Counterfeit checks drawn on Commerce Bank of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, are reportedly in circulation

Commerce Bank of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that fraudulent checks are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the proper routing number of 122105922, which is assigned to Commerce Bank of Arizona. The counterfeit checks are markedly dissimilar from the authentic checks. The authentic checks are printed on plain blue stock, display the words "Cashier's Check," have the word "Date" in the upper left-hand corner, and have a six-digit check number. The counterfeit checks are on marbled stock, display the words "Official Check," have the date in the upper right-hand corner, and have an eight-digit check number. Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic cashier's check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Alan J. Wahl
Senior Vice President
Commerce Bank of Arizona
3805 E. Broadway
Tucson, Arizona 85716
Telephone: (520) 325-5200
Fax: (520) 327-0513
Email: awahl@commercebankaz.com

Information about these instruments 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. Information 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 Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2005/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Michael J. ZamorskiDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection