Counterfeit Treasurer's Checks of Leader Bank, NA, Arlington, Massachusetts

Alert2012-2 Subject: Counterfeit Cashier's Checks
Date: February 3, 2012 Description: Leader Bank, N.A.

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 Counsels; and All Examining Personnel

The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit treasurer’s checks issued in the bank’s name and using a correct routing number of 011307129 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with an Internet purchase scam.

Counterfeit items do not resemble the bank’s authentic treasurer’s checks and may be identified by the following: the checks have been printed on a blue parchment-style check stock with a marbled background and contain the bank’s name and complete mailing address of “180 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474” in the upper-left corner. The words “Treasurer’s Check” are presented slightly off-center right in the top portion of the check, followed by the abbreviated routing number of “53-712/113.” A dark blue border is present along the top edge of the instrument, and the following statement is printed within: “This document has a colored background and microprinting. The reverse side includes an artificial watermark.” Items presented to date have been made payable for varying amounts between $2,950 and $4,550.

For additional information and guidance and to verify the authenticity of Leader Bank, N.A.’s treasurer’s checks, please contact Bret Schofield, Security Officer, 141 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474; by telephone at (781) 646-3900; or via e-mail at [bret@leaderbank.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 (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 (888) 495-8501 or via e-mail at [info@phonebusters.com]. Its 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 2 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 Inspection Service by telephone at (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 and Compliance