURITY FEATURES – SEE REVERSE.” 

Items presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $2,800, $2,950, and $2,990; include a remitter name of Fu Young; and are signed by a Kathleen Beal. 

Due to possible variations in the appearance of the bank’s official items and differing scams associated with the counterfeit items, officials of Clinton National Bank suggest they be contacted to verify authenticity of the bank’s cashier’s checks if received from an unknown or questionable source.

Correspondence accompanying the counterfeit checks may contain the letterhead of “Extreme Secret Shopper, P.O. Box 17550, Kent, WA  98002-3202; Tel: 1-905-781-9292; Fax: 206-337-1657” and may be signed by Jenny Wong, Quality Research Manager.  The correspondence informs the recipient that he or she has been selected to represent the company as a secret shopper.  It is explained that the enclosed cashier’s check is to be used during the assignment to make purchases at various merchants and to transfer money using a nationally known wire service.  Recipients are instructed to telephone Officer Tim Walkers at 1-905-781-9292 for detailed instructions. 

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 Web 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 (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 international Web site http://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 http://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

For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC’s anti-fraud resource at: http://www.occ.treas.gov/fraudresources.htm.

          /signed/          

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance