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 e-mail 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 e-mail at [Jon.Machado@Rabobank.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 (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