Counterfeit money orders bearing the name The New Washington State Bank, New Washington, Indiana, are reportedly in circulation

The New Washington State Bank, New Washington, Indiana, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit money orders bearing the institution's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items are reportedly associated with a nationwide lottery scam. Some of the counterfeit items are included with a letter purported to be from "Continental Distribution Sweepstakes, Suite 205, 820 St. Claude Street, Sydney, Australia, S6W9X3." Other counterfeit items are included with a letter purported to be from "BC 49 Lottery, Suite 900, 1275 Broad Street, Victoria, BC, V2N1Y6."

The counterfeit items display the routing number 083008650, which is assigned to The New Washington State Bank, and are similar to authentic money orders in style, font and layout. However, the counterfeit items are printed on check stock with a marbled background and rounded corners on the right side. The counterfeit items display security wording embedded within the top border.

Authentic money orders are printed on check stock with a geometric background and display a silver strip on the left side. All corners are rectangular.

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic money order (VOID) are attached for your review. 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:

Donna Hostetler
Vice President
or
Andrew Robinson
The New Washington State Bank
1467 Youngstown Center
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
Telephone: (812) 284-9264
Fax: (812) 284-0187
E-mail: dhostetler@newwashbank.com

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 Web site 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