Special Alert: SLS00320

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has become aware of e-mails appearing to be from the FDIC asking recipients to register for a "SON – Secure Online Network" code. The e-mail requests that recipients click on a hyperlink to initiate "SON" registration in an attempt to acquire the recipients' personal financial information. These e-mails are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of these e-mails and should NOT, under any circumstances, provide any personal financial information through this media.

The fraudulent e-mails describe a fictitious relationship between the FDIC and GoldLeaf Financial Solutions and suggest that the FDIC collaborated in the development of SON. The e-mails state that "SON":

• is "dedicated to protect payment cards against online fraud";
• "assigns a unique code to a payment card, therefore replacing random parts of the personal information"; and
• is "required for FDIC claims as it is part of the FDIC's new set of standards."

Variations of the e-mails have been reported. For example, at least three different subject lines are currently being used, including "Urgent Notification - Security Reminder," "Online Access Agreement Update," and "SON Registration." Some versions of the fraudulent e-mails include a salutation of "Dear FDIC beneficiary," while other versions include the recipient's name and e-mail address after the word "Dear." Some versions of the e-mails include the recipient's name and mailing address and a statement that "your personal information did not match any SON code." Other subject lines and modifications to the e-mails may occur over time.

Financial institutions and consumers should be aware that other similar e-mails may be sent that falsely claim to be from the FDIC. The FDIC does not directly contact consumers in this manner nor does the FDIC request personal financial information from consumers.

The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the fraudulent e-mails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers and financial institutions should notify the FDIC at alert@fdic.gov of any similar attempts to obtain personal financial information.

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.

Distribution: All FDIC-Insured Institutions

On August 23, 2006, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) published the attached list of financial entities whose websites note a Cayman Island address, but the entities are neither registered nor licensed to undertake activities regulated by the CIMA. The notice also states that none of the entities has registered with the Cayman Islands Companies Registry.

These entities, or persons representing them, may be operating in the Cayman Islands offering banking or other financial services to individuals, businesses or financial institutions located in the United States . They may be violating provisions of the Banks and Trust Companies Law (revised 2003) or other regulations issued by the Cayman Island government. They may also be conducting or facilitating unauthorized financial transactions in the United States . Any proposed transactions involving these entities should be viewed with extreme caution.

Any information about these entities 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.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's website 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. This Special Alert supersedes SA-112-2006.

Attachment: May be accessed from: http://www.cimoney.com.ky/uploadedFiles/Regulatory_Framework/Compliance/Notices/
Websites_with_Cayman_Addresses_Not_Registered_or_Licensed.pdf - PDF 78k (PDF Help)

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

NewMil Bank, New Milford, Connecticut, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 211170156, which is assigned to NewMil Bank, and are similar to authentic checks. However, authentic checks have the bank's customer care center telephone number – "1-860-210-4040" – printed to the right of the bank's name and address in the top-left corner. In addition, "ORIGINAL DOCUMENT" is printed on the reverse side of authentic checks along with other security features.

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items may be modified and that additional variations are possible.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Gary Hage
Vice President and Security Officer
NewMil Bank
19 Main Street, PO Box 600
New Milford, Connecticut 06776-0600
Phone: (860) 355-7617
Fax: (860) 354-0539
E-mail: ghage@newmilbank.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.

Attachment (not available electronically)

NOTE: As a security precaution, the FDIC does not post to its Web site electronic images of fraudulent items or authentic checks that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Financial institutions can view images of the fraudulent items and authentic checks (marked as VOID) using the FDIC's free, secure Web site, FDICconnect. (See more information about FDICconnect at http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06032.html.) Printed copies of each Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center (telephone: 1-877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200; fax: 703-562-2296; or e-mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov).

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

Ozark Mountain Bank, Branson, Missouri, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 081518375, which is assigned to Ozark Mountain Bank, and are similar to authentic checks. However, the following statement is embedded within the top border of the counterfeit items: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING - THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK."

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items may be modified and that additional variations are possible.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Thomas S. Dodds
Ozark Mountain Bank
P. O. Box 130
Branson, Missouri 65615
Phone: (417) 334-4125
Fax: (417) 334-2715
E-mail: tom_dodds@ozkmtnbank.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.

Attachment (not available electronically)

NOTE: As a security precaution, the FDIC does not post to its Web site electronic images of fraudulent items or authentic checks that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Financial institutions can view images of the fraudulent items and authentic checks (marked as VOID) using the FDIC's free, secure Web site, FDICconnect. (See more information about FDICconnect at http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06032.html.) Printed copies of each Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center (telephone: 1-877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200; fax: 703-562-2296; or e-mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov).

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

Macatawa Bank, Holland, Michigan, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 072413845, which is assigned to Macatawa Bank. The counterfeit items are dissimilar to authentic checks and display the words "PAYABLE TO" centered on the left side. The letters "MP" appear below a padlock symbol to the right of the signature line in the lower-right corner.

Authentic checks display the words "PAY TO THE ORDER OF" in a script font centered on the left side. The statement "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND, FOIL ACCENT, AND A BACKSIDE AUTHENTIC WATERMARK; ABSENCE OF THESE FEATURES WILL INDICATE A COPY" is printed in script font below the dollar amount line. Printed above the signature line in the lower right is the statement "VOID AFTER 90 DAYS."

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items may be modified and that additional variations are possible.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Annette Hall
Loss Prevention Manager
Macatawa Bank
10753 Macatawa Drive
Holland, Michigan 49424
Phone: (616) 494-1408
Fax: (616) 820-1439
E-mail: AHall@Macatawabank.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.

Attachment (not available electronically)

NOTE: As a security precaution, the FDIC does not post to its Web site electronic images of fraudulent items or authentic checks that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Financial institutions can view images of the fraudulent items and authentic checks (marked as VOID) using the FDIC's free, secure Web site, FDICconnect. (See more information about FDICconnect at http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06032.html.) Printed copies of each Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center (telephone: 1-877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200; fax: 703-562-2296; or e-mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov).

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)