The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks issued in the bank’s name and using a correct routing number of 071925787 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a mystery shopping scam.

Counterfeit items are similar to the authentic checks, but may be identified by the following traits: checks are of unknown color with a dark solid border and contain the following security statement in the top border “FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER.” The bank’s telephone number of (815) 479-5200 is missing under the address section in the upper-right portion of the instrument, and the following security statement is located in the bottom border: “THE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS DOCUMENT INCLUDES A UNIQUE CHECK IDENTIFICATION CODE AND AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK. HOLD AT AN ANGLE TO VIEW.”

Items presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $4,965, may include a forged signature of bank CEO, James Thorpe, and contain a remitter name of Therese Burke. Due to possible variations in the appearance of the bank’s official items and differing scams associated with the counterfeit or fictitious items, officials of Crystal Lake Bank & Trust Company, N.A. suggest they be contacted to verify authenticity of the bank’s cashier’s checks if received from an unknown or questionable source.

Correspondence accompanying the counterfeit checks will most likely be mailed from Canada and may contain the letterhead of “Business, 5508 Greens Square Drive, Suite #206, Minnetonka, MN 55343-9602.” The letter may be signed by Anthony Bret (Director, Operations). The correspondence informs the recipient that he or she has been selected to represent the company as a research personnel or customer service evaluator. It is explained that the enclosed cashier’s check is to be used during the assignment to make purchases at various merchants and to transfer money using a nationally known wire service. Recipients are instructed to contact Andrea Turner at (514) 568-7180 for detailed instructions prior to depositing the check and are required to keep the assignment confidential in accordance with the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is enclosed with the check.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of Crystal Lake Bank and Trust, N.A.’s cashier’s checks, please contact Louis R. Acevedo, Assistant Vice President Operations, 70 N. Williams Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014, by telephone at (815) 479-5200, by fax at (815) 479-5206, or via e-mail at [lacevedo@crystallakebank.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 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 http://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 Fraud Complaint Center (scams that may have originated via the Internet) at http://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 OCC may be forwarded to:

For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC’s anti-fraud resource at: http://www.occ.gov/topics/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/index-fraud-resources.html.

/signed/

Richard C. Stearns
Director for Enforcement & Compliance