ALERT -- YOU WIN , YOU LOOSE - $280,000

The above fraudulent check is being passed around the US as part of two schemes, the "Canadian Lottery" scheme, and a non-profit donation scheme:

Scam Details:

On 7/27/06, iQ Credit Union's Phone Branch received a phone call from Baltimore, MD. verifying funds on a cashier's check for $3,450 that a person was presenting. The person had received a letter and this check in the mail. The letter informed her that she had won $2 million dollars but that she would need to share the amount with 40 other winners. The enclosed check was an advance of her winnings that she that use to pay taxes and fees on her winnings. The letter said that she needed to obtain a money order for $3,450 for the taxes and fees and mail it to a Canadian address listed in the letter.

On 7/28/06, iQ Credit Union's Phone Branch received three additional phone calls from difference non-profit organizations in the US all of which have received one of these counterfeit cashier's checks for $280,000.00. All three letters from SBSC International to the non-profits are the same with the only difference being the name and address of the non-profit it was sent to. When called the phone number listed on letter for SBSC a recording picks up and asks you to leave a message.iQ does not use Integrated Payment Systems for their checks. When iQ's Internal Auditor called this number, a man with an accent answered the phone by saying iQ Credit Union. He said that he worked for iQ at their branch #7 in Battle Ground, WA (but he could not tell us what state WA was – he actually said "W" "A" for the state. Investigators gave him the check number and he verified that it was for $3,450. He said it was a good check. The man said his name was Sam Thomas. When asked whose signature was on the check he replied Thomas W. Wang. A reverse phone lookup on the internet for the phone number – it is a landline based in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada.

iQ Credit Union has not experienced a loss from this scam to date. However, we believe that there are many more checks in circulation with this same scam.