Counterfeit Cashier's Checks of Urban Trust Bank, Lake Mary, Fla.

The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks using a correct routing number of 263184815 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with a secret-shopper scam.


The counterfeit checks are very similar to the bank’s authentic checks and cannot be easily identified. Counterfeit checks presented to date have been made payable in the amounts of $1,760.02, $2,325.10, $2,365.12, $2,800, and $2,950. Remitter names have included Billy Frank Robinson, Dena M. Woolweaver, Danny W. Cooper, and Walters Lucy.


Correspondence accompanying the counterfeit items, purportedly written by Thompson Gills, contains the letterhead of “Thompson Market Research Ltd., 1630 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825.” The letter informs the potential victims of their secret-shopper tasks and instructs them to deposit the accompanying checks into their bank accounts and retain a small amount of the money as their salaries. The letter states that within 24 hours of the deposits, the potential victims are to split the remaining money to use in two separate wire transfer transactions. The transactions are to be completed using two different wire transfer agents and two different third-party recipients. The potential victims are instructed to e-mail the money transfer details to [thompsongills1@gmail.com] or [thompsongills@gmail.com].