The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks issued in the bank’s name and using a correct routing number of 123300153 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with an Internet-based lottery scam.

Counterfeit items are similar to the authentic checks but may be identified by the following traits: checks may be green, blue, or pink in color with a marbled background and contain a dark border. The following security statement is printed within the top border: “THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK.”

Items presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $2,990, $2990.80, $2,995, and $2,995.80, contain a remitter name of Tyson R. Robins, and are missing the bank’s telephone number of (509) 525-2000 in the top center portion of the instrument. Due to possible variations in appearance of the bank’s cashier’s checks and scams, it is suggested that officials of Baker Boyer National Bank be contacted to verify the authenticity of any of the bank’s official items, if received from an unknown or questionable source.

Correspondence related to this scam has been received by potential victims via e-mail. The original e-mail message indicates that the recipient’s e-mail address was attached to a winning ticket number in a recent lottery held by the “Halifax Bank ATM CARD Winners International Programs.” Recipients are informed that he or she will receive his or her winnings via an ATM card. In order to have this ATM card processed, recipients are instructed to provide the sender, Mr. Daniel Tucker, with a variety of information, including: name, address, phone number, date of birth, and occupation.” Follow-up communications include information pertaining to the fees to be paid prior to the shipment of the ATM card. These fees include shipping costs, security fees, and tax. The recipient is then sent a counterfeit check which is to be deposited into his or her bank account and immediately wired to a Western Union location. The e-mail address utilized by the scam artist has been “[dtucker.halifaxpayments@gmail.com].”

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of Baker Boyer National Bank’s cashier’s checks, please contact Abby Kentch, BSA/Operations Officer, 7 West Main, Walla Walla, WA 99362, by telephone at (509) 526-1209, by fax at (509) 526-1444, or via e-mail at [kentcha@bakerboyer.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 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.

In addition, consumers who receive scam material via e-mail should forward the e-mail (with headers) to:

• The scammer’s e-mail provider’s abuse center, alerting the provider that the e-mail address is being used to solicit illegal activities and that it should be shut down. Most e-mail providers have specific abuse mailboxes set up to handle such complaints. Examples include: [abuse@yahoo.com], [uk-mail-abuse@yahoo-inc.com], and [abuse@hotmail.com].
  
  
• The FTC’s spam reporting mailbox at [spam@uce.gov].

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