Alert 2022-1| January 3, 2022
To
Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations; All State Banking Authorities; Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (Districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsels; and All Examining Personnel
The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks using the bank’s routing number of 051403818 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with potentially various job opportunity scams, including car wrapping.
The counterfeit checks resemble the bank’s authentic item, but may be identified by the following:
- The checks contain a straight thin dark blue border with a thicker top border containing the following security statement: “THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND ON WHITE PAPER.”
- A separate security statement including a padlock icon is printed along the right border.
- A heat-sensitive security feature with a key icon is located in the lower-center portion of the check.
- The words “CASHIER’S CHECK” appear in the left border using a bold standard font.
Checks presented to date have been made payable in amounts between $1,490 and $200,000 and may contain one of the following remitter names: Kelvin Michael, Dennis Stoffer, Charrlyn Turner, Mark Walters, Jack Wilson, or Powell Valley National Bank.
The checks have been sent to potential victims via United States Postal Service’s Priority Mail and accompany an employment scam letter purporting to be from a well-known organic dairy company. The letter fraudulently informs the recipient of being selected to participate in a 10-week car wrapping campaign to advertise for this company. The letter instructs the recipient to deposit the check into his or her bank account and immediately email and text the scammers a copy of the deposit slip. Recipients of the counterfeit items are told that $500 of the funds are to be considered the first week’s salary; the remainder is to be used to send to the decal installers. Contact information provided by the scammers is a text-only cell phone number of (424) 888-3690 and an email address of [admin@horizonadvertisement.com].
For additional information and to verify the authenticity of checks drawn on Powell Valley National Bank, please contact the bank’s Compliance Officer at (276) 346-1414, ext. 134, by email at tlarge@powellvalleybank.com, or by mail at P.O. Box 100, Jonesville, VA 24263.
Consumers who receive counterfeit or fictitious items and associated material should file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate:
- OCC: by email at occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov; by fax to (571) 293-4925; or by calling the Special Supervision Division at (202) 649-6450.
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General (OIG): by telephone at (800) 359‑3898 or by visiting the OIG website.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at (877) FTC-HELP or, for filing a complaint electronically, via the FTC’s website.
- National Consumers League (NCL): by telephone at (202) 835-3323 or by email. To file a fraud complaint, visit the NCL fraud website.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB): visit the website to find BBBs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (to report scams that may have originated on the internet).
- If correspondence is received via the U.S. Postal Service, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by telephone at (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 the online complaint form.
For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC’s Fraud Resources page, which also can be found on OCC.gov.
Monica A. Freas
Director of Enforcement