Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Plantation Federal, Pawleys Island, South Carolina, are reportedly in circulation

Plantation Federal Bank, Pawleys Island, South Carolina, 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 011007092, which is assigned to Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Plantation Federal Bank's official checks are issued by Moneygram Payment Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, through an account at Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company. The counterfeit items are similar to authentic official checks; however, the counterfeit items display a security statement embedded in a darkened top border and along the bottom border between two padlock icons.

Authentic official checks display a security statement below the top border. A padlock icon and security statement are shown in the lower-right corner above the signature line.

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:

Sharon Frye
Assistant Vice President and Bank Security Officer
Plantation Federal Bank
P.O. Box 289
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina 29576
Telephone: (843) 359-4293
Fax: (843) 651-3894
E-mail: sfrye@plantationfederal.com

Alternate Contact:

Debbie C. Carter
Vice President and Bank Secrecy Act Officer
Plantation Federal Bank
P.O. Box 3848
Pawleys Island, South Carolina 29585
Telephone: (843) 237-3404
Fax: (843) 237-5914
E-mail: dcarter@plantationfederal.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. Questions 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/2009/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Sandra L. ThompsonDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection