Counterfeit bank checks bearing the name The Old Fort Banking Company, Bettsville, Ohio, are reportedly in circulation

The Old Fort Banking Company, Old Fort, Ohio, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit bank checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 041212637, which is assigned to The Old Fort Banking Company. The items are markedly dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. They are blue with blue borders and have a padlock icon and vertical security feature statement embedded in the right border. The bank name and address ("231 State Street, Beltsville, OH") are shown in the top-left corner. The words "AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE" appear below the signature line in the lower-right corner.

Authentic cashier's checks are yellow with ornate borders. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are inside a rectangle with ornate arrows at each end in the top-center area. A padlock icon and security feature statement appear to the right of the word "DOLLARS" at the end of the written dollar amount line. A "NOTICE TO CUSTOMER" is displayed in the top-left corner. The bank's name, logo, motto and "MEMBER FDIC" are 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:

Ruth A. Zoeller
Chief Internal Auditor and Security Officer
The Old Fort Banking Company
33 East Market Street
P.O. Box 627
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
Telephone: (419) 447-1513, extension 1531
Fax: (419) 447-4925
E-mail: rzoeller@oldfortbank.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