The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks issued in the bank’s name and using a correct routing number of 031100636 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with secret shopper and craigslist Internet purchase scams.

The counterfeit items strongly resemble the bank’s authentic checks and contain what purport to be official bank employee signatures. The counterfeit checks may be identified by their green color and basket-weave background pattern.

Items presented to date relating to the secret shopper scam contain payment amounts of $3,330 and are dated 5/11/11.

Correspondence accompanying these items contains the following letterhead: “SH P’NCHEK, 6025 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092. USA.” and is signed by “David Bliss.” The solicitation outlines the duties of a secret shopper. The letter states that the money order the victim receives should be taken to the bank and cashed. The holder should then deduct a $200 commission and wire the balance to a “Betty Jones.” An evaluation is to then be completed and e-mailed to blissshopper@aol.com and aiisodjad015@aol.com.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of The First National Bank of Wyoming’s cashier’s checks, please contact John J. Steele, Senior Vice President/Operations, by mail at 120 West Camden Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, DE 19934; by telephone at (302) 398–3232; by fax at (302) 398-3289; or via e-mail at jsteele@fnbwyomingde.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.
• Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA): Businesses often arrange for mystery shoppers through independent companies, many of which are members of the MSPA. To verify the legitimacy of an organization, visit www.mysteryshop.org. 
• 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, 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 Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (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.treas.gov/fraudresources.htm.

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance