Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Bank of the West, Grapevine, Texas, are reportedly in circulation

Bank of the West, Grapevine, Texas, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

Bank of the West does not issue official checks; however, it does issue cashier's checks.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 111916724, which is assigned to Bank of the West. The items are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks and when copied have a "VOID" background. A security feature statement is embedded in a darkened top border and along the bottom border between two padlocks. The words "OFFICIAL CHECK" appear in the top-left corner below the bank's name. The statement "THE AMOUNT OF WORDS MUST MATCH THE AMOUNT IN NUMBERS" is repeated as background behind the written dollar amount.

Authentic cashier's checks are pink with an ornate border. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are near the top center. The bank's logo (horse head), name, location, telephone number and "REMITTER" are in the top-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:

Debbi Jordan
BSA Officer
Bank of the West
108 West Northwest Highway
Grapevine, Texas 76051
Telephone: (817) 310-1942
Fax: (817) 796-1570
E-mail: djordan@bnkwest.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-3054, 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/2010/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