Counterfeit checks bearing the name Merrill Lynch Trust Company, FSB, Somerset, New Jersey, are reportedly in circulation

Merrill Lynch Trust Company, FSB, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the institution's name are being circulated with an award claim letter from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. The lottery address appears to be in New Brunswick, Canada.

Merrill Lynch Trust Company, FSB, issues checks solely for trust account distributions, and those checks bear the routing number 031100225. The trust company does not offer checking accounts to the public.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 044000804, which is assigned to JPMorgan Chase Bank in Michigan. Please note that this routing number is also used for legitimate checks issued in connection with Merrill Lynch's Cash Management Accounts (CMA Accounts) and these legitimate checks should continue to be honored as appropriate. The counterfeit items display a bank location in Somerset, New Jersey, and are purportedly drawn on a business account (ALC Financial Group Inc.) at Merrill Lynch Trust Company, FSB. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items can be modified and that additional variations may be presented.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

John Clark
Compliance Officer
Merrill Lynch Trust Company, FSB
300 Merrill Lynch Drive, MSC 0303
Pennington, New Jersey 08534
Telephone: (609) 274-2089
Fax: (609) 274-0826-2739

To report this scam or any other scam based in or mailed from Canada, please contact Phonebusters, which is a joint partnership between the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Phonebusters is interested in receiving copies of scam letters, particularly those involving Canadian mailing addresses or telephone numbers. Records relating to the payment of advance fees should also be forwarded to Phonebusters. This information is used to assist in the strategic targeting of would-be fraudsters.

Scam letters should be forwarded to the Phonebusters National Call Center (PNCC) as follows:

Mail: Box 686
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
P1B 8J8Web site: www.phonebusters.comTelephone: +1 (888) 495-8501 (toll-free in Canada and the USA)Fax: +1 (888) 654-9426 (toll-free in Canada and the USA)E-mail: info@phonebusters.comAdvance fee fraud (including Nigerian and lottery letters): wafl@phonebusters.com

Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents and other fraudulent activity may be forwarded to the FDIC's Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-4004, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Information related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's website at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2006/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Sandra L. ThompsonActing Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection