Counterfeit and stolen official checks drawn on Interbank of New York, New York, New York; Bank of Mount Hope, Mount Hope, West Virginia; and Affinity Federal Credit Union, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, are in circulation

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has learned that six stolen official checks drawn on Interbank of New York, New York, New York, and payable through Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio, are currently in circulation. The stolen instruments are made out for $1,000,000 each, and include the bank's routing number of 044015543. Attached for your review is copy of an authentic official check (void). The check numbers are:

5008138 5008224 50084335008525 5008576 5008598

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

Mr. Harry Lazarou
Security Officer
Interbank of New York
31-01 Broadway
Astoria, New York 11106
Telephone: (718) 777-5000
FAX: (718) 777-5010

Counterfeit casher's checks drawn on the Bank of Mount Hope, Mount Hope, West Virginia, are also in circulation. The items bear the bank's routing number of 051503491. The reported counterfeit items appear to be exact copies of the bank's genuine instruments. A copy of a genuine official check (void) is attached for your review.

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

Ms. Kris Foster Security Officer
Bank of Mount Hope
602 Main Street
Mount Hope, West Virginia 25880
Telephone: (304) 877-5551
FAX: (304) 877-3851

In addition, counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on Affinity Federal Credit Union, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, are in circulation. The reported counterfeit items bear the association's routing number of 221283512, but do not display its logo and are not numbered. Additionally, the items do not resemble authentic association instruments. Attached for your review are an example of a counterfeit instrument and a copy of an authentic cashier's check (void).

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

Mr. Jim Wilcox
Loss Prevention Specialist
Affinity Federal Credit Union
73 Mountain View Blvd.
Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920
Telephone: (908) 860-3949
FAX: (908) 860-3891

Information about these financial institutions or instruments may be forwarded to the FDIC's Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, NW, Room F-4040, Washington, DC 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2003/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts, Financial Institution Letters and other announcements through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html.
Michael J. ZamorskiDirector