Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Athens Federal Community Bank, Athens, Tennessee, are reportedly in circulation

Athens Federal Community Bank, Athens, Tennessee, 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 264271183, which is assigned to Athens Federal Community Bank. The items are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks and display a padlock icon and a vertical security feature statement along the right side. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" appear in the top-left corner. The bank's name and address are in the top center. A heat-sensitive icon appears near the bottom of the items. A second padlock icon appears to the right side of the signature line in the lower-right corner.

Authentic cashier's checks are blue with ornate borders. The words "MAIN OFFICE CASHIER CHECK" appear on the right side above the signature line. The bank's name, city, state and ZIP code 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:

Don Long
Assistant Vice President and Security Officer
Athens Federal Community Bank
P.O. Box 869
Athens, Tennessee 37371-0869
Telephone: (423) 745-1111, extension 1148
Fax: (423) 745-1528
E-mail: donl@athensfederal.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