Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Savannah Bank, NA, Savannah, New York, are reportedly in circulation

Savannah Bank, N.A., Savannah, New York, has contacted the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. The items are reportedly associated with a lottery scam. Correspondence accompanying the counterfeit items contains the letterhead of "Switzerland Lottery." Letters notify recipients of their winning status and instruct the recipients to "kindly deposit or cash the [$2,400.00] check to pay for tax and clearance fees." Recipients are further instructed to contact Kingston Financial Management Group, subsidiary of Switzerland Trust Corporation, 40 Melwood Ave, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1A1, Telephone: 1-780-695-3962. The mailing envelopes are postmarked in Canada.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 022311117, which is assigned to Savannah Bank, N.A. They are printed on a blue-speckled paper and contain security statements within both the top and bottom borders. The following security statement is printed along the top border: "FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER." The following statement is printed along the bottom border: "THE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS DOCUMENT INCLUDES A UNIQUE CHECK IDENTITY BAR CODE AND AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK- HOLD AT AN ANGLE TO VIEW." A toll-free telephone number, printed as 1-800-963-2491, which is not associated with the bank, appears in the top-center portion of the counterfeit items.

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

Thomas Endres
Security Officer
Savannah Bank, N.A.
1565 Main Street
Savannah, New York 13146
Phone: (315) 365-6045
Fax: (315) 365-3137
E-mail: tendres@tds.net

Additional information about this matter may be brought to the OCC's attention at:

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Special Supervision Division MS 6-4
250 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20219
Fax: (202) 874-5214
E-mail: occalertresponses@occ.treas.gov
Internet: http://www.occ.treas.gov

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. Thompson
Acting Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection