Bank of Ann Arbor is pleased to announce that Janine Hutchinson is the Grand Prize winner in our Build-A-Billboard contest with the entry "Non-local banks think Mani Osteria plays for the Tigers."  And with all the clever entries we decided to select 8 more entries as runners-up.  Those are:

• Karen Farmer with "Non-local banks think Kosmo is a character on Sesame Street"
• Steve Marsh with "Non-local banks think Briarwood is where Peter Rabbit lives"
• Alain Benighil with "Non...-local banks think Eisenhower and Packard were WWII Generals" and "Non-local banks think Wolverine Tower is a U-M cheerleader stunt"
• Janine Hutchinson with "Non-local banks think Alfred Taubman is on the cover of Mad Magazine"
• Ashley Edwards with "Non-local banks think The Brides Project is a new show on BRAVO"
• Beth Langenderfer with "Non-local banks think The Jerk Pit is a singles bar"
• Janet Lawton with "Non-local banks think Goodnite Gracie is something John-Boy Walton said"

All will have their slogan on a Bank of Ann Arbor billboard in February 2012.  Watch for locations.

Thanks to all who joined in the fun with us. We had nearly 700 terrific entries!

Great entries this week! Two of our winners were "Non-local banks think NCRC is a public radio station" and “Non-local banks think the Jerk Pit is a singles bar.” Check out all the great submissions here or at www.facebook.com/bankofannarbor. Also, stay tuned for our announcement of the Grand Prize winner of $1,500, coming next week!

Most of us are familiar with fraud involving automobiles being sold over the Internet. A fraudster will post a nonexistent vehicle for sale on the Internet, typically a luxury or sports car. The details of the vehicle, including photos and description, are typically lifted from legitimate websites. An interested buyer, hopeful for a bargain, responds and is told that the vehicle is located overseas. The fraudster then instructs the victim to send a deposit via wire transfer to initiate the shipping process.

In a new twist to this scam, the fraudster advised there was an issue with the initial wire transfer and sent the victim a cashier's check. The victim was instructed to cash the check and resend a second wire to a different account. Unaware that the check was counterfeit, the victim followed through as instructed by the fraudster. This resulted in the victim getting duped two times and the fraudster accomplishing his "double-dipping" strategy.

Victims should be vigilant when an Internet transaction involves wire transfers and cashier's checks. Most individuals believe that cashier's checks are as good as cash and they clear the day after they are deposited. However, banks are required to make the funds "available" in the individual's account within 48 hours, which can be days before the cashier's check clears or bounces. Once the bank makes the funds available, the counterfeit check circulates to incorrect Federal Reserve locations. Generally, the average cashier’s check takes up to two weeks to clear, not two days. The bottom line: fraudsters understand the U.S. banking system process and capitalize on victims' misconceptions of the term "available funds."

The IC3 has posted multiple alerts warning consumers of various types of counterfeit check scams. The most recent warning was in the IC3 Scam Alert, May 10, 2011, which is available at: http://www.ic3.gov/media/2011/110510.aspx.

To learn more on this scam, prevention tips, and available resources, consumers can visit LooksTooGoodToBeTrue's Types of Fraud page on counterfeit checks at the following link: http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/fraudtypes/counterfeitcheck.aspx.

Great entries this week!! "Non-local banks think Thurston was stranded with Lovey on Gilligan's Island" and "Non-local banks think Pioneer High is Daniel Boone's alma mater" are two of the eight winners this week. Check out all the entries in our gallery or on our Facebook page. The contest ends this Friday so get your submissions in.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received over 70 complaints since July 2011 reporting fraudulent e-mails claiming the recipient had been issued a traffic ticket. The spam, which spoofed a nyc.gov e-mail address, claimed to be from the New York State Police (NYSP). Complainants, throughout the U.S. and internationally, reported that the e-mail indicated a traffic ticket had been issued against them as a result of a moving violation. None of the complainants reported any monetary loss. The e-mail, as noted in the sample below, instructed them to print the ticket and mail it to a town court in Chatam Hall to plead.

Subject: Uniform traffic ticket
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
UNIFORM TRAFFIC TICKET
POLICE AGENCY
NEW YORK STATE POLICE
Local Police Code
THE PERSON DESCRIBED ABOVE IS CHARGED AS FOLLOWS
Time
7:25 AM
Date of Offense
07/05/2011
IN VIOLATION OF
NYS V AND T LAW
Description of Violation
SPEED OVER 55 ZONE
TO PLEAD, PRINT OUT THE ENCLOSED TICKET AND SEND IT TO TOWN COURT, CHATAM HALL., PO BOX 117

The attached file contained in the e-mail was called Ticket-064-211.zip and some of the recipients reported that their anti-virus software detected that it contained malware.
The NYSP has posted the following two alerts on their site warning consumers of this scam:
http://troopers.ny.gov/Public_Information/2011_News_Releases/07-06-11_Hoax_E-mail_Alert.cfm
http://troopers.ny.gov/Public_Information/2011_News_Releases/08-17-11_UTT_Hoax_E-mail_Returns.cfm

We had some great entries this week. "Non-local banks think Frog Island is a vacation resort for amphibians" and "Non-local banks think Wolverine Tower is a U-M cheerleader stunt" are just two of the thirteen winners. Check out all the entries in our Gallery or visit our web page. There's still time to enter your ideas. Weekly winners receive a $50 VISA gift card and are entered into competition for a Grand Prize of $1,500 and entry on a local billboard.

In honor of those who have served our country, all Bank of Ann Arbor offices will be closed on Friday, Nov 11 for Veteran’s Day. Online and telephone banking will be available. Or use one of our 11 ATMs around Washtenaw County.  Offices will be open on Saturday according their regular hours.

Ten winners were chosen from nearly 80 submissions in Week 4 of Bank of Ann Arbor's Build-A-Billboard contest. Check out the terrific entries in our Gallery or visit our web page.  There's still time to enter your ideas.  Weekly winners receive a $50 VISA gift card and are entered into competition for a Grand Prize of $1,500 and entry on a local billboard.