Special Alert: SLS00328

Alamerica Bank, Birmingham, Alabama, 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 062006356, which is assigned to Alamerica Bank, and are markedly dissimilar to authentic checks. The counterfeit items display the bank's name, address, and a telephone number, which is not associated with the bank, in the upper-left corner. The counterfeit items also display the wording "MATCH THE AMOUNT IN WORDS WITH THE AMOUNT IN NUMBERS" and "ZIONS BANK" to the left of the dollar sign. On five lines in the lower- left corner, the counterfeit items display the words "PAY TO THE ORDER OF." A security lock symbol is displayed on the lower-right side.

Authentic checks display the bank's logo and name to the left of the local telephone number and address in the upper-left corner. Printed on two lines in the lower-left corner are "TO THE" and "ORDER OF."

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

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

Kent McGriff
Senior Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer
Alamerica Bank
2170 Highland Avenue South
Birmingham, Alabama 35205
Telephone: (205) 558-4645
Fax: (205) 558-4616
E-mail: kmgriff@alamericabank.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 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.

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)

Pelham Banking Company, Pelham, Georgia, 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 061202889, which is assigned to Pelham Banking Company. The counterfeit items, which are dissimilar to authentic checks, are blue and display "PELHAM BANK," the bank's address, and a telephone number, not associated with the bank, in the upper-left corner. They also have the following statement embedded within the top border: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK." Centered at the top of the counterfeit items are the words "CASHIER'S CHECK."

Authentic checks are green and include the bank's name and logo centered at the top. Authentic checks have the following security statement displayed below the amount line: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A MICROPRINT SIGNATURE LINE, WATERMARK AND THERMOCHROMIC ICON. ABSENCE OF THESE FEATURES WILL INDICATE A COPY." Additionally, authentic checks display the words "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the lower-left corner.

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

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

G. Duane Bentley
Vice President
Pelham Bank
P.O. Box 512
180 Mathewson Avenue
Pelham, Georgia 31779
Telephone: (229) 294-2341
Fax: (229) 294-2549
E-mail: gduanebentley@pelhambank.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 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.

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)

Citizens Guaranty Bank, Richmond, Kentucky, 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 are reportedly associated with various scams, including Internet job offers, e-mails from unknown persons, and scam letters with postmarks from the United States , Denmark or Nigeria .

The counterfeit items display the routing number 042101475, which is assigned to Citizens Guaranty Bank, and are very similar to authentic cashier's checks. Bank management reported that the MICR line is not machine-readable. To date, all counterfeit items have included the name "Vivian Johnson" as the remitter, and all have displayed serial numbers within the ranges of 131470 to 139176 or 140057 to 14150.

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

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

Scott Harris
Risk Management Officer
Citizens Guaranty Bank
25 River Drive
Irvine, Kentucky 40336-0630
Telephone: (606) 723-2139, extension 2174
Alternate: (606) 723-2023
Fax: (606) 723-2142
E-mail: sharris@mycgb.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 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.

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)

Greater Buffalo Savings Bank, Buffalo, New York, 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 022072692, which is assigned to Greater Buffalo Savings Bank. "Check No." is displayed in the top-right corner of the counterfeit items. The statement "VOID AFTER 90 DAYS OF ISSUANCE" is shown in the bottom-left corner.

Authentic checks display the check number above the date field. Directly below the date field is the dollar amount inside of a rectangular box.

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

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

Mary Ann Palmer
Vice President / Security Director
Greater Buffalo Savings Bank
2421 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14214
Telephone: (716) 961-1923
Fax: (716) 923-7523
E-mail: mpalmer@gbsb.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 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.

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)

Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the bank's name and a Lexington , Kentucky , address are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 042101190, which is assigned to Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati , Ohio . The counterfeit items are similar to authentic cashier's checks; however, the borders on the counterfeit items have rounded corners.

Authentic checks display printed lines for both the "Pay to the Order of" and "Amount" fields. On three lines in the lower-left portion of the checks are the fields "Drawn on," "Memo," and "Purchased by." Authentic checks also display "Transaction Number" and " Cost Center " to the right of the "Drawn on" field. The following statement appears in the lower left-corner of authentic checks: "The purchase of a Surety Bond may be required before any Cashier's Check on this bank will be replaced or refunded in the event it is lost, misplaced, or stolen." Additionally, the following security statement appears below the routing number on the bottom of authentic checks: "THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT HAS A WHITE REFLECTIVE WATERMARK ON THE BACK. HOLD AT AN ANGLE TO SEE THE MARK WHEN CHECKING THE ENDORSEMENTS."

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

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

Fifth Third Bank - Protection Department
5001 Kingsley Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45263
Telephone: (800) 927-0395
Fax: (513) 358-5214

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 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.

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)