The following is a notice passed on from the City of Brownwood and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.

TO:        Tyson Plant Community Chambers of Commerce

FROM:    Russell Tooley, VP-Corporate Human Resources, Recruiting and Security

DATE:    July 27, 2009

RE:        Fraudulent Tyson Payroll Checks

We want you to be aware of recent reports of fraudulent Tyson Foods payroll checks being cashed at stores and banks in some Tyson plant communities.  Our company is working with various law enforcement agencies to investigate.

We encourage you to notify members of your business community about this criminal activity and give them the following information, which outlines ways these false checks can be detected:

  • There are two basic check stocks used for Tyson payroll checks.  Both contain many security features, which are listed on the back of each check.  Anyone cashing checks should review these security features for authenticity of the document.

 

  • On the first check stock, a light red Tyson logo has been printed in heat sensitive ink in the upper left hand corner on the back of the check.  The words “HEAT REACTIVE MARK” are printed near this logo.

 

  • On the second check stock, green lines appear diagonally across the majority of the back of check along with multiple light red Tyson logos that have been printed with heat sensitive ink.  The words “THERMOCHROMIC INK SECURE MARK ON BACK, CHANGES COLOR WITH HEAT” also appear on this side of the check.

 

  • If you put your thumb on one of these light red Tyson logos (and hold it there for a few seconds), rub a finger across it, or breath warm air on it (as if trying to fog a mirror), the logo will temporarily disappear, then reappear.  If this does not happen, then it is likely the check is not valid.

 

  • There is also a red control number on the back of each check.  This number is different on each and every check generated.  Recent fraudulent checks have had the number 17209280.  If you see a check with this control number, it is not valid and should be rejected.  While the control number is not actually meant to be a security feature, if you see multiple checks with the same number printed on the back, they are likely not valid.

If a business in your community comes across what they believe is a fraudulent Tyson payroll check, we encourage them to contact local law enforcement.  They may also contact Woody Doss or Greg Clark of Tyson Global Security with any questions at 1-800-643-3410.