Counterfeit Cashier’s Checks of Metropolitan National Bank, Little Rock, Ark

Alert2011-11Subject: Counterfeit Cashier's Checks
Date: November 17, 2011 Description: Metropolitan National Bank

To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsel; and All Examining Personnel

The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier's checks issued in the bank's name and using a correct routing number of 082001247 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a sweepstakes scam.

Counterfeit items may be identified by the following: the bank's name is located in the upper-left corner of the check, followed by the address and a telephone number of 1 866-960 1883, which is not associated with the bank. The words “Cashier's Check” are printed in the top-center portion of the item, and the payee information is located in the bottom-left corner. The counterfeit items are missing the bank's logo but do contain a statement of “Void After 180 Days”. Items presented to date have been made payable in the amount of $2,650 and do not contain a remitter's name.

Correspondence accompanying these checks contains the letterhead of “Metropolitan Sweepstakes Commission, P.O. Box 5518, Little Rock, AR 72203, Tel: 450-369-0078; Fax: 1-866-907-5671.” The letter informs the recipient that he or she has been chosen as a winner in a drawing. The letter further states that the attached check is being sent for the recipient to pay for the processing fees and duty taxes. Recipients are instructed to contact Claims Agent Ms. Lillian Jordan at 450-369-0078.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of Metropolitan National Bank's cashier's checks, please contact Mike Shepard, Vice President/Security Officer, P.O. Box 8010, Little Rock, AR 72201, by telephone at (501) 377-7635, or via e mail at [mshepard@metbank.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 (382-4357) or, for filing a complaint electronically, via the FTC's Web site at www.ftc.gov.
• 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 Crime 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:

E-mail: occalertresponses@occ.treas.govMail: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Special Supervision Division, MS 2-7
250 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20219Fax: (202) 874-5214Internet: www.occ.treas.gov

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