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 111910762 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a mystery shopping scam. 
These items are fictitious, as the First National Bank, Graford, does not issue official checks.  Checks presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $3,875 and $3,940 and may include a remitter name of “CSS.”  Due to possible variations in appearance between the bank’s official items and scams, it is suggested that officials of the First National Bank, Graford, be contacted to verify authenticity of any of the bank’s official items, if received from an unknown or questionable source.  

The mystery shopper correspondence may contain the letterhead of “COMPARISON SHOPPING SOLUTIONS, PO Box 4800, Wildwood, NJ  08280, Tel: 1-905-920-6988, Fax: 1-888-380-8459.”  Note that the telephone number provided originates out of Hamilton, Ontario.  The correspondence informs the recipient that he or she has been selected to be a secret shopper for the company.  It explains that the enclosed check is to be used to purchase merchandise at various nationally known merchants as well as to transfer money using a nationally known wire service.  The funds to be spent at each location are broken down by a specific dollar amount, with the shopper being allotted the remaining funds as payment for their mystery shopper service.  The letter may be signed by Cathy Bradley.

Another mystery shopper letter in circulation with this particular scam may contain the letterhead of "G&M Research Services, P.O. Box 7895, New York, NY  10040; Fax: 1-866-291-4199; Tel: 1-778-316-1597."  Note that the telephone number provided in this correspondence originates out of British Columbia.  This letter may be signed by James Newsman.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of the First National Bank, Graford, official items, please contact Cindy Singleton, Assistant Cashier/Operations, P.O. Box 580, Mineral Wells, TX  76068, by telephone at (940) 325-9821 or by fax at (940) 325-3871. 

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 (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:

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

/signed/

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance